Social Marketing: Influencing Behaviors for Good, Kotler and Lee

Social Marketing Distinct marketing discipline. Has been labeled since the early 70’s Focused mainly on influencing behaviors that will improve health, prevent injuries, protect the environment, contribute to communities, and, more recently, enhance financial well-being.

SOCIAL MARKETING DEFINED Formal: Social marketing is a process that applies marketing principles and techniques to create, communicate and deliver value in order to influence target audience behaviors that benefit society (public health, safety, environment, communities) as well as the target audience Informal: Influencing behaviors for good

Social marketing is a process for creating, communicating and delivering benefits that a target audience wants in exchange for audience behavior that benefits society without financial profit to the marketer. Social marketing is the application of commercial marketing technologies to the analysis, planning, execution and evaluation of programs designed to influence the voluntary behavior of target audiences in order to improve their personal welfare and that of their society.

The common themes 4 SM Influencing behaviors Utilizing a systematic planning process that applies marketing principles and techniques Focusing on priority target audience segments Delivering a positive benefit for society

IT’S ALL ABOUT BEHAVIORS Eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day. Move right for sirens and lights. Exercise 30 minutes, 5X a week. Don’t idle more than 10 seconds, except when in traffic. Store handguns in lockbox or safe. Keep a litterbag in your car. Ride the bus or join a carpool to work. Immunize on time. Sort office paper for recycling. Know your BMI. Establish and keep a household budget. What do these have in common? Action, specificity. We don’t say “eat healthy”. We say “Eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day.”

Change agents( focus on behavior) Similar to commercial sector marketers whose objectives is to sell goods and services Social Marketers are selling desired behaviors. Change agents typically want to influence target markets to do one of six things:

GIVE EXAMPLES OF BEHAVIORS TO: Accept: a new behavior Reject: a potentially undesirable behavior Modify: a current behavior Abandon: an old undesirable one Continue: a desired behavior Switch : want people to a switch behavior

Accept a new behavior (start voting) Reject a potentially undesirable behavior (starting smoking, don't offer after school snacks high in fat and sugar). Modify a current behavior (increasing physical activity, fruit instead of junk food). Abandon an old undesirable one (talking on a cell phone while driving). It may be the establishment of a habit and the prompting of a repeated behavior

Voluntary behaviors “Rewarding good behaviors” rather than “punishing bad behaviors “ through legal, economic, or coercive forms of influence. Social marketers cannot promise a direct benefit in return for adopting the proposed behavior change. For example, it’s tough to convince youth who want to look good to use sunscreen so they will (maybe) avoid skin cancer later in life. A systematic, rigorous, and strategic planning process is required-one that is inspired by the wants, needs, and preferences of target audiences and focuses on real, deliverable, and near –term benefits. Many believe this heavy reliance on individual voluntary behavior change is outdated and have moved on to applying social marketing technologies to influence other change factors in the environment as well (laws, policies, media) the task of influencing gardeners to pull their dandelions instead of using harmful chemicals

Use traditional Marketing Principles and Techniques Apply a customer orientation: to understand barriers target audiences perceive to adopting the desired behavior and benefits they want and believe they can realize. The process begins with: Marketing research Select target markets Establish clear objectives and goals Product positioning: to appeal to the desires of the target market, and to be more effectively than the competition. 4Ps Monitored and evaluated results. The process begins with an environmental scan to establish a purpose and focus for the plan

Primary beneficiary The primary beneficiary is Society Most causes supported by social marketing efforts tend to draw high consensus that the cause is good, this model can also be used by opponents who have the opposite view of what is good. Ex: Birth-Control

CHARACTERISTICS Focus on behaviors (public behavior) Voluntary behaviors Use traditional marketing principles Select and influence a target market Primary beneficiary is Society

Commercial Marketing Vs Social Marketing Differences: The type of product sold: selling goods & services Vs desired behavior Primary aim: Financial gain Vs societal gain Target Audience: CM often favor choosing the segment that will provide the greatest volume of profitable sales. In SM, segments are selected based on a different set of criteria, including prevalence of the social problem, ability to reach the audience, readiness for change Competition: other organizations offering similar goods and services or ones that satisfy similar needs Vs current or preferred behavior of target market and the perceived benefits associated with that behavior and any organization selling or promoting competing behavior ( Tobacco Industry) SM is more difficult than commercial marketing: consider the financial resources and the challenges.

Similarities Customer orientation is critical Exchange theory is fundamental Marketing research is used throughout the process Market segmentation Use of 4Ps Conduct evaluations: results are measured and used for improvement

WHY IT’S SO HARD Give up an addictive behavior. Be uncomfortable Reduce pleasure Spend more time Resist peer pressure Hear bad news Risk relationships Give up leisure time Give up looking good Learn new skills Give examples of each

SM efforts are only one of many marketing activities conducted by those involved in nonprofit sectors or public sector marketing. Social marketers have to “hang around” until the target audience actually performs the behavior Cause promotions are primarily focused on efforts to raise awareness and concern for a social issue(global warning, domestic violence) but typically stop short of charging itself with changing behavior Nonprofit marketing more typically promotes the services of the agency or supports fundraising Educators can “go home” when someone learns a skill or passes a test Social marketers have to “hang around” until the target audience actually performs the behavior

WHO DOES SOCIAL MARKETING Professionals Working for: Governmental Agencies: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention Departments of Health Departments of Ecology Utilities World Health Organization National Traffic Safety Commission

WHO DOES SOCIAL MARKETING Nonprofit Organizations: American Cancer Society American Dental Association Organ Donation Centers American Diabetes Association Nature Conservancy Foundation: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Produce for Better Health Foundation

WHO DOES SOCIAL MARKETING in Egypt

What social issues can benefit from SM TYPICAL APPLICATIONS Improving Health Preventing Injuries Protecting the Environment Involving the Community Enhancing Financial Well Being

OTHER WAYS TO IMPACT SOCIAL ISSUES Technology Science Laws Economics/Taxes Improved Infrastructures and Built Environments Changes in Corporate Policies and Business Practices Politicians Media School /education

FOR DISCUSSION Social marketing isn’t always about changing a behavior. What is an example? A few major differences between commercial marketing and social marketing were noted in this chapter. Do you see other important differences? Relative to reducing tobacco use, what would be an example of a technological, economic, legal, and educational strategy?