For the longest time, the chiropractic profession has attempted to achieve some form of unity. On a political level, this was characterized by an ultimately unsuccessful two-year merger effort between ACA and ICA leadership from 1986-1988.1-4 A more recent – but also unsuccessful – effort was presented in 2007 by the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (COCSA), which resolved:
"[T]he board of the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations ... demands that the ACA and the ICA set aside their philosophical and political differences and begin the process of merger for the greater purpose of creating a single national voice for the chiropractic profession."5
Political unity may continue to elude our profession, but there is a growing effort to unite our efforts to share the benefits of chiropractic with the consumer public. The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress has developed an extensive list of advertising and public-relations materials. The impact: approximately 31 billion impressions in 2014 alone.
Most of these materials are available for member DCs to utilize in promoting their practices. While new material is constantly being developed, the current inventory includes the following:
In an effort to get these marketing tools into the hands of more doctors of chiropractic, the foundation has reached out to chiropractic state associations to extend these benefits to their members. This gives chiropractic state associations the ability to provide their members with foundation membership benefits through an extremely affordable group membership program.
Last year, the Michigan Association of Chiropractors (MAC) became the first state association to participate in the foundation's group membership program. The Florida Chiropractic Association (FCA) was right behind the MAC as the second state association to join.
Since then, additional state associations including the Alaska Chiropractic Association, Kentucky Association of Chiropractors, Chiropractic Association of Louisiana, Maryland Chiropractic Association, South Dakota Chiropractic Association and Wyoming Chiropractic Association have approved these benefits for their members.
As of press time, the membership benefits are in the process of being implemented. These group members receive numerous foundation marketing benefits for their practices:
In addition, group members are listed in the foundation's online directory, which is approaching 10,000 DCs. This directory works in conjunction with the foundation's efforts to promote the benefits of chiropractic to the public.
In case you haven't noticed, the foundation's marketing campaign doesn't present chiropractic through a single philosophy. The advertisements, radio spots and television PSAs take many different approaches to communicating the benefits of chiropractic care. The goal has always been to provide a wide variety of advertising tools so every DC will be pleased to utilize at least some of them in promoting their practice.
The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress is dedicated to unifying the efforts of our profession by providing a consistent flow of marketing messages that will establish our profession in the minds of every consumer. Through group membership, the foundation is extending its efforts to include every DC in the country. Together, this effort is amplified locally as well as nationally.
If you belong to one of the state associations that has already made the decision to join the foundation through group membership, please make every effort to implement the ad materials as part of the foundation's global chiropractic marketing campaign. You will also want to ensure you complete your profile in the foundation directory.
If you belong to a state association that hasn't joined yet, please encourage your board to seriously consider extending these benefits to your association members. These benefits are provided at a substantial discount compared to individual membership.
If you don't belong to a chiropractic state association, you should consider joining one that can offer you foundation membership benefits in addition to association member benefits. It's like joining one association and getting twice the benefits.
With a unified effort, we can tell our story across the country and in every community. We can extend our reach and begin to impact the country's perception of chiropractic.
References
Read more findings on my blog: http://blog.toyourhealth.com/wrblog/. You can also visit me on Facebook.
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