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A Guide to Health Promotion through Social Marketing
Introduction ………………………………………………………………….…..…. 2
What is social marketing? …………………………………………..…………... 2
Why is behaviour change important? …………………………..…….…..…... 2
The basics of social marketing ………………………………...............…...... 3
14 steps to developing social marketing strategies and materials ..…....
Step 1: Define the issue ………………………………………….….............…....
Step 2: Know your audience………………………………………....…...…......…
Step 3: Understand the situation……………………………...….…..……..…..….
Step 4: Work with others…………………………………..…………….....…..…..
Step 5: Choose who to target……………………………..…………......…….…..
Step 6: Outline your behavioural goals……………………………….…..…..……
Step 7: Choose your communication channels ….……………..………..…...…...
Step 8: Develop strategies and communication messages………........…..….…..
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Step 9: Plan how to track progress and measure impact…....………………..…… 14
Step 10: Prepare an action plan…………………………….……….…..……..….. 14
Step 11: Create materials …………………………………….......…….…………. 15
Step 12: Seek feedback, pre-test and adjust …..………...…….…….…………… 16
Step 13: Deliver and monitor………………………..…………........…....…..…… 16
Step 14: Measure impact and make adjustments……..……….…………..………. 17
Online resources……………………………………..………..…….…...………… 18
Resources and guides provided by the Australian Sports Commission… 19
References……………………………………………..…….…….…..………….… 19
1
Introduction
This guide will assist you to understand social marketing and to use various strategies that
support and motivate healthy behaviours among certain groups of people.
You may like to inform particular groups about non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and
encourage them to be more physically active to reduce their risk. Or you may want to advertise
a local sporting event in the community, a new facility or service, or to boost membership in a
sporting organisation to make participation in sport or other physical activities easier. This guide
will assist you achieve these goals by offering a simple step-by-step process to develop
strategies and communication materials that support and motivate healthy behaviors through
TV, radio, posters, brochures, social media, or whatever other creative methods you might want
to employ.
Unfortunately, it's common for people to think social marketing is beyond their skills,
resources, budgets and timelines. The aim of this guide is to emphasise that regardless of the
challenges you or your organisation face, applying effective social marketing strategies is
always possible. It can even make your work more productive, effective, and rewarding.
This guide provides a basic introduction to offer guidance and support for your social
marketing efforts, to set you in the right direction, and to place a few simple concepts, tips,
steps, and prompts in your back pocket to help you along the way.
What is social marketing?
Social marketing is one way of understanding why people act as they do and then using this
knowledge to motivate and support them to modify or maintain positive behaviours. Adopting a
social marketing approach involves combining a range of strategies to make healthy behaviours
easier and more appealing, as well as developing communication materials that motivate and
support these healthy behaviours.
Google 'social marketing' and you will get a confusing array of definitions, concepts, and
terms; enough to scare anyone away. But it helps to know that most of us are exposed, for
better or worse, to some form of marketing almost every day. Coca-Cola, McDonalds, and Nike,
for example, all use sophisticated and well-tested marketing techniques to encourage people to
do what they want them to do: purchase their products. Typically, this requires a combination of
carefully crafted posters, TV and radio spots, billboards, newspaper advertisements, websites,
media, or promotional events. It also involves reducing various barriers affecting their customers
to ensure their products are affordable, easy to purchase, and always available.
Put simply, social marketing borrows from and adds to some of the most effective concepts
and techniques of commercial marketing to motivate and support behaviours that benefit
individuals and communities. So instead of selling soft-drinks, hamburgers, and shoes, social
marketers are more likely to develop strategies and communication materials that promote
better health, equity, mental wellbeing, and community development. And when addressing
potential barriers to their audience adopting healthy behaviours, they are more likely to ensure
their strategies have been modified to meet the needs and interests of particular groups of
people, including the disadvantaged, minority groups, or people living with disabilities. Guided
by ethical principles, social marketing aims to put people and community first.
Why is behaviour change important?
Understanding and promoting behaviour change lies at the heart of social marketing.
Behaviour change refers to human actions that transform or modify over time. While always
complex and often unpredictable, one useful way of viewing behaviour change is as a series of
stages that people move through.
2
Stages of Behaviour Change
Stage
Example of an individual's knowledge, attitude or behaviour
Stage 1
Don't know, Don't care
Stage 2
Aware & Informed
Unaware and unconcerned that a lack of physical activity increases
one's risk of developing NCDs.
Aware of NCDs and that physical activity is one way to reduce one's
personal risk.
Stage 3
Concerned & Motivated
Supports the view that physical activity will reduce one's risk of
developing NCDs and is motivated to change their behaviour.
Stage 4
Committed & Planning
Stage 5
Actively Changing
Stage 6
Maintaining Change
Seeks out opportunities and makes plans to be physically active.
Being physically active.
Is physically active for extended periods of time and plans to stay
active in the future.
Social marketing draws upon various techniques and strategies to motivate and support
certain groups of people to shift their position on this behavioural change continuum — from a
state of not knowing and not caring to that of concerned and motivated, and from committed
and planning to actively changing and maintaining their behaviours.
Of course, behaviour change is never a simple process of moving from one stage to the
next. People can slip back through stages before potentially moving forward again, such as
joining a sports team but dropping out, or planning to exercise every morning but becoming
demotivated. Also, behaviour change does not always follow a shift in awareness and attitudes.
Sometimes the reverse occurs. For example, a man participating in a Zumba class for the first
time might find himself motivated to learn more about the health benefits of being active after a
positive experience. In short, no single model can capture and predict the complexity of human
behaviour and its transformation over time.
