How Social Marketing Gets You to Do What "They" Want You to Do

"Social" Says Who?

The term “Social Marketing” was probably coined by someone who wanted it to seem different from what it really is.

It's really just plain old marketing.  But instead of getting you to buy a bar of soap, or a certain brand of beer, or a particular service, social marketing tries to get you to do what the marketer thinks is "good for society."

So they tell you.

Social marketing seeks to sell ideas, attitudes, and behaviors.  Issues which have been targeted by social marketing campaigns include:

• Pollution
• Drunk Driving
• AIDS Awareness
• Substance Abuse
• Early Cancer Detection
• Fire Prevention
• Disaster Readiness
• Energy Conservation
• Blood Drives
• Medical Research Fundraising
• Water Quality and Conservation

And it would be hard to find someone who would argue that these issues are not important.

Social marketing provides a mechanism for tackling such problems by encouraging people to voluntarily adopt a specific behavior.

• Don't smoke
• Don't over-water your lawn
• Don't pollute
• Recycle glass and plastic bottles
• Get out and vote

When planning social marketing campaigns, marketers know it is essential that an emphasis is placed on the audience's perceived needs.  That’s because the ultimate objective of social marketing is to influence action.  Achieving that goal is a much more ambitious -- and more blurred -- bottom line.

After all, how are "they" to know if you are really turning off the water when you brush?

I'm Your Friend, and I Have Your Best Interest at Heart.  Really, I Do.  Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain.

Social marketers feel "I'm my brother's keeper."

"Do what I want you to do; it's good for you."  And they are often very sincere about it.  And they may even be right.

Social marketing differs from other areas of marketing only with respect to the objectives of the marketer’s organization. 

The objective?  Changing your behavior and saving you -- and society -- from yourself. 

The planning process takes a “consumer-approach” into account by addressing the elements of the marketing mix.

Like commercial marketing, social marketing uses “The Four Ps” to define the total marketing picture:

Product

The specific change in awareness, attitude, and behavior.

Price

The psychological barriers that often prevent behavior change.  Inertia is a very powerful competitor.

Place

The distribution plan and media channels used to get the word out.

Promotion

Tactics and strategies used to persuade the audience.

However, marketers must often add the following that are unique to social marketing:

Publics

The many different audiences – internal and external – involved with the approval or implementation of the program.  Who's got their hand in it?

Partnership

Like-minded organizations solicited for involvement in order for the program to be truly effective.  Who benefits if you do what they want?

Policy

The political environment needed to support change for the long term.  Who's in power?  Who wants what?

Purse Strings

The resources from foundations, government budgets, or donations needed to fund the program.  Who's got the money?

Changing public behavior is a long-term process.  Like all social marketing, it requires increased education and the repetition of messages.

Successful Campaign Examples

Social marketing has targeted a number of issues:

• In Seattle, the “Get-in-the-Loop” campaign used retail partnerships, on-shelf signage, paid advertising and media relations to increase the purchase of recycled content products by 27 percent.
• More than 52 percent of the U.S. population recognizes the Energy Star label due to public service advertising, media relations and retail, manufacturer and utility partnerships.
• The average seat-belt usage rate in North Carolina jumped from 65 percent to over 80 percent in the first six months of the “Click It or Ticket” campaign.  In addition, the campaign is credited with producing a 14% reduction in traffic fatalities
• The percent of Florida middle schoolers who smoked cigarettes fell from 18.5 to 8.6 percent while the percentage for high schoolers went from 27.4 to 20.9 as a result of the Florida “Truth” anti-smoking campaign.
• PeachCare for Kids, created by the Georgia legislature in spring 1998, is designed to provide children’s health insurance for working-class families.  This program has helped 57,000 children and accepts applications at the rate of 500-1,000 per day.
• Results for Switzerland’s “Stop AIDS” campaign indicated that between 1986 and 1990, condom sales had increased by 80 percent (from 7.6 million to 15 million units).  Condom use among 17-30 year-olds increased from 8% to almost 50%. Condom use among 31-45 year-olds also increased during that time (from 22% to 35%).
• The "Florida's Water:  It's Worth Saving" campaign (which I helped create) achieved all objectives for the St. Johns River Water Management District, and post-campaign research revealed 89% resident compliance with local water restrictions.

Human nature never changes.  But human thinking does.  There was a time that most people thought it was cool to smoke.  Now, smoking is something you try to "quit."

Social marketing helped make that happen . . . for better or worse. 

Conclusion

Successful social marketing uses carefully crafted -- and often crafty -- messages that make an emotional connection.  It can fundamentally change behavior to save lives, sustain the environment, and make communities more livable.

It can also trick you into following a social agenda.

The average consumer is exposed to 3,000 messages per day. To effectively compete with this message overload, social marketing must reach its target several times through different mediums before an impact can be expected.

A good messaging platform is simple and provides both knowledge and motivation needed for the audience to act. 

And the best tell the truth . . . and tell it well.

Following these steps will start a path to a social marketing campaign that delivers measurable results.

The question is . . . do you want to do what "they" want you to do?  Do you have all the information you need to make an informed decision?

Regardless of what "they" want . . . it's still up to you.