ht8 – the Health Tourism Sector Masterbrand
Konstantinos Konstantinidis, M.D., Ph.D.
Director - ExCtu - addressing the Health Tourism Sector "Builder Class" (a.k.a. the "growth makers" and “developers”) with originated T-shaped knowledge for thinking and doing.
…understanding and capitalizing on its Versatility and Value
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
The terms “Internet Century Health Tourism” (ICHT) and “Contemporary Health Tourism” are synonymous – and both are represented by “ht8”.
“ht8” is short for “Health Tourism 8”.
At the most basic level, ht8 refers to the 8 Health Tourism Segments:
ht8 integrates the 8 Segments – while at the same time, ensuring that the “identity, distinctiveness and independence” of each Segment is maintained.
Preamble
…transformation (of the concept & practice) and repurposing (of the activity)
The transformation of the Health Tourism concept & practice resulted in a set of outcomes, on the basis of which, Health Tourism is recognized as an Economic Sector.
Furthermore, the “transformation” (from conventional to contemporary – a.k.a. Internet Century) also repurposed the “activity” (from a “need to a want”).
The point being made in this article is that as a consequence of the transformation and repurposing, the Health Tourism Sector now, has a Masterbrand (ht8), owned by the Sector’s Stakeholders.
The objective is for the Sector Stakeholders to understand and capitalize on the Versatility and Value of ht8 (the Masterbrand).
the role of ht8 in the transformation and repurposing of Health Tourism
…to address the WWW (i.e., the whole wide world)
ht8 is responsible for the following “shifts”:
The Long Tail
The phrase “The Long Tail” refers to both a strategic concept and practice and the title of the best-selling book from 2008 titled The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More, by Chris Anderson (the then editor of Wired magazine).
The premise of the book states that products that individually have low demand can, in aggregate, combine to create more demand than the few products that sell in large quantities.
Also, increased choice creates increased demand.
Which is the reason Colgate provides 57 toothpaste choices.
Besides, we were reminded by Professor Richard Thaler that the very first axiom in Economics is: “more choices are always better”.
In Health Tourism, the most obvious application of the Long Tail which comes to mind is in connection with ht8 (configuration of the Health Tourism Industry and Market in terms of 8 Segments).
NOTE
“The Long Tail” is also one of the Strategic Concepts and Practices.
ht8 as the Health Tourism Sector Masterbrand
…from a Commodity to a Cachet
The elevation of Health Tourism to the status of a brand (in other words, its “upgrading”, from a commodity to a cachet) was part of the comprehensive initiative to transform the concept & practice (from conventional to contemporary) and the repurposing of the activity (from a “need” to a “want”).
The “motivation and justification” was provided by the need to differentiate offerings (in the form of Health Tourism Services) which (in terminology terms, at least) appeared to all be the same.
As you will also read further down, a commodity is an “offering” for which there is a demand – but, this demand is satisfied without qualitative differentiation in the marketplace.
In other words, a commodity has no identity of its own or it is not able to differentiate itself in the marketplace.
In such a situation, consumers do not have any preference for the particular “offering”, with regards to who offers and provides it - with the deciding factor being “price”.
The objective of “commodity branding” is to provide (admittedly) intangible benefits to the customers that would differentiate the “offering”.
Dole provides a good example of how commodities (in this case fruit and vegetables) can acquire an identifying common “brand”.
Dole, is the world’s largest producer of fruit and vegetables, marketing all its produce under the Dole “masterbrand”.
Each product is clearly labelled as Dole, be it a fresh or a tinned pineapple or a ready-to-eat salad pack.
Having invested in and supported its brand, Dole has a clear story built around its heritage and quality.
The company positions itself as offering “the finest, high-quality products”.
In the case of Health Tourism, the “Masterbrand” is ht8.
By the way, as the reader gets to know and understand more about Contemporary Health Tourism, the statements and assertions made in this paper / article will become clear and obvious.
A masterbrand is an overarching (all-embracing) brand name that serves as the main anchoring point on which all underlying “offerings” (products or services) are based.
While individual offerings may have their own names and brand identities, the masterbrand is instrumental in contributing to consumer beliefs that the offerings stand alone in their classes.
Google and Virgin are examples of well-known masterbrands.
Think of:
The intent is to link offerings under the masterbrand, even though they may operate independently, and may serve different purposes.
In Health Tourism, the ht8-associated “brands” are:
Of course, this strategy works best when the masterbrand is regarded positively by consumers, who consequently assume that there is a consistency of quality, across all associated offerings.