Nevertheless, considering these stages of behaviour change helps us to respond to the
needs, understandings, motivations and barriers of different groups of people. Some people, for
example, may be aware and informed about the importance of changing their behaviour but do
not believe that the proposed action will be effective in reducing their risk. Others may be
concerned and motivated to change their behaviour but lack confidence in their personal
capacity to make this change because of a number of barriers or a lack of role models in their
community. And some may be actively participating in the desired behaviour but are at risk of
discontinuing their activities because of a lack of sociable, fun and affordable activities in their
community.
So, with this in mind, we can see that different strategies are going to be needed for people
at an early stage of change compared to those at a later stage. These are known as stagematched strategies. Strategies focusing on people in Stage 1, for example, may focus on raising
awareness of the harms of being physically inactive and ensuring people understand their level
of personal risk. Strategies focusing on people in Stage 4, on the other hand, may focus on
making it easier for people to participate in sporting events in their community as a way to get
active. And sometimes you can use different strategies within your campaign to match the
needs of certain sub-groups within your target audience who may be at different stages. In
short, knowing where the people you want to reach with your social marketing strategies are
situated in this behaviour change process is key to designing an effective social marketing
campaign. Let's look at some other features of a social marketing approach.
The basics of social marketing
Social marketing can be viewed as both a way of thinking and a way of doing. Later we will
focus on the doing; for now, let's look at five key concepts that define social marketing.
1. Specific behavioural goals
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Social marketing is more than just raising awareness and increasing knowledge. It is also about
having an impact on human behaviour. Social marketers set specific behavioural goals; for
example, "to increase the percentage of women aged 18-24 in rural areas being physically
active for at least 150min a week by 15% between 2015-2020". Specific behavioural goals
ensure an initiative has meaning and direction, and that achievements can be measured.
2. Putting people and community first
Social marketing aims to promote and support behaviours that benefit individuals and the
community. In the health sector this typically involves promoting health and reducing health
inequalities. Importantly, the 'benefit' should always reflect the experiences, needs, motivations
and barriers of the audience targeted by the initiative.
3. Insight
Social marketing, like commercial marketing, focuses on what people do, why they do it, what
and who influences them, their needs, and their motivations and barriers. With this in mind,
social marketers seek to develop insight into their target audience and the various factors that
support healthy behaviours or compete with them. This insight is what makes social marketing
possible and effective.
4. Audience segmentation
While it's tempting to communicate to everyone all at once, one-size-fits-all approaches have
shown to be much less effective than targeting certain groups of people who share particular
characteristics, understanding, lifestyles, interests, needs, motivations, and barriers. This
process of identifying different sub-groups within a population is known as audience
segmentation and it is a central feature of any social marketing strategy. We'll learn more about
audience segmentation in Step 5.
5. Strategic and evidence-based
A common mantra among social marketers is to "do nothing…make no posters, no t-shirts, no
pamphlets, no videos, no caps, no websites" until you have thought about and planned exactly
what you are going to do. This involves clarifying why your approach is the best one among
other options based on good research, what behaviours you want to influence and support, who
you are reaching and why, the people and resources required to make it all happen, and how
you will measure your progress and impact. This is sometimes referred to as developing a
‘program logic’, which is really just another way of explaining in simple terms why you believe
that what you are planning to do will be effective in achieving its objectives with the target
audience.
Getting to the point at which you feel confident you can develop and implement strategies
and communication materials that support and motivate healthy behaviours can seem a little
overwhelming, until you realise that it's all possible by following a few simple steps.
14 steps to developing social marketing strategies and materials
Knowing where to start when you decide to 'do' social marketing can be tricky. And it's likely
you are concerned about your lack of staff, funding, skills, or resources. Here's 14 steps to give
you some ideas, tips, and prompts to set you in the right direction and to give you confidence
that, despite the challenges you face, applying effective social marketing strategies is always
possible.
Keep in mind that these steps overlap and do not neatly follow one another. You will find
yourself commencing a few steps simultaneously and jumping back and forth between them
when necessary. Think of them as different toolboxes that will need to be re-opened and
shuffled through at various stages of your project.
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Step 1: Define the issue
A good place to start before developing your strategies and materials is to clarify the issue
you are hoping to address. Some of the following questions might help:
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What is happening?
What needs to happen to improve the situation?
What will happen if nothing is done?
What behaviours can we focus on?
What models or theories are relevant to this issue?
You won't be able to answer these questions on your own, so you'll need to draw upon a mix
of research carried out by others (secondary research) and yourself (primary research).
Despite their names, secondary research is typically conducted before primary research. In
short, secondary research lays the groundwork while primary research fills in the gaps.
Secondary research might include looking at national strategy documents, reports by
international organisations and government agencies, census data, text-books, journal articles,
and project evaluations. Primary research, on the other hand, might involve conducting your
own surveys, focus groups, interviews, and community observations. Put simply, both
secondary and primary research allows you to find accurate and reliable answers to each of
your questions. Let's look at an example.
Questions
What is
happening?
What needs to
happen to
improve the
situation?
What will happen
if nothing is done?
Research
Secondary: World Health Organization report on
cause of death and disability; national census
data.
Primary: Interviews and focus group discussions
with local and regional experts from nongovernment organisations, government ministries,
and health organisations.
Secondary: Project evaluations of successful
initiatives; national strategy documents.
Primary: Surveys distributed to local experts and
community leaders.
Secondary: World Health Organization report;
journal articles; national census data.
