Social Marketing: Improving Policy Implementation

Social Marketing:Improving Policy Implementation Professor Susan Dann National Seniors Productive Ageing Centre

Introduction and overview • Marketing • Social marketing • Behavioural change model • Improving Policy Implementation • Efficiency and Effectiveness • Defending the Spend

Definitions • 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 marketing • Client focussed • Evidence driven • Operates at three levels • Tactical • Strategic • Philosophical

Framework of social marketing • Client focussed in the design of campaigns • Research and evidence driven • Aims to achieve mutually beneficial exchanges • Social marketing’s “bottom line” is voluntary behavioural change • Implemented through the “marketing mix” • Socially beneficial outcomes are subjective • Adapts to external environments

Some characteristics of social marketing • 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

Marketing in the public sector • Fundamental mismatch between the ideal of the public sector of serving the “public interest” and marketing’s basic tool of segmentation • Segmentation strategies are essential for good marketing but vulnerable to public criticism for favouritism, cronyism, political favours etc • Public sector marketers have less control of the whole of the marketing program than their private sector colleagues

Social Marketing Changing attitudes and behaviours by using marketing tools and techniques

Behaviour change model

Stages of behavioural change

Marketing mix • The marketing mix is sometimes called the 4 Ps and consists of the following elements • product, • price, • place, • promotion • Extended marketing mix also includes • people • processes • physical evidence

Marketing mix: Product • The bundle of benefits that the organisation is offering to the public • what are you “selling” to the market? • what aspect of the product needs to be communicated?

Idea Practice Tangible object Belief Attitude Value One off Ongoing Social Product What you need to achieve the behaviour Social product

Tanning is not “healthy” Tans are not attractive Tans are not an inevitable part of a wholesome lifestyle Wear a hat at an event Slip, slop, slap at all events Shirt Sunscreen Hat Idea Practice Tangible object Safe sun exposure Sunsafe “product”

Competition • Behaviours and associated benefits of the competing behaviour • Behaviours that are habits • Organisations and individuals that promote a counter behaviour

Competition • Think broadly about competition • The major competition is often not the obvious direct competition but more insidious indirect competition • Be open to strategic alliances with direct competitors to overcome indirect competition • Not all competition is “bad”

Competition: Example • Behaviour objective: encourage after school sport • Competing behaviour: homework • Competing messages/messengers: school • Social marketing message: make time for exercise; healthy body = healthy mind

Competition: Water consumption • Behaviour objective: drink 8 glasses a day • Competing behaviour: drinking coffee • Competing messages/messengers: Coffee Club • Social marketing message: drink water with / or instead of coffee in social situations

The biggest competitor in social marketing is the target client

Improving Policy Implementation through Social Marketing

Components of successful social marketing • The marketing mix consists of price, product, promotion, place, people, process and physical evidence. • Each element of the marketing mix consists of sub components for example, price consists of both financial and non financial costs.

Social marketing for effectiveness and efficiency • Targeting • Segmentation • Market research or understanding the consumer

Problems for social marketing • Unrealistic expectations • Funding, Expenditure and Sponsorship • Uncertain outcomes • Limited timeframes & political influence

Unrealistic expectations • Coca Cola • Total market share – 45% • 55% of the market not supporting Coke • Top outcome for Coke dominating the market • In social marketing terms • 55% of drivers drink driving (unacceptable) • 55% of teenagers smoking (unacceptable)

Funding issues • Funding for social marketing tends to be limited by both amount and timeframe • Social marketing has not fully embraced the concept of spending to stop a reversal of behavioural change in the same way that commercial enterprises spend massively on retaining customers and on reminder advertising • Difficulty in measuring outcomes and the high risks involved in social marketing also contribute to the uncertainty

Countering funding • Defending the spending • Explaining the purpose of the expenditure • Pointing out the costs of inaction • Publicise the cost of alternative less effective delivery mechanisms • Ask the critic to suggest alternative solutions that meet the same proactive goals.

Uncertain outcomes • Uncertain campaign outcomes • Not smoking today means… • Possibly not contracting a smoking related illness • Unless there’s been any exposure to secondary smoke • Unless you have a genetic predisposition towards cancer • Unless you have exposure to other carcinogenic materials • Putting your child through the trauma of immunisation means… • Reducing the likelihood of contracting a disease they may or may not come into contact with • Risking side effects from the immunisation process

Limited timeframes • Reality for social marketing in the public sector is that governments have limited terms and ministers have limited tenure • Therefore plans are usually in 3 year (max) cycles • 3 years is rarely enough to achieve a fundamental shift in attitude and behaviour

Political issues • Government/ minister represents the public • The public is not always rational in its demands • A fully researched rational social marketing campaign can (appropriately) be derailed by apparently irrational public/media pressure

Risk takers • For every campaign there will be a hard core group of resisters (aka the chronic know nothings) • In commercial marketing this group is called laggards and ignored • In social marketing they are usually the primary target market hence the difficulty in proving social marketing effectiveness

Commercial marketers target the people most likely to respond to the campaign Social marketers target the people in most need who also tend to be those who are least likely to respond

Current controversies in social marketing • Upstream v downstream perspectives • Downstream focuses on changing the individual • Upstream focuses on changing the environment • Social marketing’s pedigree • How much influence should developments in ‘marketing’ have on the current practice of ‘social’ marketing

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: Improving Policy Implementation