Social Marketing
The health communications field has
been rapidly changing over the past two decades. It has evolved from a
one-dimensional reliance on public service announcements to a more
sophisticated approach which draws from successful techniques used by
commercial marketers, termed "social marketing." Rather than
dictating the way that information is to be conveyed from the top-down, public
health professionals are learning to listen to the needs and desires of the
target audience themselves, and building the program from there. This focus on
the "consumer" involves in-depth research and constant re-evaluation
of every aspect of the program. In fact, research and evaluation together form
the very cornerstone of the social marketing process.
Social marketing was
"born" as a discipline in the 1970s, when Philip Kotler and Gerald
Zaltman realized that the same marketing principles that were being used to
sell products to consumers could be used to "sell" ideas, attitudes
and behaviors. Kotler and Andreasen define social marketing as "differing
from other areas of marketing only with respect to the objectives of the
marketer and his or her organization. Social marketing seeks to influence
social behaviors not to benefit the marketer, but to benefit the target
audience and the general society." This technique has been used
extensively in international health programs, especially for contraceptives and
oral rehydration therapy (ORT), and is being used with more frequency in the
United States for such diverse topics as drug abuse, heart disease and organ
donation.
Like commercial marketing, the
primary focus is on the consumer--on learning what people want and need rather
than trying to persuade them to buy what we happen to be producing. Marketing
talks to the consumer, not about the product. The planning process takes this
consumer focus into account by addressing the elements of the "marketing
mix." This refers to decisions about 1) the conception of a Product, 2)
Price, 3) distribution (Place), and 4) Promotion. These are often called the
"Four Ps" of marketing. Social marketing also adds a few more
"P's." At the end is an example of the marketing mix.
Product
The social marketing
"product" is not necessarily a physical offering. A continuum of
products exists, ranging from tangible, physical products (e.g., condoms), to
services (e.g., medical exams), practices (e.g., breastfeeding, ORT or eating a
heart-healthy diet) and finally, more intangible ideas (e.g., environmental protection).
In order to have a viable product, people must first perceive that they have a
genuine problem, and that the product offering is a good solution for that
problem. The role of research here is to discover the consumers' perceptions of
the problem and the product, and to determine how important they feel it is to
take action against the problem.
Price
"Price" refers to what the
consumer must do in order to obtain the social marketing product. This cost may
be monetary, or it may instead require the consumer to give up intangibles,
such as time or effort, or to risk embarrassment and disapproval. If the costs
outweigh the benefits for an individual, the perceived value of the offering
will be low and it will be unlikely to be adopted. However, if the benefits are
perceived as greater than their costs, chances of trial and adoption of the
product is much greater.
In setting the price, particularly
for a physical product, such as contraceptives, there are many issues to
consider. If the product is priced too low, or provided free of charge, the
consumer may perceive it as being low in quality. On the other hand, if the
price is too high, some will not be able to afford it. Social marketers must
balance these considerations, and often end up charging at least a nominal fee
to increase perceptions of quality and to confer a sense of "dignity"
to the transaction. These perceptions of costs and benefits can be determined
through research, and used in positioning the product.
Place
"Place" describes the way
that the product reaches the consumer. For a tangible product, this refers to
the distribution system--including the warehouse, trucks, sales force, retail
outlets where it is sold, or places where it is given out for free. For an
intangible product, place is less clear-cut, but refers to decisions about the
channels through which consumers are reached with information or training. This
may include doctors' offices, shopping malls, mass media vehicles or in-home
demonstrations. Another element of place is deciding how to ensure
accessibility of the offering and quality of the service delivery. By
determining the activities and habits of the target audience, as well as their
experience and satisfaction with the existing delivery system, researchers can
pinpoint the most ideal means of distribution for the offering.
Promotion
Finally, the last "P" is
promotion. Because of its visibility, this element is often mistakenly thought
of as comprising the whole of social marketing. However, as can be seen by the
previous discussion, it is only one piece. Promotion consists of the integrated
use of advertising, public relations, promotions, media advocacy, personal
selling and entertainment vehicles. The focus is on creating and sustaining
demand for the product. Public service announcements or paid ads are one way,
but there are other methods such as coupons, media events, editorials,
"Tupperware"-style parties or in-store displays. Research is crucial
to determine the most effective and efficient vehicles to reach the target
audience and increase demand. The primary research findings themselves can also
be used to gain publicity for the program at media events and in news stories.
Additional Social Marketing
"P's"
Publics--Social marketers often have many different audiences that
their program has to address in order to be successful. "Publics"
refers to both the external and internal groups involved in the program.
External publics include the target audience, secondary audiences,
policymakers, and gatekeepers, while the internal publics are those who are
involved in some way with either approval or implementation of the program.
Partnership--Social and health issues are often so complex that one
agency can't make a dent by itself. You need to team up with other organizations
in the community to really be effective. You need to figure out which
organizations have similar goals to yours--not necessarily the same goals--and
identify ways you can work together.
Policy--Social marketing programs can do well in motivating individual
behavior change, but that is difficult to sustain unless the environment
they're in supports that change for the long run. Often, policy change is
needed, and media advocacy programs can be an effective complement to a social
marketing program.
Purse Strings--Most organizations that develop social marketing programs
operate through funds provided by sources such as foundations, governmental
grants or donations. This adds another dimension to the strategy
development-namely, where will you get the money to create your program?
Example of a Marketing Mix Strategy
Example of a Marketing Mix Strategy
As an example, the marketing mix
strategy for a breast cancer screening campaign for older women might include
the following elements:
- The product could be any of these three behaviors: getting an annual mammogram, seeing a physician each year for a breast exam and performing monthly breast self-exams.
- The price of engaging in these behaviors includes the monetary costs of the mammogram and exam, potential discomfort and/or embarrassment, time and even the possibility of actually finding a lump.
- The place that these medical and educational services are offered might be a mobile van, local hospitals, clinics and worksites, depending upon the needs of the target audience.
- Promotion could be done through public service announcements, billboards, mass mailings, media events and community outreach.
- The "publics" you might need to address include your target audience (let's say low-income women age 40 to 65), the people who influence their decisions like their husbands or physicians, policymakers, public service directors at local radio stations, as well as your board of directors and office staff.
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