Primary: Interviews with health experts.
What behaviours
can we focus on?
Secondary: Project evaluations of successful
initiatives; national strategy documents.
Primary: Interviews and focus group discussions
with local health experts.
What models or
theories are
relevant to this
issue?
Secondary: Journal articles; text-books
Primary: Emailing, phoning, or meeting with local
and international experts.
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Answers
An increasing number
of people in the
community are being
affected by NCDs.
People can make
healthy lifestyle
changes to reduce their
risk of developing
NCDs.
More people will
acquire a disability or
die, the economy will
suffer, and social
inequalities will
increase.
Increasing physical
activity through sport
and other active
recreational activities.
Ecological model of
factors influencing
physical activity; Stages
of change model;
Theory of learned
helplessness.
Now is a good time to commence writing a summary of your thoughts, research, and
discussions with others. Your notes should include a list of actions and will expand as you
progress through the next steps.
Where to start?
These days, secondary research often begins on the Internet. To ensure you only get
what you need, narrow your search to include websites that are well known and reliable;
for example, the World Health Organization, the United Nations, Government
departments, and respected research institutions. For more trustworthy sources of
information, type 'edu' and 'gov' into your internet search or use Google Scholar. When
unsure, check your findings by looking at multiple sources or by seeking advice from local
experts. And if you can't find what you need online, don't forget there is always the oldfashioned way of visiting your local library or requesting printed reports from relevant
institutions.
Primary research can seem daunting. To put you in the right direction, begin by
emailing, phoning or dropping by the office of individuals that share your interest in the
issue. These people will give you a better idea of who to include in interviews, focus
groups and surveys. There are many free how-to-guides available online to assist you.
For example, Google "health compass, how-to-guide, formative research" or visit
www.thehealthcompass.org
Step 2: Know your audience
Your audience refers to those who you intend to reach and influence through your strategies
and communication materials. Effective social marketing involves seeing the world from your
audience's point of view and understanding why they behave the way they do. Here are some
questions to assist you in gaining this perspective:
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Who does the issue affect most?
How do these people behave?
What and who affects their behaviour?
What are their experiences, beliefs, and needs?
What motivates them?
What barriers do they face regarding the behaviour you are trying to influence?
What behaviours are they adopting that are competing with the behaviours you want to
influence?
What issues relating to minority groups, the disadvantaged, or people living with
disabilities need to be considered?
Again, draw upon a mix of secondary and primary research to guide your investigation and
add your findings to the notes you commenced writing in Step 1. Ensure key insights are
discussed with your team and incorporated into the planning and development of materials later
on.
TIP To access a free how-to-guide on audience analysis, Google "health compass, how-toguide, audience analysis" or visit: www.thehealthcompass.org
At this stage, it's unlikely you will know exactly who you want to target. Not to worry; this step
is simply about exploring various possible audiences. Narrowing down on a particular audience
will come later.
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Considering equity
Understanding the experiences, needs, understandings and opinions of minority
groups, the disadvantaged, and people living with disabilities from the outset is vital.
Reaching out to individuals and organisations representing each of these groups is the
best place to start. In doing so, you might learn that persons living with disabilities have
higher rates of NCDs in your community because their access to health services is very
poor. Or that individuals who identify as transgender have not felt welcome to participate
in sporting events because they have been turned away from both male and female
teams. Or perhaps people living in remote locations are often unaware of health
promotion campaigns because they receive most of their information by radio rather than
TV and print media. Understanding and responding to the unique challenges of certain
people and sub-groups within your audience will help to ensure your project is inclusive.
Step 3: Understand the situation
People never live their lives in isolation from their environment and the influence of other
people. A woman motivated to get active may be prevented from exercising because of a fear of
being bitten by dogs on her street, the judgment of others, commitments at work and at home,
or because of a lack of safe footpaths in her area. Some of these factors may have been
revealed when you sought to understand a range of possible audiences. Now it's time to look
more closely at what influences behaviour. Consider some of the following factors:
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Political (laws, policies, regulations, taxes)
Social (family, technology, education, inequalities, employment, crime, media)
Cultural (norms, practices, obligations)
Personal (knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, confidence)
Physical (infrastructure, facilities, location, transport, safety, weather)
Again, draw upon a mix of secondary and primary research to guide your investigation and
add your findings to your notes.
TIP To access a free how-to-guide on situational analysis, Google "health compass, how-toguide, situational analysis" or visit: www.thehealthcompass.org
It's worth keeping in mind that social marketing is effective not only in influencing the
behaviours of individuals but also in changing policies, mobilising community debate and action,
and addressing structural barriers in the community. So remember to identify strategies and
approaches that look beyond the individual level that you can integrate into your initiative.
Step 4: Work with others
No single person or organisation has all of the skills and knowledge to plan, develop, and
deliver social marketing materials. In fact, by now you might have met some people with whom
you can discuss your research and guide your planning, or at least been exposed to the work of
others through secondary research. Through learning from the experiences, knowledge, and
skills of others and inviting relevant people and organisations to collaborate, your project will
become more productive, efficient, and effective.
A common risk of not consulting with others is that your strategies and communication
materials may duplicate or conflict with existing projects. Not only does this waste time, funding,
and resources, it may confuse and overwhelm your target audience, leading them to turn away
altogether.
