Marketing: a survival tool for dietetic professionals in the 1990s.

There is little question among members of the profession that practitioners are faced with crucial survival issues in this decade and the next. Approaching a maturing profession with static strategies will limit the profession's future growth. Consumers want to make decisions for themselves and to be provided with options. That phenomenon could change the very fabric of "professionalism" and, in turn, if dietetic professionals fail to change their strategies, could result in an advantage for nutrition competitors vs. those professionals. Dietitians as a whole must look to such disciplines as economics, the social sciences, and marketing for answers to their survival problems. Dietitians must encourage growth and innovation in order to sustain the demand for professional services. In that endeavor, the authors argue that marketing is clearly an essential tool needed to enhance the profession and to work within the dynamics of the marketplace.