Introduction to Social Marketing

Thanks to: Dr. Debra Basil

Outline

• Social Marketing defined• Behavior Management Tools:

- Education - Marketing - Law

• Public Policy Perspectives• Case study: UW traffic reduction

Social Marketing

• Social Marketing applies the principles of marketing to address social problems by influencing behavior change.

• Social marketing requires:– A “customer” focused approach– Voluntary behaviour change– An exchange– Individual or societal benefit (rather than corporate

benefit or profit)

What is Marketing?

• Marketing is the process of planning and executing the product, pricing, promotion, and distribution/placement of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational goals.

• Social marketing applies these principles to individual behaviour change to benefit individuals and/or society.

Carrots, Sticks & Promises

Based on Rothschild 1999, other works by Dr. Michael Rothschild, the Turning Point

Initiative, and work by Dr. Sameer Deshpande

Behavior Management

• Three major classes of strategic tools– Education– Marketing– Force of law

• What do they share?– Spread knowledge– Change attitudes– Alter behaviors

Law-Education-Marketing

Marketing compared to Education and Law

• Proneness to behave• Motivation/Opportunity/Ability • Public policy perspective

Proneness to Behave

Prone to behave as Desired

Resistant to Behave as Desired

Easy to See or ConveySelf Interest

Need to Manage and Show Benefits Can’t See and Can’t ConveySelf Interest or Benefits

Education Marketing Law

no/weak competition passive/active competition unmanageable competition

Behavior = Function (Motivation, Opportunity, Ability)

• Motivation:– Goal directed arousal– Self interest– Group norms

• Opportunity– Environment allows behavior

• Ability– Target has skills and proficiency

MOTIVATION

OPPORTUNITY

ABILITY

yes

no

yes

yes yesno

no

no

prone to behave unable to behave resistant to behave

resistant to behave

unable to behave unable to behave resistant to behave

resistant to behave

education marketing marketing law

law

education marketing

education marketing

education marketing law

education marketing law

Public Policy Perspectives

• Free Choice & Externalities

• How to balance free choice with control of health cost externalities?

• What are roles of law, education, and marketing?

• Example: Helmet laws

Public Policy Perspectives

• The Tragedy of the Commons

• How to balance free choice with control of resource depletion externalities?

• What are roles of law, education, and marketing?

• Example: Overfishing

Public Policy Perspectives

• Social Dilemmas• How to deal with

situations in which there is a net benefit to society even though each citizen is inconvenienced?

• What are roles of law, education, and marketing?

• Example: One Tonne Challenge

Public Policy Perspective

• Education: Clearly free choice• Force of Law: Clearly coercive• Where does (Social) Marketing fit?

– Free choice with incentives?– Coercively appealing?– The pleasure of being targeted is all

mine?

Case Study: University of Washington’s

U-Pass program

• Problem: Volume of traffic in Seattle’s University District

• University of Washington decided to use social marketing strategies to reduce traffic in the district in 1991.

Segmentation Process• Identify most relevant variables for

segmentation• Segment individuals• Select target group(s)• Select important secondary targets

– Gatekeepers, influencers

Targeting

• Targeting Criteria– Segment size– Potential/expected growth or decline– “Competition”– Cost of marketing– Fit with org resources/objectives

Segmentation and Targeting: UW program

• Segmented based on affiliation with UW• Segmented based on type of affiliation

– Faculty and staff – Students

• Targeted all with UW affiliation– Different products based on type of affiliation

UW Affiliates

Students U Pass

Faculty and Staff U PASSReimbursed ride homeDaily flex permits

• Product • Price• Place • Promotion

Marketing: The Four P’s

Product

• Behaviour, service, product being exchanged with the target audience for a price and benefit

• Must compete successfully against the benefit of the current behaviour

• Actual product = primary behaviour advocated

• Augmented product = tangible objects/services to support behaviour

• Benefits: Positive outcomes occurring from product use

Product: UW program• Actual product:

– Alternatives to driving alone• Augmented product:

– U-pass program– Increased mass transit service at reduced rates– Shuttle service

• Benefits:– Save money (bus pass, parking, etc.)– Help environment

Price• Cost to the target audience of

changing behavior– Barriers to behaviour change

• Can be financial, or more often related to other “costs”– time – effort– lifestyle– psychological cost

Price: UW program

• Inconvenient• Takes more time• Less freedom

Place

• Channels through which products or programs are available (access)

• Move programs or products to places that the audience frequents, in order to ease access

Place: UW program

• Mass transit line (more stops)• Home (shuttle service)• Campus parking lots (free for carpools)

Promotion

• Communicating your offering and the benefits of behaviour change to individuals.– Promotional Methods:

• Advertising, Personal contact, Promotional items/incentives, Publicity (free media), Direct contact

• What is your message?– Be clear and single-

minded

Promotion: UW program

• “U-PASS: For You and the U”• Promotional materials, including posters,

brochures, and campus newspaper advertising

• “Commuter Information Centers”• Emphasis on the program’s incentives:

lower prices and more commute options• Endorsement by University Vice President

• UW promotional piece

Incentives and Disincentives

• Incentives: Additional enticements offered to encourage trial and use of the product

• Disincentives: Deterrents introduced to discourage current (undesirable) behaviour

Incentives: UW program• Unlimited usage of mass transit during the

month • University parking rates increased

significantly for single drivers (disincentive)• Free parking to faculty and staff carpools • Vanpools: Vans picked up and dropped off

only 8-15 passengers at or near their homes.• Cyclists: New bicycle paths through the

University, free bike lockers and racks, free helmet ($5 for staff and faculty) with the purchase of a tune-up

Positioning

• Based on PERCEPTION• Perceptual map

– Relative to own products (your other offerings or potential offerings)

– Relative to competition (behaviour you hope to extinguish)

Marketing: Perceptual MapAutomobiles

Price

Reliability

BMWLexus

Subaru

Esteem

Aspire

Fiat Camry

-

-

+

+

Social Marketing: Perceptual MapUW Commuting Options

Cost

Convenience-

-

+

+

Mass transit

Biking

Driving alone

Carpool

Outcomes: UW program• Problem:

– Extreme traffic congestion in the University District during morning and afternoon commutes. Situation affects University students, faculty, and staff plus local residents and workers and creates longer commutes, pollution, and frustration.

• Desired outcome: – Reduce single-occupancy vehicles in U District

• Measure of success: – UW single-occupancy vehicle use decreased

from 33% to 23%– transit use increased from 21% to 33%