Not consulting with others may also mean you miss opportunities to build upon past
achievements and to collaborate with other organisations doing great work. A social marketing
strategy to promote bicycle riding, for example, will be more effective if it works with the local
council to construct bike paths, with commercial retailers to import affordable bikes into the
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community, and with bicycle clubs to provide insight into your target audience and to organise
community events to support the campaign. These people and organisations are known as your
'stakeholders', and by working closely with them throughout your project, your chances of
reaching your goals with your available funding and resources are greatly improved. To clarify
who your stakeholders are, consider the following:
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Who knows most about your audience, their behaviours, and what influences them?
Who is involved, or has been involved, in similar initiatives and can share their lessonslearnt or perhaps collaborate with you to build on their achievements?
Whose skills, support and approval do you need to make the project successful?
What other individuals or organisations (including private sector companies) currently
have an influence on the behaviours of your audience, either positively or in competition
with your objectives?
Which representatives from minority or disadvantaged groups can you consult to ensure
your materials reflect their needs?
Create a list of your stakeholders, including experts, department heads, community
organisations, service providers, community leaders, media outlets, private sector companies,
minority representatives, and donors. Take note of their relevance to the project, and consult
with them regularly at every stage of your project. It's also a good idea to revisit your previous
steps with your stakeholders to review, revise, and expand upon your existing research.
Adapting materials in low-resource settings
Close to zero staff, few training opportunities, poor and outdated equipment,
uncompromising deadlines, and little funding can make the task of developing campaign
materials seem impossible. Fortunately, however, starting from scratch is rarely
necessary if you can find campaign materials (posters, animations, TV spots, scripts)
produced elsewhere that can be adapted to your local setting.
Start by identifying social marketing initiatives throughout the world or in your region
that are relevant to the behaviours you are focusing on. Rank each project according to
their impact and the ease in which their materials can be adapted to your local context by
translating text, adding images of local people and settings, and adjusting other details to
make them more suitable to your campaign objectives.
You should always contact those involved in developing the original materials to
request their permission for a local adaption. Most of the time you will find these people
and organisations more than willing to lend their knowledge, resources, and skills to
ensure your adaption is a success. In fact, some organisations actively seek to make this
process of adapting successful campaigns in other countries as easy and affordable as
possible, such as World Lung Foundation’s Mass Media Resource for tobacco control
campaigns (http://www.worldlungfoundation.org)
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Partnering to reach children with disabilities through football
Just Play was launched in 2011 across the islands of Fiji to promote physical activity
through football among primary school children. Just Play, designed and implemented by
Oceania Football Confederation, aimed to not only address issues relating to NCDs, poor
nutrition, and gender equity, but also stigma and discrimination affecting children with
disability.
The Just Play team recognised the need to partner with a range of local, regional, and
international stakeholders that specialised in disability and that could advise and support their
efforts to make football more inclusive to all children. The team reached out to special schools
around Fiji and worked closely with the Fiji Paralympic Committee to ensure their sporting
activities were tailored to the needs of children with disability and that volunteers were trained
in modifying sports. These partnerships also allowed Just Play to develop strategic
campaigns that addressed negative perceptions towards people with disability in the wider
community. Funding and technical support was provided by the Australian Sports Outreach
Program, UNICEF Pacific, Oceania Football Confederation, and a range of local sporting
clubs and associations to ensure adequate training, equipment and resources were provided
to those implementing the campaign on the ground.
Through partnering up with local, regional and international stakeholders, the Just Play
team designed and implemented a variety of fun and effective ways to include children with
disability in football activities and to reduce stigma and discrimination in the community.
Step 5: Choose who to target
By now you may have a rough idea of who your audience might be. Of course, people within
any population can differ enormously according to their age, gender, ethnicity, location, income,
education, abilities, experiences, attitudes, and beliefs. Also recall that certain groups of people
are located at different stages of readiness for behaviour change, from 'Don't Know, Don't Care'
to 'Concerned and Motivated', and from 'Committed and Planning' to 'Maintaining Change'.
While it's tempting to reach as many people as possible, communicating the same message
to everyone regardless of their differences and hoping for the same result will likely fail.
Research tells us that targeting specific segments of the population with materials tailored to
their unique needs, motivations, and experiences will have the greatest impact.
Guided by your research so far, and also the insights of your stakeholders, consider different
segments and choose who you will target. The TARPARE method can guide this process of
prioritising different audience segments for your initiative:
T: What is the total number of people that can be targeted?
AR: What proportion of the segment is considered at-risk?
P: To what extent can the segment be persuaded?
A: Can the segment be easily accessed?
R: What resources are needed to reach the segment?
E: Has equity been considered to ensure minority groups or the disadvantaged are
reached?
These questions will allow you to consider various audience segments that might be more or
less likely to change their behaviours following your investment of resources. Let's say, for
example, you decide to focus on five factors: gender, location, age, current level of physical
activity, and commitment to being more active. You might consider the following segments:

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Gender: Male/Female
Location: Urban (Good access to services)/ Rural (Poor access to services)
Age: 18-24/25-34/35-44/45+
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Current level of physical activity: Less than 150min a week (Low) / 150-300min a week
(Medium) / More than 300min a week (High)
Commitment to being more active: Don't Know, Don't Care (Low) / Concerned and
Motivated (Medium) / Committed and Planning (High)
Guided by the TARPARE method, you might decide to target:


Males living in urban areas aged 25-34, active less than 150min a week, concerned
about their health and motivated to be more physically active; or
Females living in rural areas aged 18-24, active less than 150min a week, committed
and planning to increase their physical activity.