Consumers readily identify associated brands with the qualities of the “trusted” Masterbrand - even if only on a subconscious level.
how Health Tourism was elevated from a Commodity to a Brand
…and the “Corroborative Advice” provided by other “pioneers”
As I have said, on a number of occasions, I do not use Case Studies – i.e., stories - (the Harvard Business School “hallmark” teaching method) as guides on “how to do” (i.e., before doing).
Instead, I use Case Studies to corroborate (i.e., give support to) or validate what I have already done.
Furthermore, I use Case Studies to provide the “analogy”. This is because people understand better – and believe more - when provided with a parallel and analogous “success” story (often from another industry).
Case Study – Case Method
The “case method” of teaching - and provision of business guidance - is a discussion of real-life situations that business executives have faced.
Harvard Business School claims that: Case studies from Harvard Business Publishing add a real-life perspective to business courses around the globe.
In the case of elevating Health Tourism from a Commodity to a Brand, I had already done the “job” but sought “Corroborative Advice” from other pioneers – to validate the choice of my approach.
This corroborative advice (or simply, corroboration) was provided by Starbucks, Nike and a manufacturer of pet bowls.
Starbucks, Nike and David MacNeil were pioneers in elevating commodities, (coffee, trainers and pet bowls, respectively) to cachets – a.k.a. brands.
To quote MacNeil (who could also be speaking on behalf of the other two): start by doing what no one else has done – or will do - especially when the offerings in question are as commonplace and ubiquitous as pet bowls.
And this is what I had already done with the ubiquitous Health Tourism Services.
“ht8” as the shorthand form of the two longer terms
…Contemporary Health Tourism and Internet Century Health Tourism
With ht8 now, the Sector Masterbrand, ht8 can also serve as the “shorthand form” of the two longer terms:
ht8 at its beginning
…my favorite Combinational, Permissionless and Open Innovation
During the process of designing Internet Century Health Tourism, I experienced the “agony and ecstasy” of coming up with “innovations” (which, at the same time, were Combinational, Permissionless and Open).
And if asked “why?”, my answer would be: because of its versatility and value.
Sentiments aside (favorite child etc.), if asked to name only one innovation which made the transformation (from conventional to contemporary) and repurposing (from a need to a want) possible, my choice would, again, be ht8, because this is responsible for the “shifts” listed further down.
BTW, ht8 is an innovation which is, at the same time, permissionless, combinational and open.
I refer to ht8 as the all-encompassing (overarching - all-embracing) “Strategy and Brand” because it started life exclusively as one of the Foundational Innovation Strategies (of the “architecture” part of arcHTos – the Health Tourism Sector Architecture and Operating System) – before going on to assume additional “roles”.
To be more precise, ht8 was initially conceived as a Strategy to configure the “health-related Services” part of the Sector (into 8 Segments).
ht8 then, went on to also become a Lifestyle Brand.
Of course, as you will read, ht8 also went on to refer to:
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ht8 and arcHTos
…mutually inclusive and inseparable
arcHTos (the Health Tourism Sector “architecture and operating system”), of which ht8 is a component part, has begun to be recognized as a “wise system”.
Consequently, ht8 (as one of the Foundational Innovation Strategies) is part of a Wise System.
A “wise system” is a system based on knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight.
arcHTos is presented and explained in dedicated documents, papers and a LinkedIn article, but briefly, for the benefit of readers of this paper / article, it can be said that arcHTos serves as the “blueprint” for designing, creating – or transforming – and then operating Derivatives (see listing further down).
One should think of arcHTos as the Android for Health Tourism.
If Android is the Platform changing (transforming) what mobile can do, then, arcHTos is the Platform changing (transforming) what Health Tourism can do.
In the way of information, the term “arcHTos derivatives” refers to:
the role played by ht8 in the integration of “providers” into the Sector
…without the loss of their “identity, distinctiveness and independence”
The endowment of Health Tourism with a Masterbrand (in the form of ht8) is closely associated with the integration of the providers of services in the 8 Segments (as listed further up).
To be a bit more specific, ht8 (as a combinational, permissionless and open innovation) integrates (combines) the 8 separate Health Tourism Segments into a Masterbrand (of services of known and consistent quality and standards).
At the same time, ht8 brings together (integrates) the providers of these services, while ensuring that their “identity, distinctiveness and independence” is maintained.
If there is one "ailment" which most-seriously afflicts Conventional Health Tourism (i.e., Health Tourism in its innate state), this surely is "fragmentation".
Fragmented: consisting of several separate parts (Cambridge Dictionary).
Fragmentation is particularly pronounced in Conventional Health Tourism because it was formed “haphazardly and anarchically”.
In fact, Conventional Health Tourism, was not “formed” – it came about (it just “happened”).
