social marketing communications

Queensland University of Technology

CRICOS No. 000213J

Social marketing communications

Dr Stephen Dann

CRICOS No. 000213Ja university for the worldrealR

Introduction

• To be able to evaluate the effectiveness of social marketing communications first you need to understand what element of the social marketing framework the communication is addressing plus what stage of the behaviour change process is being targeted

• Also of importance is the extent to which the communication clearly shows that the campaign has adopted a “client” rather than organisation centred approach


Overview

• Marketing and social marketing • Behavioural change model• Targeting communication strategies within the

social marketing framework• Common styles of message• Freedom from Fear Case Study


Definitions

• 1985 - Marketing: the process of planning and executing the

conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and

services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and

organisational needs.

• 2004 - Marketing: an organizational function and a set of

processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to

customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that

benefit the organization and its stakeholders. (AMA 2004).


Social Marketing

• Social marketing: the adaptation of commercial

marketing technologies to create programs

designed to influence the voluntary behaviour of

target audiences to improve their personal

welfare and that of the society of which they are

a part.


Framework of managerial marketing

• Client centred• Research and evidence driven• Aims to achieve mutually beneficial exchanges• Adapts to external environments• Implemented through the “marketing mix”


Framework of social marketing

• Social marketing uses and modifies managerial marketing

• Client focussed in the design of campaigns• Social marketing’s “bottom line” is voluntary

behavioural change• Socially beneficial outcomes are subjective


Some characteristics of social marketing

• Level and extent of public scrutiny• Extravagant expectations• Targeted at non existent or negative demand• Target unresponsive audiences• Focus on sensitive issues• Behaviours often have invisible, delayed or non

guaranteed benefits


CRICOS No. 000213J

Social marketing and behaviour change


Behaviour change model

Stage Characteristics

Pre contemplation Potential targets are unaware of issue

Contemplation Targets become aware of the issue and start to consider it in light of their lives

Preparation Targets determine what they need to know or do to change their behaviour

Action Targets trial the alternate behaviour

Maintenance Targets adopt the alternative behaviour long term as their “normal” behaviour


Stages of behavioural change

Stage Marketing & Communication Tasks

Pre contemplation Create awareness; change values and beliefs

Contemplation Persuade and motivate

Preparation Educate

Action Facilitate action

Maintenance Reinforce changes, reminder communications


Marketing mix

• The marketing mix is the basic framework that marketers use to manage the marketing effort

• The marketing mix is sometimes called the 4 Ps and consists of the following elements– product, – price, – place, – promotion


Marketing mix: Product

• The bundle of benefits that the organisation is offering to the public

• From a social marketing perspective – what are you “selling” to the market?

• What aspect of the product needs to be communicated?


Social product

Social Product

Idea

Practice

Tangible object

BeliefAttitudeValue

One offOngoing


Family planning “product”

Contraception

Idea

Practice

Tangible object

Pregnancy can be planned

Smaller families are “better”

Preventing pregnancy is morally acceptable

Sterilisation

Reversible contraception

Condoms

Diaphrams

Contraceptive pill


Communication implications

• What aspect of the social product needs to be communicated?

• Are you trying to communicate a change in values, put forward an alternative lifestyle are you more focussed on portraying the relative benefits of one familiar activity over another?


Marketing mix: Price

• What someone gives up to own a product or use a service

• Price involves more than just money

• Social price - sum of all perceived costs that a person gives up to benefit from a campaign

• Costs include monetary costs for tangible goods and services plus time, effort, convenience, fear, loss of enjoyment, physical discomfort


Communications implications

• Social marketing communications often focus on making it easier to change a behaviour and thereby reduce the social price

• Example: Exercise – 30 minutes a day in one session or 3 x 10 minutes– walk up stairs or get off the bus a stop earlier etc

• Social price barriers are related to competition


Competition

• Behaviours and associated benefits of the competing behaviour

• Behaviours that are habits

• Organisations and individuals that promote a counter behaviour


Competition: Example

• Behaviour objective: drink 8 glasses of water per day

• Competing behaviour: drinking coffee

• Competing messages/messengers: Coffee Club, Starbucks

• Social marketing message: have a glass of mineral water when meeting friends for “coffee”, have a glass of water with coffee, communicate negative effects of caffeine


Place

• Place refers to how your product gets from you to your client base

• Place can refer to retail outlets or service points

• Main communication task with relation to place is informing targets about where they can get access to services and information


Promotion

• Promotion refers to all the different communication methods that you use to contact, inform or influence your target market

• Promotions mix– advertising– publicity– personal selling– public relations– sales promotions– and any other communication method


Common approaches to social marketing communication

• Information based– assumes that targets do not know about the issue or

are missing key facts– focus is on “educating” the market

• Emotion based– focus on positive or negative emotions– assumes the targets know the facts but need

motivation in starting or maintaining behaviour


Negative emotion appeals

• Fear and threat appeals are common in social marketing

• Effectiveness of the appeal will depend on the extent to which the target identifies with the issue and believes that it can happen to them

• Engendering “fear” or negative emotions without providing a solution negates the value of the stimulation of the fear appeal

• Other negative emotions are also used in this context including guilt, remorse, embarrassment

• Negative emotions are common in road safety advertising


CRICOS No. 000213J

Freedom From Fear Case

Western Australia campaign against domestic violence


Approach

• Most anti domestic violence campaigns focus on either law reform or educating police and the judiciary with respect to domestic violence issues

• Public campaigns tend to focus on the victims and getting them to leave the abusive environment or seek help

• Freedom from Fear targeted the male perpetrators of domestic violence


Research: Getting the message right

• Research objectives

– Examine awareness, knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and behaviours of men in general with respect to domestic violence

– Understand perpetrators beliefs and attitudes and hence assess whether reaching and impacting the primary target market was viable via mass media

– Assess the effectiveness of 5 potential message themes for a community education program: criminal sanctions, community interventions, social disapproval, consequences and “help is available”


Reactions to potential messages

• Criminal sanctions – not seen as credible or a significant deterrent

• Community interventions – idea of reporting incidences was seen as inconsistent with social norms (ie dobbing in a mate)

• Social disapproval – favourable reaction with most

• Consequences – damage to partner not an influencing factor for perpetrators, lacked credibility; damage to children powerful motivator

• Help is available – endorsed by both men in general and perpetrators


Campaign messages

• Domestic violence adversely impacts on the lives of children

• Help is available• Victims are not to blame• Violence against partners is not acceptable

• Reinforces the link between the use of emotion to increase arousal and attention while offering a clear solution


Communication media

• Men’s Helpline (staffed by male counsellors)

• Self help materials and publications

• Promotional material such as posters and beer mats distributed through sporting clubs, pubs, hotels, TABs, workplaces

• Television, radio, press and outdoor advertising


CRICOS No. 000213J

Adverts


Summary

• Social marketing is derived from managerial marketing and therefore uses commercial marketing tools and frameworks

• The ultimate aim of social marketing is to change behaviour

• Social marketing communications use traditional marketing communication methods and include the full range of marketing mix and promotional mix elements

social marketing communications

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