Research And Target Market

Market research was conducted to assess the true potential of a publication with specific medical content, such as Medical Office Magazine, and to segment the general Russian-American population into identifiable and reachable demographic profiles while identifying  the exact requirements and format of the material. Research findings were as follows.

Russian–Americans have long been considered a coveted target market, with one of the highest incomes per capita ($47,000), percentage of home ownership (79%) and education (83% hold four-year degrees, 36% hold graduate degrees and 28% hold a doctorate or PhD). Affluent, educated and always striving for a good life that was not accessible back in the former USSR, Russian–Americans are known to be loyal consumers of high-end goods and services.

Nevertheless, very few companies tailor their marketing strategy and develop products that address the unique needs of this demographic. Our initial assumption was that while this well assimilated population is ready to adapt consumer behavior similar to that of “Baby Boomers” and young professionals, they would still prefer information in Russian.

As we focused on the 35 – 70 age group, which is estimated to be around 1.7 million residents of the New York Metropolitan area (predominantly Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island) we developed the following key market segments that comprise the base of our readership:

“Dual-Cultured YUMBPs [young upwardly mobile bilingual professionals]”:  35-45 year-old couples with children, who have been in the U.S. anywhere from 10 – 15 years, hold U.S. degrees and are in the mid-point of their career. Well-adapted to U.S. culture, these young people speak fluent English and consider America their home. Nevertheless, they are still very much tuned in to Russian culture (music, movies, books), as it remains a strong part of their heritage. Most speak Russian at home and with their parents and encourage their children to become bilingual.

Information technology, finance, accounting and legal are the most common professions of choice, although many also become doctors and entrepreneurs. With home ownership in the high 70’s percentiles, these couples were able to buy real estate before the “boom” years and now have access to large equity capital. With incomes ranging from $75,000 - $200,000 per household, these families freely spend on home improvement, luxury automobiles and vacations. Their predominant long-term interests are to further their careers and plan a successful future for their children. Their kids are usually sent to private school where they receive both “American” and “Russian” educations until they are old enough to go to junior high.

Although their income allows “YUMBP’s” to afford many luxuries, they are reluctant to venture outside employee-offered (or basic) plans for better health care. In part, this is explained by the remnants of a “Soviet” mentality where health education was free, but not well-trusted. As a result, many conduct significant research before undergoing any treatment or considering a procedure. The key explanation to this segment’s behavior is the “duality” of cultures and beliefs. In Russia, conducting significant research before undergoing treatment was absolutely necessary due to a lack of information about the doctor’s qualifications and experience, lack of availability of drugs (as a result of the closed-market economy) and limited funds. Medical information is well received by this target demographic, but they do not believe that current media outlets are objective in their assessment. They are very skeptical about the common advertising approach where doctors offer their services, convinced that “good doctors” do not need advertising.

“Medical Office Magazine” is addressing this need by offering “YUMBP’s” an opportunity to read about local doctors as well as access to a comprehensive doctors’ directory. In addition to reading editorial content where they learn about a doctor’s qualities and accomplishments, readers have an opportunity to learn more about a spectrum of key medical issues.

           “Empty Nesters”: This group includes 45-65 year olds with all or most of their kids living on their own. These are the immigrants who came to the U.S. 10 to 15 years ago and have worked very hard to build their wealth. Although they are not perfect English speakers, they have adopted major components of U.S. culture, such as financial planning, providing the best possible education for their kids and the importance of a healthy lifestyle (a change from the “Soviet” mentality).

Although most hold college or doctorate degrees from Russia, few made efforts to acquire U.S. degrees because they immigrated at a later stage of their lives. The highest percentage of those that did pursue a U.S. education or specialty is among doctors and IT professionals (13%). The rest are employed in the small business sector, where they typically own their business or are self-employed. The spirit of entrepreneurship is very strong among “Empty Nesters,” because of constraints experienced during the Communist-run economy in the former USSR.

Typical household income ranges from $60,000 - $120,000. Similar to “baby-boomers”, “Empty Nesters” are adamant about saving a large portion of their income. They typically own one or two homes and are currently at the stage where they can pursue “extras,” such as a second home and travel. The average spent on vacation is $2,300/twice a year. This group  favors Macy’s and Lord and Taylor over mid-tier department stores such as JC Penney or Kohls. Most prefer to buy American or Japanese brand automobiles, with favored brands including Honda, Toyota, Ford and Lincoln.  

          Due to their age and comfortable financial status, one of the major priorities for “Empty-Nesters” is their health. Before arriving in the U.S., they did not have opportunities to improve their health, as the state-owned health care system in Russia at that time was not able to provide many services. In addition, recent medical advances have enabled this demographic to live longer and healthier lifestyles alongside their U.S.-born counterparts. All these available avenues for “self-betterment” are very appealing to “Empty-Nesters.” Unfortunately, somewhat limited language skills, very limited Internet knowledge and an enclosed geographic base (few are willing to move outside the tri-state area) limit their opportunities to learn about area doctors and procedures. This group is also very skeptical of the straight-forward advertisements they see in Russian media and prefer to read scientific–oriented publications, creating an enormous opportunity for an editorial-based content provider such as Medical Office Magazine.

“Active and Elderly”: Aged 65 and up, these are the parents of the “Empty Nesters” and grandparents of the “YUMBPs” who came to U.S. with their children and grandchildren. While not adapted to any U.S. customs and with practically no language skills, “Active and Elderly” are still active and make an effort to take advantage of all the great things this country offers. Due to the many services and media outlets available in Russian, they are quickly learning about the capabilities of U.S. health care services. 

In addition to the pensions and government benefits they receive, most also receive assistance from their kids, and thus have significant disposable income. All have Medicaid and Medicare and aggressively pursue all available treatments to improve their health, mostly due to the simple fact that these opportunities are available. Their “hobby” is to learn about new doctors and share this knowledge with peers. They religiously rely on anything they see or hear on Russian media, as it is their only source of mass information.

However, they have recently become very skeptical of doctors that “loudly” advertise. They believe that these doctors engage in self-promotion and do not practice their profession for the sake of helping others, but simply to enrich themselves. Most have no preference between Russian-speaking or English-speaking doctors, as long as translation services are available. “Active and Elderly” also miss the scientific-oriented publications they were accustomed to reading in the former USSR. As one of the most important consumers of health care services, this group makes the need for a Russian language directory of doctors with editorial content very evident.

Contact Medical Office Magazine:

T: 800-435-0755

F: 212-656-1557

E: info@medicaloffice.org