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
Resistant to Behave
as Desired
Prone to behave
as Desired
Easy to See or Convey
Self Interest
no/weak competition
Education
Need to Manage and Show Benefits
passive/active competition
Marketing
Can’t See and Can’t Convey
Self Interest or Benefits
unmanageable competition
Law
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
no
yes
no
prone to behave
unable to behave
resistant to
behave
resistant to
behave
yes
education
unable to behave
no
education
marketing
marketing
unable to behave
education
marketing
law
resistant to
behave
education
marketing
law
marketing
law
resistant to
behave
education
marketing
law
Education vs. Marketing
• Social Benefit vs.
Self-interest
• Get your mumps
immunization so that we
don’t have an epidemic
• Get your mumps vaccine
because your testicles
will really hurt and your
friends (you give it to) will
hate you
Education vs. Marketing
• Timing & Payback of
the Exchange
• Education typically shows a
vague payback at some point
in the future, ex: exercise & eat
better and you will lower the
probability of dying of a heart
attack (someday)
• Marketing shows an explicit
and short-term payback, ex:
eat this cereal and you will
able to fit into that dress for the
office Christmas party
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 PASS
Reimbursed ride home
Daily flex permits
Marketing: The Four P’s
•
•
•
•
Product
Price
Place
Promotion
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 singleminded
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 Map
Automobiles
Price
+
Fiat
BMW
Lexus
Camry
-
Subaru
Esteem
Aspire
-
Reliability
+
Social Marketing: Perceptual Map
UW Commuting Options
Cost
+
-
Mass transit
Carpool
Biking
-
Driving alone
+
Convenience
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%