Understanding Social

Marketing

Defining Social Marketing

Case Study;

Save the Crabs. Them

Eat’Em (2005-2006)
 Background

 The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the USA.

 It has a complex ecosystem.

 It is a source of continual public scrutiny.

 Fed up with current regulation & education

programs of addressing the bay’s demise.

 Requirement of new look ‘campaign’ is obvious.

 Chesapeake Bay Program funded the non

profit Academy for Educational Development
(AED).
 AED duty is to design and implement a
communications campaign targeting an
untapped source of potential nutrient reduction.

 It strives to change personal behaviors that

impact bay water quality and increase
awareness of bay pollution among
audience (influential individuals).
 Target Audience
 Residents who fertilize their lawns in the spring.
 Lawn care services.
 Lawn care product providers.
 Decision makers.
 Behaviour Objectives

 Three specific purposes,

1. To refresh attention to the bay’s problems in a large-scale population

suffering form massage fatigue.

2. To bring new group of stakeholders to the table.

3. To popularize a new target behaviour with significant potential to

improve water quality if implemented on a large scale.

 Behaviour object of the campaign is to fertilize home owners’ lawns in the fall
rather than in the spring to avoid fertilizer runoff, which is damaging to many
bay species, including the Chesapeake Bay blue crab.
 Strategies

 Campaign theme is ‘saving the seafood’.

 Reframing the problem of a polluted bay as a culinary, not an environmental,

problem was the cornerstone of the campaign.

 Lawn care partners were a critical part of the strategy.

- What if there was no fertilizer available in the fall?

- Resistance form lawn care providers, but agreed to promote
specific brands on campaign Wed site.

- Color brochure promoting Chesapeake Club lawn care option to all

participating lawn care partners.

 The campaign was branded as the Chesapeake Club, to sense of membership,

participation, and practice of a behaviour that is the accepted social norm.

 Mass media campaign focused on ‘wait until fall to fertilize’ (desired behaviour).

- Three television ads (two 15-second spots and one 30-second

spot) and each ad ends with the tagline “save the Crabs”.

Ad 1 fall Ad 2 fall Ad 3 fall

 Five posters were developed and placed in train stations, cars, kiosks etc.

Out-of-home ads promoting fertilizing in the fall

 30 second public service announcement (PSA) was also developed.

 Local seafood restaurants became partners.

- Drink coasters were printed and distributed without charge.

- Wait staff were informed regarding the purpose of the campaign.
 Results

 52% of homeowners told that planned to fertilize in spring 2004 and

39% in spring 2005.

 44% recalled the Chesapeake Club brand and/or “Save the Crabs. Then
Eat ‘Em” tagline without any prompt.

 “Save the Crabs. Then Eat ‘Em” – 52% liked, 42% no opinion, and 7%
disliked
 The Chesapeake Club brand – 34% liked, 65% no opinion, and 1%
disliked.

 Respondents remembered seeing the ads on TV (29%), Newspaper

(18%), Billboards (17%), Subway cars (10%), drink coasters (4%).
What is Social Marketing?

» 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, the environment, and communities) as
well as the target audience. (Kotler. P., Lee. N., Rothschild.
M.,2006)

» Social marketing is a process for creating, communicating and

delivering benefits that a target audience(s) wants in exchange
for audience behavior that benefits society without financial
profit to the marketer. (Bill Smith, 2006)
What does Social Marketing actually do?

 Social marketing is about influencing behaviors.

Utilize systematic
Utilize systematic
planning
planning
process
process
Social deliver a positive
Social
Marketing
Marketing
++ deliver a positive
benefit for
benefit for
society
Use traditional society
Use traditional
marketing
marketing
principles and
principles and
techniques
techniques
Social marketers are
selling behaviors.
Where the social marketing’s focus on?

 It wants to influence target markets to do one of four things;

(1). Accept new behavior.

Ex. Composting food wastage.

(2). Reject a potentially undesirable behavior.

Ex. Starting smoking.

(3). Modify a current behavior.

Ex. Increasing physical activities from 3 to 5 days per week.

(4). Abandon an old undesirable behavior.

Ex. Talking cell phone while driving.
Example;
Issue is health: Obesity

Influence a target Parents of children in elementary school

market

Potential behaviors to
promote

Accept a new Support your child to walk to school at least 1 day a

behavior week.
Reject potential new Do not offer after school snacks high in fat and sugar.
behavior

Modify a current Encourage your child to order sliced fruit instead of

behavior french fries with a fast-food meal.

Abandon an old
Use fat-free cooking methods like baking or steaming
behavior

Use marketing Product;

principles and Organized walking programs such as “Walking
techniques (4Ps) School Bus”

Benefit Healthier children

What is the nature of behavior change?

 Social marketing relies heavily on “rewarding good

behaviors” rather than “punishing bad ones” .

 Social marketer cannot promise a direct benefit or

immediate payback in return for adopting the proposed
behavior change.

 The behaviour change is typically voluntary.

 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 (e.g., laws, policies, media).
What traditional marketing principles and
techniques that social marketing use

 Apply a customer orientation

 Begins with marketing research

 Divide the market into similar groups (market segmentation)

 Select target markets

 Establish clear objectives and goals

 The product is positioned

 Use the marketing mix

 Once plan is implemented, results are monitored and

evaluated, and strategies are altered as needed
How social marketing select and influence a target
market?
 Efforts will move from (just) influencing an individual with a
problem or potentially problematic behavior to influencing those
who can facilitate individual behavior change (i.e. those
who have power to make institutional policy and legislative
changes in social structures).
Who is the primary beneficiary?

 The primary beneficiary of the social marketing program is

society.