TIP To access a free how-to-guide on audience segmentation Google "Health Compass,
how-to-guide, audience segmentation" or visit www.thehealthcompass.org
Now that you have selected your target audience, you can tailor your materials to their
specific needs, experiences, motivations, and barriers. It's a good idea to revisit Steps 1-4 to
conduct more specific research into your segmented target audience and to invite other relevant
stakeholders to be involved.
Targeting at-risk women through netball in Tonga
Kau Mai Tonga: Netipolo (Come on Tonga, Let’s Play Netball!) was launched in 2012 to
provide fun, social and easy opportunities for women to reduce their risk of developing NCDs
through sport.
Adult women were selected as the target audience following research and careful strategic
planning by a team from the Australian and Tongan governments, as well as various partner
organisations in the Tongan community. Through their secondary research, the team learned that
obesity affected more women than men in Tonga, with about 75 per cent being obese compared
to 56 per cent of men. They also found that Tongan women were much less active than men, with
the vast majority failing to meet the recommended 150 minutes a physical activity a week. Based
on this research, the team identified a segment of the female population that could be considered
at high risk of developing NCDs.
To learn more about this audience segment and the issues they faced, the team conducted
primary research to listen to what women had to say themselves. Through these discussions, the
team learned that local women faced a number of cultural, social, and financial barriers to being
active. Many, for example, commented that sporting activities in the community were often tailored
for and dominated by men. Others talked of the lack of sporting events and facilities in their
villages, competing demands at home, and embarrassment relating to exercising in public. The
good news, however, was that the vast majority of the women the team spoke with were highly
motivated to be more active if fun, social, and affordable opportunities were made available in
their community.
Following their research and discussions with local women, the team identified their target
audience as adult women at risk of developing NCDs motivated and looking for opportunities to be
more physically active. Mass media campaigning with posters, brochures, TV and radio materials
were used to create excitement about being active through sport among target audiences. This
created additional demand for free netball activities that were being run by the Tonga Netball
Association in villages. The availability of these netball activities ensured the desired behaviour
change was supported.
Step 6: Outline your behavioural goals
It's time to figure out exactly what you want to achieve by listing some specific behavioural
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goals. Without these goals, your project will quickly lose focus and your materials and strategies
are unlikely to be effective. When developing behavioural goals make sure they are SMART,
that is:
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Specific to your target audience and their setting
Measurable against key indicators of progress and impact
Appropriate to your target audience and the local setting
Realistic given your funding, resources, skills, and timeframe
Time-bound, with a specific end-date for the project set
Your SMART goals may look something like the following:
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
Increase the percentage of men in rural areas aged 25-34 doing at least 150min of
physical activity a week from 15% to 25% by March 2018; or
Increase the percentage of female adolescents 12-17 years of age in urban areas doing
at least 300min of physical activity a week from 30% to 45% by November 2017.
Of course, you will need to consider how you are going to know whether or not you have
been successful in reaching your goals. More on this in Step 9.
Don't rush it
Pressure from stakeholders, enthusiasm among staff, and advice from experts can lead
to a situation in which people feel impatient to 'do something' as soon as possible. In this
environment, the previous steps can be rushed or bypassed altogether. This typically leads
to poor quality, ill-researched, and ineffective strategies and materials that will only confuse
and mislead your audience and waste everyone's time and money.
If you find yourself in this situation, discuss your concerns with your team and
stakeholders to clarify what needs to be adjusted before the project can progress. Make
sure all those involved in your project are aware of how long the development of a good
social marketing approach will take, and what steps you will follow to ensure your work is
effective. Ensuring good communication regarding project timeframes can help avoid
missed deadlines and frustrated program partners.
Step 7: Choose your communication channels
It's likely your target audience receives and engages with information in a number of ways.
Also keep in mind that many people do not have access to certain communication channels
because it is not affordable, they live in remote locations, they do not have the necessary skills
or language, or because they live with a disability. For this reason, using a range of
communication channels will greatly enhance the reach and impact of your campaign. Here are
some channels you may want to consider:
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Television
Radio
Brochures and posters
Billboards
and banners
Car and bus stickers
Newspaper advertisements
Press releases
Newsletters
Online (websites, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
Telephone calls and mobile phone messaging
Loudspeakers
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
Face-to-face communication
When choosing your channels, ask the following:
 What are the advantages and disadvantages of each channel?
 To what extent is each channel appropriate, relevant, accessible, and affordable
to your target audience, including minority and disadvantaged groups?
 How can multiple channels be used to complement one another?
Are your materials appropriate, accessible, and inclusive?
It's important that your materials reach a range of audiences regardless of their age,
gender, sexuality, location, ethnicity or language. You also need to consider if the materials
you produce are accessible to people with disabilities. Developing partnerships with
representatives from minority, disadvantaged, or disabled people's organisations from the
outset will put you in contact with people who can guide you in this process. It may be
suggested, for example, that you use multiple communication channels, translate content into
other languages, use large and simple fonts, include visual prompts to complement written
content, or add subtitles to TV programs. Each of these adjustments will ensure your materials
are more appropriate and accessible to all members of your target audience.
Equally important will be to ensure your materials feature positive representations of
people with a range of identities, backgrounds, and abilities to ensure all audience members
feel invited and welcome to participate in your initiative.
To access a step-by-step guide to improving the accessibility of your materials, Google
"Federation of Disability Sport, access for all, inclusive communications" or visit:
www.ausport.gov.au/participating/disability or www.playbytherules.net.au/
Step 8: Develop strategies and communication messages
We can make this step a little easier by dividing it into two parts: (1) developing
social marketing strategies and (2) developing communication messages.
