Social Problems and the Role of Social Marketing

The Structure of Social Problems Chapter 3

The first three stages of the social change process are: Stage 1: Inattention to the problem. Stage 2 : Discovery of the problem. Stage 3 : Climbing the agenda.

The next stage of the agenda setting process is: Stage 4 : Outlining the choices. Analysts and Advocates look at the data and considerer how the problem can be addressed. From social marketing standpoint, the key questions need to focus on identifying the specific individuals whose can move a problem toward solution. At this fourth stage, there typically emerge map of the problem space that can be used to guide the construction of alternative interventions.

Childhood Obesity This real-life problem has advantages in that it involves a class of health problems With which social marketing has long experience. Involves a wide range of other players, including the private sector, who have had-and can have major influences on the problem and on the future courses of action. Is a topic that is already receiving high prominence and likely to result in a range of initiatives in the next decade from health organizations.

In the formation of the public judgment that Yankelovich has described, childhood obesity has gone from a stage of “drawing awareness” to where there is “growing urgency” Newspaper, magazines, television, and TV documentaries are replete with stories on the topic that report statistics, offer tips for addressing the problem, and tell dramatic stories of both victims and successes.

The obesity problem is not limited to the United States. In many countries, the issue is still at stage 2, discovery the problem. It is only in the century 21 that China has come to focus on the problem, predicting that 200 million Chinese will be overweight for this year. In the United States, we are just beginning to outline choices. This involves figuring out the factor driving the problem and what can be done about them.

The Facts Causes and Effects

The consequences of childhood overweight are dramatic.

Setting out the Options Communication: Communicate and educate the American people about the health issues related to overweight. Action: To assist Americans in balancing healthful eating with regular physical activity. Research the evaluation: Invest in research that improves our understanding of the causes, prevention, and treatment of over weight and obesity.

Structuring and Framing the Options To develop a comprehensive approach to any social problem, it it essential at some point to develop a framework that describe the structure of that problem. A framework should not only identify causative factors but also indicate leverage points where those seeking to intervene can begin to take action. Do not use language that would imply that individuals should strive for some particular desirable imagen or optimum behavior.

Program Options One is to bring about structural changes that make behavior changes unnecessary. A second set of structure changes would be ones that penalized. A structural change to discourage overeating would be a “fax Tax”. The third approach is to assume that overweight children want tom lose weight but that one must remove obstacles in their way or provide opportunities for them to act on their motivations.

Social Marketing, Education, and the Law What is the role of social marketing? Is not social change possible through other mechanisms, particularly education and the law? If communities need to be mobilized, is not a powerful education campaign led by charismatic, committed individuals enough to get change moving? If structures need to change, cannot we just pass laws or get regulator to be move vigorous in enforcing existing laws? Rothschild agues that the particular type of intervention depends on the target audience’s, motivation, opportunity, and ability to act. These characteristics determine whether an individuals likely to be prone, resistant, or unable to behave.

Education can often be the best course of action. Educational initiatives can teach people about benefits and cost of alternatives. Education may be sufficient when the target audience has high motivation to act, as the case of the SIDS educational programs. At the other extreme, there are many situations in which the individual does not want to act or defiantly prefers alternatives. In these cases, the law may be the best tool or at least an important adjunct. The law can limit individual alternatives by making them illegal. For example smoking restrictions in public places. The third set of cases described by Rothschild is ideal for social marketers. In these cases, the challenge is to influence the voluntary behavior of target audience that is open to change but is reluctant to act.

Social marketing, education, and law, are not mutually exclusive. There are many ways they can work together. Serious social change is to happen, there will be roles for all three: education, social marketing, and the law.

The Structure of Social Problems By Angela Acevedo Thank you!