Social Marketing

Cori Lorts, MPH, RD

Social Marketing Manager

Outline

• Theory of Social Marketing

• Grow a Healthy Child campaign

• The website

Theory of Social Marketing

• Why Social Marketing?– It works!– Research-based effective practice for creating

behavior change

• How does it work?– Its from the target audience’s point of view

Target Audience

• It’s all about the target audience– Their thoughts– Their feelings– Their beliefs– Their attitudes– Their knowledge– Their behavior

You + Me ≠Social Marketing

• I am not the target audience

• You are not the target audience

• Who is the target audience?– Food stamp participants and those eligible!

• When doing anything, always ask “what does the target audience want/need?”

Effective Practices

• When materials/campaigns (or anything!) are created with the target audience in mind, they resonate with the target audience– The target audience listens– The target audience acts!

How do you?......

• How do you find out what will resonate with the target audience?– Research!

• Focus groups

• Intercept interviews

• Key informant interviews

• Surveys

Example 1

• Fruit and Vegetable Campaign 2007:– In focus groups, original explorer idea

included a line about how fruits and vegetables are more valuable than gold

– Mothers did not like this– What would have happened if we did not test

the idea and created the TV spot as originally intended?

Example 2

• Go Low Campaign 2007– “Choices” was a favorite among ADHS staff.– When tested, many women were resentful of

their only being 1 choice for milk due to recent policy changes in WIC.

– What if we went with our favorite and didn’t test?

Theory of Social Marketing

• Social Marketing works because it speaks to the target audience in their language, with their beliefs and knowledge.

• Effective campaigns speak to the mom’s and motivate them to take action

• Ineffective campaigns can lead to dismissal and even resentment.

So remember…

• You + Me ≠Social Marketing

• Always keep your target audience in mind

• Always check for literacy level!

• If you don’t have the money and time for research, find someone who does or look for secondary resources!

• I am always here to help.

Grow a Healthy Child 2008

• Results from previous research: From GHC 2006, mothers liked the movement

and transition. They also liked the interaction between the mother and child and seeing the child growing at the end.

5 concepts were created for GHC 2008. The current spot, “Table”, was chosen because it was the only spot that contained all aspects cited by mothers: interaction, movement, transition and children growing.

Grow a Healthy Child Campaign

• Will run February-May

• Post-test will occur in late May

• In February, had first drop of door hangers state-wide– Received 74 calls for recipes. Highest number

ever.

Network Tools

• The website, www.eatwellbwell.org, has many resources available:– About Us– Partner Tools– Network Campaigns– Recipes– Useful Links

About Us

• You can find information on:– The Network– Different types of partners– Current partners– How to become a partner

(applications etc)

Partner Tools

• In this section you can:– Order materials– Reserve costumes, games and inflatables– Download policies and procedures, quarterly

reports and adopt an office guidebook– Link to the latest nutrition guidelines– Print/download recipes– Download all social marketing materials– Download research reports

Network Campaigns

• Here you can:– Read about social marketing– Read about Bobby and his buddies– Download marketing materials (same

as in partner tools)– View the logos and guidelines– Download the graphic standards– Watch videos

Useful Links

• There are links to:– The latest nutrition information – Nutrition education resources– Information on food safety– Financial assistance programs– Breastfeeding resources– Websites that offer statistics, facts

and figures

The website

• An excellent resource for partners

• Can be used to download materials, read about the latest research, order materials, read the policies and procedures and much more!

• If you have a question about the program, search the website – it might just answer it!

Summary

• Social marketing is a process that ensures your target audience will listen to your message and take action

• Grow a Healthy Child used this process to develop a family meals campaign

• Grow a Healthy Child will run February-May

• Use the website as a resource for your program