Download Social Marketing Is

Social Marketing:
The Art and Science of
Behavior Change
Northland Bioneers
Conference
October 20, 2006
The Watson Group
Marketing Communications
The Watson Group works with organizations that
seek to change health behavior and prevent
violence. We use marketing to persuade people to
voluntarily adopt behaviors that improve health or
benefit society.
The Watson Group
Marketing Communications
In the spirit of the Northland Bioneers
Conference, which is a zero-waste event, I
have no handouts for you today.
We’re going low-tech—just you and me and a
whiteboard.
Social Marketing Defined
Show of hands. Marketing and advertising:
Evil or good? Okay, well I know where I
stand now. Today I’m going to show you
how to use marketing for good.
 I’m going to introduce you to social
marketing.
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Social Marketing Defined
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Using marketing principles to influence human
behavior in order to improve health or benefit
society. (Turning Point Social Marketing National Excellence Collaborative)
It is persuading people to voluntarily change their
behavior, usually health or environmental behaviors,
or violence prevention.
Social Marketing Defined
Social Marketing Is Not:
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Just advertising—or marketing for nonprofits or a cause
A clever slogan and a logo on a sport bottle or canvas bag
Reaching “everyone” through a media blitz
An image campaign
Done in a vacuum—you have to know your audience
A quick process—scientific and research-based
Social Marketing Defined
Social Marketing Is:
A behavior change strategy
 Targeted to those who have a reason to care
and who are ready for change
 Strategic
 Makes efficient use of resources
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Social Marketing Defined
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In social marketing, awareness is not enough. The
goal is to change behavior, to move the needle, to
make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.
Example: Target Market campaign
Continuum of Ways to Change
Behavior
Unaware/
Considering Change/
Maintaining Behavior
Education
Aware/
Not Considering
Change
Entrenched/
No Desire to Change
Social Marketing
Voluntary Behavior Change – How?
Law
Key Concept:
Know Your Audience
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You conduct audience research
Put them at the center of decisions
Understand that you are (usually) not the target
audience
Test your assumptions
Key Concept: Exchange
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You give me X, I give you Y. You give me a mercury
thermometer, I give you a free non-mercury thermometer
Research helps us understand how to make that attractive
Change what we are offering to make the exchange work
You give me your toxic mercury thermometer at any Cub
Foods on any Saturday in November and I’ll give you a free
replacement thermometer that will keep your family safer.
Key Concept: Exchange
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Increase or highlight the benefits
Decrease or de-emphasize the barriers
Key Concept: Competition
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Target audience can go somewhere else or do something else
or maintain current behavior
–
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Example: childhood obesity prevention project in NC, research told
us the Competition was “Whining and hollering”
Modify program, delivery, service provider or the product or
message to make the competing behavior less attractive, less
available, or more costly
Social Marketing Process
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Define the social or health or environmental
problem
Identify who must act to change the problem
Social Marketing Process
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Conduct market research
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Do surveys, interviews, and/or focus groups to find out
what makes it easier (“benefits”) or harder (“barriers”)
for the target audience to do the desired behavior
Ask about wants, hopes, fears, knowledge, attitudes,
behavior, perceived risk, “messengers and gatekeepers”
Social Marketing Process
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What is the difference between the people who are
doing what you want, and the people who aren’t?
Put aside your assumptions, listen carefully.
Use what you learn to form ideas for your social
marketing campaign
Develop Program or Campaign
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Apply marketing principles: Four P’s/“Marketing Mix”
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Product
Price
Place
Promotion
Plus Policy
Pre-test all products, services and messages
Product
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Behavior, service, product being exchanged with
the target audience for a price and benefit
Behavior, service, product must compete
successfully against the benefit of the current
behavior
Price
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Cost to the target audience of changing behavior
Can be financial, or more often related to other
“costs”
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time
effort
lifestyle
psychological cost
Place
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Channels through which products or programs are
available (access)
Move programs or products to places that the
audience frequents, in order to ease access
Promotion
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Communicating to the audience about
product/program, price, and place variables
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advertising
media relations
Events/entertainment
Web
personal selling
direct mail
Policy
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Encourage and leverage policies/rules that
influence voluntary behavior change
Consider and compensate for policies that
discourage voluntary behavior change
Avoid policies that punish “bad” behaviors
Launch Your Program or
Campaign
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Create, deliver and monitor your program
Evaluate results
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Did you reach target audience?
Did program have an impact?
Did desired outcome occur, why/why not?
“Course correct” your program if needed
Workshop
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Target behavior: Reduce trips by car by increasing
carpooling
Target audience: People who value sustainability and
the environment—people like you.
Incentives:
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Preferred parking
Commuter book clubs
Coffee coupons
Think Like a Marketer
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Think behavior change
Know your audience
Think benefits and costs and exchange
When/where in right frame of mind?
When/where is right place and time?
Please contact me with
questions or for resources
Danie Watson
The Watson Group
339 Barry Ave. S.
Wayzata, MN 55391
952-404-1314
[email protected]