When developing social marketing strategies, begin by asking:
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Why is the target audience not currently adopting a certain healthy
behaviour?
How can I work with my stakeholders to reduce barriers affecting this
behaviour to make it easier and more appealing?
How can I increase the capacity of my audience to adopt this healthy
behaviour?
What changes to the environment are needed to motivate and support this
behaviour?
What lessons can I learn from previous initiatives that share my behavioural
goals?
Through asking these questions you might decide to include a low-impact sport
in your campaign to address concerns among older women of being injured. Or
you may work with village leaders to ensure sports grounds are kept clean and
mowed so people motivated to get active can use them. Or maybe you have
learned from organisers of a past initiative that running an aerobics session early in
the morning rather than in the mid-day sun will increase participation. Considering
these issues and making the necessary adjustments means you are thinking and
acting strategically, greatly increasing the effectiveness of your project.
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Now that you've made progress with your social marketing strategy, you can
turn to your communication messages. If you had just a few seconds with your
target audience, your communication messages are what you would share with
them. In just a few words, they must grab the attention of your audience and tell
them exactly what they should do and why. Often messages will consist of a short
and memorable catch-phrase and, if necessary, a slightly longer sub-phase that
directs your audience to a specific action.
 Get active now! Be active at least 30 minutes a day five times a week to stay
healthy.
 Get Healthy, Get Happy! Sign-up to our free badminton club and have fun
while getting healthy.
 Move for life! It's never too late to get healthy, be active in whatever way you
can.
 NCDs are Killing us. Protect yourself against chronic diseases by being active
at least 30 minutes a day five times a week.
Be highly selective when choosing your communication messages. Providing too
many messages can overwhelm or confuse your target audience. Also remember to be
very clear about what you are asking people to do. If your campaign is promoting more
than one behaviour change, your audience may not know what to prioritise and decide
to do nothing at all. Finally, you will need to tailor your messages to the specific
characteristics, understanding, lifestyles, interests, needs, motivations, and barriers of
your target audience. Think about some of the following questions:
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What is the most important information to communicate?
What attitudes and behaviours need to be promoted and maintained?
What kind of messages will appeal most to your audience (rational, financial,
family-focused, emotional, threatening, positive, comical)?
What specific actions are you seeking to trigger through these messages?
Can you foresee any negative reactions or confusion regarding your
messages?
Are your messages short, clear, simple, specific, factual, appropriate, relevant,
and accessible?
By the end of this step you should have some strategies and messages ready to
present to stakeholders for their feedback and to pre-test with target audiences. We'll
get to this in Step 12.
Never forget your audience
Each of those involved in funding, planning or implementing a social marketing
campaign will have their own understandings, opinions, and experiences. Some might be
particularly keen to be innovative or creative, while others may wish to borrow from other
campaigns they like. However, if the experiences, needs and understandings of the
target audience are not prioritised above all else, your materials will not be effective
among the very people the campaign seeks to influence. Never forget your audience.
Step 9: Plan how to track progress and measure impact
Whether you are printing 30 posters for a handful of community centres or launching
a national mass media campaign using TV and radio that will reach thousands, you'll
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want to know whether your project is progressing according to plan and if you are
reaching and positively influencing your target audience in line with your objectives.
You might think your project was a total failure because you only had enough
funding to air your TV spots for three days when, in fact, it positively influenced the
behaviours of thousands because it was uploaded and shared on YouTube and
Facebook. Or perhaps you thought your poster campaign was a huge success but, in
truth, it reached and affected few because the posters were left out in the rain and
ruined. You'll never know what happened and what needs to change in the future
unless you track your progress and measure impact. And don't forget those funding
your work typically expect to see results.
A monitoring and evaluation plan is an important part of any project, and will help
you measure and demonstrate the success of your work. Periodic independent
evaluations are also very useful, and an important part of a strong monitoring and
evaluation approach.
TIP: For smaller projects, a monitoring and evaluation plan can be developed and
implemented in-house with a bit of planning. To access a user-friendly guide to track
your progress and measure impact, Google "step by step guide, M&E plan,
evaluation toolbox" or visit http://evaluationtoolbox.net.au
For sports organisations trying to measure the success of health promotion
efforts, a suggested monitoring approach is attached to this guide, and can be found
at https://secure.ausport.gov.au/clearinghouse/home.
Step 10: Prepare an action plan
It's time to figure out how everything you have learned and planned so far can
translate into meaningful action on the ground. Your action plan answers the question:
How can I make this happen? Here are a few questions to get you started:
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Who will need to be involved during each stage of the project?
When, how, and by whom will strategies be implemented and communication
materials be developed and distributed?
How much funding is needed and where will it come from?
How will the campaign complement and build upon other strategies now and in
the future?
Why is your strategy the most effective, appropriate, and affordable one?
Who will do the monitoring and evaluation?
What are the potential risks and barriers and how will they be addressed?
TIP: For a simple guide to writing and implementing an action plan, Google "Ctb, ku,
develop action plans" or visit: http://ctb.ku.edu
And to access a guide to assist with learning the basics of budgeting, Google "C-hub
online, budgeting basics" or visit www.c-hubonline.org
By the end of this step, you should have a clear plan of action to create, implement,
monitor and evaluate your campaign with your available funding, staff, resources, and
timelines. Your action plan should be easily summarised and explained to stakeholders
in the form of a short report, presentation, or verbal pitch. You will need their approval
before you move onto the next phase. If you fail to gain their support, revisit the
previous steps and explore what needs to change before revising your action plan and
seeking approval again.