 Who determines the social change created by the program is

beneficial?
Safe Abortion/health Care Awareness
Who, then, gets to define “good”?

 Donovan and Henley propose the U.N. Universal Declaration of

Human Rights (www.unhchr.ch) as a base line to the common
good.
Where did the concept originate?
» A distinct marketing disciple was labeled as social marketing
since the early ‘70s.

» The term social marketing was first introduced by Philip Kotler

and Gerald Zaltman in an article in the Journal of Marketing,
to describe “the use of marketing principles and techniques
to advance a social cause, idea or behavior.”
How does social marketing differ from
commercial sector marketing?
Commercial Sector Marketing
Selling goods and services
Primary aim is financial gain
Target market selection;
 The greatest volume of profitable
sales.
Nature of the competition
 Competition is often identified as
other organizations offering
similar goods and services or ones
that satisfy similar needs.
Not more difficult than social
marketing
Ex: Resources for make smoking cool
Social Marketing
Selling a desired behavior
Primary is society gain
Target market selection;
 Prevalence of the social problem.
 Ability to reach the audience.
 Readiness for change etc.
Nature of the competition
 Competition is most often the
current or preferred behavior of
our target market and the perceived
benefits associated with that
behavior, including the status quo.
More difficult than commercial
marketing
Ex: Resources for stop smoking
Similarities between the social and commercial
sector marketing

 A customer orientation is critical.

 Exchange theory is fundamental.
 Marketing research is used throughout the process.
 Audiences are segmented.
 All 4Ps are considered.
 Results are measured and used for improvement.
How is it different from nonprofit marketing,
public sector marketing and cause promotions?

Nonprofit sector, marketing is more often used to,

 Support utilization of the organization’s services
 Purchases of supplementary products and services
 Volunteer recruitment
 Advocacy efforts
 Fundraising etc.

Public sector, marketing activities used to,

 Support utilization of governmental agency products and services
 Stimulate citizen support and compliance

Cause marketing activities used to,

 Raise awareness and concern for a social issue, but typically stop
short of charging itself with changing behavior.
Social marketing efforts are only one
of many marketing activities
conducted by those involved in
nonprofit or public sector marketing.
Who does social marketing?

» Social marketing and techniques are used by those on the

front line responsible for improving public health, preventing
injuries, protecting environment, and engendering community
involvement.
 Public sector agencies
Ex: International – WHO,
National - Department of Health, Department of Wildlife,
Local – Schools, community health clinics.

 Nonprofit organizations and foundations

Ex: Young Zoologists Association

 Professionals working in a for-profit organizations

Ex: Position responsible for CSR, corporate philanthropy, marketing or
community relations

 Marketing professionals who provide services to organizations

engaged in social marketing campaigns
Ex: Advertising agencies, public relations firm, marketing research firms and
marketing consulting firms.
What social issues can benefit from social
marketing?

Health Promotion
 Tobacco use  Colon cancer
 Heavy/Binge Drinking  Birth defects
 Fetal alcohol syndrome  Immunizations
 Skin cancer
 Heavy/Binge Drinking
 Oral health
 Obesity
 Diabetes
 Teen pregnancy
 Blood pressure
 HIV/AIDS
 Eating disorder
 Fruit and vegetable intake
 High cholesterol
 Breastfeeding
 Breast cancer
 Prostate cancer
 Injury Prevention
 Drinking and driving
 Other vehicle crashes
 Seatbelts
 Head injuries
 Proper safety restraints for children in cars
 Suicide
 Drowning
 Domestic violence
 Gun storage
 School violence
 Fires
 Falls
 Household poisons
 Environmental Protection
 Waste reduction
 Wildlife habitat protection
 Forest destruction
 Toxic fertilizers and pesticides
 Water conservation
 Air pollution from automobiles
 Air pollution from other sources
 Composting garbage and yard wastage
 Unintentional fires
 Energy conservation
 Litter
 Watershed protection
 Community Involvement
 Organ donation
 Blood donation
 Voting
 Literacy
 Identity theft
 Animal adoption
What is the social marketer’s role in influencing
upstream factors?

 Social marketers should

direct some of their efforts
to influence upstream
factors.
Ex: spread of HIV/AIDS

 Downstream, social
marketers focus on,
 Decreasing risky behaviors
 Increasing timely testing
 Upstream social marketers focus on,
 Identifying the target market clearly those who could make
this change a little easier or a little more likely.
Ex: Groups and organizations and corporations and community
leaders and policy markers

 Advocate with others to influence pharmaceutical companies

to make testing for HIV/AIDS quicker and more accessible.

 Work with physician groups to create protocols to ask

patients whether they have had unprotected sex and, if so,
encourage them to get an HIV/AIDS test.

 Advocate with offices of public instruction to include

curriculums on HIV/AIDS in schools.

 Look for corporate partners that would be interested in

settling up testing at their retail locations.
 Organize meeting with community leaders such as ministers,
directors of non profit organizations
 Visit hair salons, barbershops, engaging owners and staff in
spreading the word with their clients.

 Advocate relevant parties to for increased funding for

research, condom availability or free testing facilities.
What we did?

Save the Crabs. Them Eat’Em (2005-2006)

What is Social Marketing?
 What does Social Marketing actually do?
 What is the nature of behavior change?
 What traditional marketing principles and techniques that social marketing use
 Who, then, gets to define “good”?
 Who is the primary beneficiary?

Where did the concept originate?

How does social marketing differ from commercial sector marketing?

Similarities between the social and commercial sector marketing

How is it different from nonprofit marketing, public sector marketing and

cause promotions?

Who does social marketing?

What social issues can benefit from social marketing?

What is the social marketer’s role in influencing upstream factors?