In other words, Conventional Health Tourism was not created by design (i.e., according to a plan).
Fragmentation is responsible for inefficiency – at the macro and micro levels.
The subject of integration is more comprehensively addressed in the Policy and Strategy paper and LinkedIn article titled:
Health Tourism Integration - to deal with Fragmentation and Inefficiency.
See: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/health-tourism-integration-constantine-constantinides-m-d-ph-d-/.
the value added to the Sector and its Stakeholders by ht8
...what is there not to like about it?
ht8 was conceived as the first Foundational Innovation Strategy – even before the Sector was provided with arcHTos (the Architecture and Operating System).
And, as with all the arcHTos Foundational Innovation Strategies, ht8 is owned by its stakeholders.
With ht8, it is not a case of “all or nothing” – one does not need to be involved in all of the Segments in order to be part of it – and to champion it.
Champion:
·?(verb) to support, defend, or fight for a person, belief, right, or principle enthusiastically (Cambridge Dictionary)
The message providers can convey to consumers is: “come, primarily for the one, and by the way, also enjoy some of the others”.
ht8:
So, what is there not to like about it?
an ht8 Vacation
…even without explicitly stating the intention to go on a Health Tourism vacation
As Resort owners have fully-realized, their clients (even without explicitly stating their intention to do so), during their stay (vacation), engage in activities which are clearly related to “health” – and by extension, related to Health Tourism (since a vacation, is more or less about Tourism).
See the Health Tourism “segments” listed further up.
It has been clearly demonstrated that with the repurposing of Health Tourism, from a “need” to a “want”, the activity is as much about health as it is about Tourism.
It would not be too far-fetched to expect that in the, not-too-distant, future we will start hearing and reading about people going on an ht8 vacation (usually at a resort).
the ht8 Lifestyle Brand
…embodying the values, aspirations, interests, attitudes and opinions of those it addresses
ht8 has become a Lifestyle Brand as a result of the repurposing of Health Tourism (from a “need”) to a “want” and an attractive lifestyle choice.
As with all lifestyle brands, ht8 is a “social construct” (the term is explained further down) that embodies the values, aspirations, interests, attitudes or opinions of those it addresses.
Social Construct:
Also, as with all “good” lifestyle brands, ht8 seeks to inspire, guide, and motivate its stakeholders, with the goals inherent in Contemporary Health Tourism - which in turn, contributes to the definition of the consumer's way of life.
the ht8 Lifestyle Movement
…championing and sustaining the transformed and repurposed Sector
We know that innovations and impactful new ideas give rise to movements.
When the Health Tourism “concept & practice” was transformed (from Conventional to Contemporary – a.k.a. as Internet Century), the “activity” was spontaneously, repurposed (from a “need” to a “want”).
This in turn, established Health Tourism as an attractive lifestyle choice – for all – for a lifetime.
Lifestyles, generally (which means the particular way that a person or group lives) give rise to “movements” (meaning a group of people with a particular set of aims or ideas - Cambridge Dictionary).
It was inevitable, then, that the Health Tourism Lifestyle (an innovation and impactful new idea) would, likewise have its Movement.
(the term Lifestyle is explained further down)
At the very start, it needs to be made known that within the “movement” (as is also, the case with the arcHTos Coalition), there are no leaders or followers – instead we have Participating Stakeholders.
The term “movement” refers to a group of people with a particular set of aims (Cambridge Dictionary).
By definition, in the context of Health Tourism, a movement is associated with change and development.
(the term Movement is explained further down)
The ht8 Lifestyle Movement is more extensively presented (and explained) in a Paper / LinkedIn article titled: building the Health Tourism Lifestyle Movement - to champion and sustain the transformed Sector (https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/building-health-tourism-lifestyle-movement-constantine/).
Lifestyle:
Movement:
the ht8 Integrated Marketplace
…for health-related services, abroad
ht8 enabled the creation of the first Integrated Marketplace for health-related services – in 8 segments - abroad.
the marketplace (and its “providers”) is accessed by the Consumer (i.e., the Market) – through the HealthNab app – without the intervention of intermediaries.
An integrated marketplace brings together (integrates) popular, well-established marketplaces which already exist, while at the same time, ensuring that the “identity, distinctiveness and independence” of providers is maintained.
Amazon is an example of an Integrated Marketplace.
BTW, such marketplaces are much valued by prospective investors.
(the term Marketplace is explained further down)
The role of a marketplace owner is to bring together the right vendors and the right customers to drive sales through an exceptional multi-vendor platform - sellers have a place to gain visibility and sell their “offerings”.
The “ht8 Integrated Marketplace” is more fully presented and explained in a dedicated paper / LinkedIn article.
Marketplace