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Step 11: Create materials
With all of the work you have done so far, it's amazing to think that so many start at
this step and ignore the rest. But your hard work will pay off considering you are now in
an excellent position to develop strategies and materials that are well-researched,
targeted, grounded in audience insight, supported by stakeholders, and linked with
other strategies being implemented.
The primary goal of this step is to draw upon everything you have come to learn so
far to develop strategies that support and motivate the behaviour you are promoting
and to create materials (branding, posters, brochures, TV and radio spots, billboards,
websites, social media pages) that are:
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Attractive to grab the attention of your audience and keep them engaged.
Comprehensible enough to be easily understood and remembered.
Accurate, based on well-researched evidence and expert advice.
Persuasive in motivating and supporting positive behaviours.
Appropriate to the local context and the issues being addressed.
Targeted to the unique needs of your audience, promoting personal
identification.
Accessible to all people within your target audience regardless of their minority
status, disabilities, or disadvantages.
Again, for large-scale campaigns it's likely you will need to seek assistance from
professional graphic designers, filmmakers, or web developers. This will require you to
write a creative brief to ensure all of the research and strategy development you have
done so far guides the materials they produce.
TIP: To access a free how-to-guide on writing a creative brief, Google "Health
compass, how-to-guide, creative brief" or visit www.thehealthcompass.org
If you are implementing a smaller campaign and wish to develop your own materials
on a shoestring budget, you can find a list of websites that contain case studies,
tutorials, how-to-guides, and tool-kits at the end of this guide.
Step 12: Seek feedback, pre-test and adjust
It's time to invite your stakeholders and some members of your target audience to
provide their feedback on your work so far. This will allow you to select the best
strategies, materials, and messages among various options and to make necessary
adjustments to ensure they have the greatest impact.
When seeking feedback from stakeholders, present your strategies, materials, and
messages without expressing your own opinion and encourage an open discussion
against the benchmark criteria of being attractive, comprehensible, accurate,
persuasive, appropriate, targeted, and accessible. It's also a good time for experts to
double-check the accuracy and appropriateness of your content and for representatives
from minority groups and disabled people's organisations to advise if any further
changes are needed to make your strategies and materials more accessible.
Pre-testing involves presenting your messages and materials to members of your
target audience to check that your assumptions are appropriate and if changes are
required to increase their impact. This is a very critical stage in the development of
communication materials. Health experts have the technical knowledge to confidently
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write content that is scientifically accurate and to provide recommendations for actions
based on this evidence. However it is only through pre-testing that you can understand
how your target audience reacts to your materials, what messages are actually being
communicated to them, and if your strategy is likely to influence their behaviour.
TIP Pre-testing for large-scale campaigns will need to be conducted by an
independent and professional research team. For smaller campaigns, however,
pre-testing can be conducted in-house. Google "health compass, how-to-guide, pretesting" or visit the following website to access a user-friendly guide to pre-testing:
www.thehealthcompass.org
Audience before creativity
Making adjustments to materials can often be difficult if you disagree with the
views and opinions of your stakeholders or the target audience. While it might be
tough, be prepared to let go of some elements of the project that, while creative,
clever and seemingly important, are not supported by insight into what will move
and motivate your audience most effectively.
After summarising and analysing stakeholder feedback and pre-testing results, make
the necessary adjustments to your strategies and select the final set of communication
materials to be distributed to your target audience. Once the final changes have been
made, seek approval from senior management and, if appropriate an ethics committee,
to commence implementing your strategies and delivering your materials to your target
audience according to your action plan.
Step 13: Deliver and monitor
Your strategies and communication materials are now reaching your target audience
and, you hope, having a positive influence on their behaviour. But before you can figure
out whether or not your campaign is having an impact, you need to ensure everything is
progressing according to plan. Consider the following:
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Is the delivery of materials on time and within budget?
Are staff, stakeholders and partners fulfilling their responsibilities according
to the action plan?
Are strategies being implemented as planned?
How effectively are communication materials reaching the target audience,
how frequently are they being exposed to campaign messages, and what is
the quality of delivered materials?
Have any challenges or opportunities arisen?
What feedback are you receiving from audience members and
stakeholders?
Are the needs of the target audience changing?
Through monitoring the delivery of materials and strategies you can identify issues
and address them as they arise. Let's say, for example, your radio spots are only being
run once a day instead of the planned three times a day. You'll need to call the radio
station to remind them to stick to the agreed-upon broadcast schedule. Or perhaps the
sports hall in which an event you have promoted through posters is being held has
been double-booked. You'll need to work with your stakeholders to find an alternative
venue and to inform your audience of the change.
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Monitoring your progress will also allow you to take advantage of opportunities. You
might learn, for example, that your campaign has triggered much discussion and
sharing on Facebook. In response, you can increase your Facebook posts to further
boost interest and engagement. Or perhaps journalists have requested more
information about the campaign and are asking for people to interview. Responding to
these opportunities as they arise will greatly enhance the reach and impact of your
campaign.
TIP Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter all provide excellent, free, and user-friendly
data packages to track the popularity and engagement of your campaign among
your audiences. For guidance on using Social Media for health promotion, Google
"CDC, health communication, social media toolkit" or visit:
www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication
Step 14: Measure impact and make adjustments
You have reached the final stage in which, having implemented your strategies and
delivered your communication materials according to your action plan, you learn
whether what you did had an impact. Regardless of whether you contracted a
professional research team or carried out your own evaluation, you will want answers to
the following questions:
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What has your project achieved or not achieved?
To what extent were your behavioural goals met?
What worked or didn't work, and why?
Were there any unintended impacts of the project?
What lessons can be passed onto others doing similar work?
What adjustments need to be made to increase the impact of future initiatives?
It's vital that you communicate your findings to your stakeholders and the broader
community, whether through face-to-face meetings, reports, conference presentations,
journal articles, or press releases. Gaining feedback, both positive and negative, from
others will clarify what adjustments need to be made for future initiatives. It will also
allow you to pass lessons onto others who wish to build on your achievements.
Online resources
Social marketing in a low-resource setting can be challenging. Fortunately, a
number of how-to-guides, toolkits, tutorials, and forums can be found online to assist
you. Here are a few.
Social marketing and health communication
 The Health Compass: www.thehealthcompass.org
 C-Hub Online: www.c-hubonline.org
 John Hopkins Center for Communication Programs:
http://ccp.jhu.edu/resources
 The Big Pocket Guide to Using Social Marketing for Behaviour Change
(National Social Marketing Center):
http://www.thensmc.com/sites/default/files/Big_pocket_guide_2011.pdf
 Social Marketing Guide for Public Health Programme Managers and
Practitioners (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control):
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http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications/Publications/social-marketing-guidepublic-health.pdf
Design
 www.behance.com
 www.pinterest.com
 www.canva.com
 https://designschool.canva.com
Film and radio
 www.nofilmschool.com
 www.lynda.com
 www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/radio
Social media and online content
 www.sm4good.com
 www.cdc.gov/socialmedia
 www.wix.com
 www.squarespace.com
Monitoring and evaluation
 www.google.com/forms/about/
 www.surveymonkey.com
 www.evaluationtoolbox.net.au
Accessibility
 www.adcet.edu.au/inclusive-teaching/working-withstudents/communication-tips/
 www.efds.co.uk/resources/case_studies/2697_access_for_all_efds_inclusiv
e_communications_guide
Resources and Guides provided by the Australian Sports Commission

Research on the Barriers and Enablers to Physical Activity in the
Pacific: https://secure.ausport.gov.au/clearinghouse/Library/archive/digital_
archive/asc_programs/australian_sports_commission_programs__international/Research_on_the_Barriers_and_Enablers_to_Physical_Activi
ty_in_the_Pacific.docx

Social Marketing Style Guide for Tonga:
https://secure.ausport.gov.au/clearinghouse/Library/archive/digital_archive/
asc_programs/australian_sports_commission_programs__international/Social_Marketing_Style_Guides_for_Tonga.pdf

Social Marketing Style Guide for Samoa:
https://secure.ausport.gov.au/clearinghouse/Library/archive/digital_archive/
asc_programs/australian_sports_commission_programs__international/Social_Marketing_Style_Guide_for_Samoa.pdf

Social Marketing Style Guide for Fiji:
https://secure.ausport.gov.au/clearinghouse/Library/archive/digital_archive/
asc_programs/australian_sports_commission_programs__international/Social_Marketing_Style_Guide_for_Fiji.pdf
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
Social Marketing Style Guide for Nauru:
https://secure.ausport.gov.au/clearinghouse/Library/archive/digital_archive/
asc_programs/australian_sports_commission_programs__international/Social_Marketing_Style_Guide_for_Nauru.pdf

Monitoring and Evaluation Guide for Physical Activity Promotion in Sports:
https://secure.ausport.gov.au/clearinghouse/Library/archive/digital_archive/
asc_programs/australian_sports_commission_programs__international/Monitoring_and_Evaluation_Guide_for_Physical_Activity_Pro
motion_in_Sports.docx
References
Andreasen, A.R. (2006). Social marketing in the 21st century. Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2011). Social marketing made simple: A guide
for creating effective social marketing plans. US department of Health and Humans Services,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Atlanta, GA.
http://www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/pdf/cdcynergylite.pdf
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). (2014). Social marketing guide for
public health managers and practitioners. ECDC: Stockholm.
http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications/Publications/social-marketing-guide-public-health.pdf
French, J., Blair-Stevens, C., McVey, D. & Merritt, R. (2010). Social marketing and public health:
Theory and practice. Oxford University Press: Oxford.
Carroll T. (2000). Population health social marketing: A model for comprehensive social marketing
campaign development. Commonwealth Department of Health and Community Services:
Sydney, NSW.
National Centre for Social Marketing. (2011). Big pocket guide to using social marketing for
behaviour change. Department of Health and National Consumer Council: London.
http://www.thensmc.com/sites/default/files/Big_pocket_guide_2011.pdf
O’Sullivan, G.A., Yonkler, J.A., Morgan, W., & Merritt, A.P. (2003). A field guide to designing a
health communication strategy. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for
Communication Programs: Baltimore, MD.
http://ccp.jhu.edu/documents/A%20Field%20Guide%20to%20Designing%20Health%20Comm%
20Strategy.pdf
Sport for Development and Peace International Working Group (SDP IWG). (2008). 'Sport and
health: Preventing disease and promoting health'. In harnessing the power of sport for
development and peace: Recommendations to governments. SDP IWG: Toronto.
http://www.un.org/wcm/content/site/sport/home/unplayers/memberstates/sdpiwg_keydocs
World Health Organization & UNICEF. (2012). Communication for behavioural impact (COMBI): A
toolkit for behavioural and social communication in outbreak response. World Health
Organisation: Geneva.
http://www.searo.who.int/entity/emerging_diseases/ebola/atoolkit_for_behavioural_and_social_c
ommunicationin_outbreak_response.pdf
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