Social Marketing 101
Carmel Pryor, Social Marketing Manager
Isaiah Webster III, Director of Capacity Building
Objectives
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By the end of this training participants will be able to:
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Answer the question “What is social marketing?”
Understand the basic principles of social marketing
Apply the principles of social marketing to other projects,
including HIV prevention programs
Understand how social marketing principles were applied to
“REALTalkDC” and other social marketing best practices
About MTA & Capacity Building Assistance
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Metro TeenAIDS is a community health organization that
works with young people to combat HIV/AIDS in the
District of Columbia. MTA offers:
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Outreach & Education
Youth Drop-In Center (Freestyle)
Clinical Services (HIV/STI screening)
School Services
Social Marketing
Capacity Building & Training
Introductions!
Group Expectations
Group Agreements
The Parking Lot
Activity: Personal Logo
Social Marketing vs. Social Networking
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Don’t confuse social marketing with social networking.
Social networking usually refers to using new media to
socialize or to network. Examples: Facebook, MySpace,
Twitter, YouTube.
Social marketing is used by organizations and companies
to promote a product. The product could be a hamburger
at McDonald’s or an HIV test at MTA.
Social Marketing Defined
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“…A process for influencing human behavior on a
large scale, using marketing principles for the purpose
of societal benefit rather than commercial profit.”
(W. Smith, Academy for Educational Development)
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“Social marketing is the use of marketing principles
and techniques to influence a target audience to
voluntarily accept, reject, modify or abandon a
behavior for the benefit of individuals, groups or
society as a whole.”
(P. Kotler, et.al., Social Marketing: Improving the Quality of Life)
Social Marketing Defined
Question…
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What are the most
important concepts in
these definitions?
Answer…
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Influence
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Target Audience
Voluntarily
Behavior
Societal Benefit
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Key Differences
Social Marketing IS…
Social marketing IS NOT…
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A social or behavior change strategy
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Not just advertising
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Most effective when it activates
people and communities
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Not a media blitz
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A clever slogan
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Not about coercing behaviors
 through punishment
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Not a “one approach” model
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Not a quick process
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Targeted to those who have a
reason to care and who are ready
for change
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Strategic and requires efficient use
of resources
Concepts of Social Marketing
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Must be client/consumer/audience centered
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It’s about action!
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What do you want people to do?
Focus on enhancing perceived benefits & reducing perceived barriers
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Actions will only occur if perceived benefits > perceived costs
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Increase or highlight the benefits
Decrease or de-emphasize the barriers
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Social marketing looks at behavior change from the viewpoint of the consumer
There must be an exchange
Example of Exchange
In commercial marketing, you exchange money for a product, but
often the marketing “sells” more than the product. An example:
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You give me…
$1.00
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You get… A drink (plus)
A thirst quencher
Good taste
Fun
Youthful feeling
Girl/Boyfriend
Examples
Examples
Example of Exchange
In social marketing the cost/barriers are weighed against
the benefits of the desired behavior
Potential barriers to
condom use
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Cost
Embarrassment
Loss of pleasure
Possible benefits to
condom use
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Protection against pregnancy
Protection against HIV/STI
Peace of mind
Sense of control
Hope for the future
Pleasure gained
Examples
Activity: Example of Exchange
Try it yourself…consider HIV testing
Potential barriers to
HIV testing
Potential benefits to
HIV testing
Examples
QUESTIONS,
COMMENTS,
CONCERNS?
Activity: Examining Social Marketing
Campaigns
What do you notice about these campaigns?
 Who is the primary audience?
 What behavior are they trying to influence?
 What’s the benefit to society?
 Is the campaign effective?
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The 7 P’s – Social Marketing Principles
Product
Price
Place
Promotion
Physical Evidence
Process
People
#1 - Product
The product is what you are
offering and its benefits.
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It can be tangible, like a service or behavior, like a
condom or HIV testing.
It can be intangible like a feeling of belonging, peace of
mind or hope.
Your product must compete successfully against the
benefit of the current behavior.
Promote a single, doable behavior, explained in simple
terms.
#2 - Price
What is the cost/barrier of doing
what you are asking?
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Ask yourself, “what keeps people from doing what you
are asking?”
Identify monetary & non-monetary costs associated with
adopting new behavior.
Develop strategies that offer equal or greater benefit
than perceived costs.
#3 - Place
This refers to the systematic way you will get
information and services to the primary audience.
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Where and when might people think about your issue?
Where might they be in the right frame of mind to
consider your service?
Where can you put information about your service?
Where does your audience already gather?
#4 - Promotion: Creating Messages
What do we want to say?
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Key message
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Connect with something that is important to the audience
Communication objectives
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Attention-getting: stands out among other messages
What do we want them to know (think)
What do we want them to believe (feel)
What do we want them to do
What are the benefits
Try to pretest messages if possible.
#5 - Physical Evidence
How do your marketing materials to look?
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30 seconds test
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Focus on external messages and everything the client/customer
“sees” including staff
The image you want to convey to your audience about your
brand
#6 - Process
How do people think and talk about you
when you aren’t around?
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How is your message different than others?
Attribution Theory
If you could create the ideal impression in the hearts and
minds of your customers, what would it be?
What is the “process” by which people interact with your
brand/message from start to finish?
#7 - People
Do you have the right people?
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Who are the people that are responsible for carrying out the
marketing message?
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Are they right for the job?
People “buy” from people they like, therefore the personal
experience with staff should be first-class
QUESTIONS,
COMMENTS,
CONCERNS?
Social Marketing
Best Practice Examples
‘You Know Different’
‘You Know Different’ background
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5 years
Year 1
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Formative research on social marketing, needs of organizations
and focus groups with youth and providers
Built coalition support for pilot campaigns
Year 2
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Brought in social marketing firm to assist with creative and
messaging
Had coalitions in Florida, DC and Bronx, NY
Launched 2 week campaigns in each area.
Created website, posters, palm cards and stickers
‘You Know Different’ background
Year 3
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Expanded pilot campaigns to St. Louis, MO/Eastern IL, Memphis,
TN, Ft Worth, TX
Introduced two new images
Introduced bracelets
Experienced stigma & homophobia
Year 4
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Made campaign available nationwide
Year 5
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Introduced new image
Introduced webinars
Introduced Facebook campaign
YKD Images
Core Elements
Community
Mobilization
Organizational
Training
Outputs
•Regional coalition
development
•Assessment of
organizational capacity
•Regional CTRS
Training
•Diffusion of CTRS
Resource Compendium
•Diffusion of HIV CTS
Protocol
•Diffusion of CDC
CTS Youth Prevention
curriculum
Social
Marketing
Youth Health
Advisory Council
Design“You Know
Different” campaign
strategy and materials
Individual Outcomes
Increased knowledge of HIV
CTS staff in the provision of HIV
CTS services to youth
Increase in knowledge of staff
in the utilization of social
marketing in the promotion of
HIV testing services
•Increased knowledge of
HIV CTS staff in provision
of HIV CTRS services to youth
•Increase in knowledge and
awareness of HIV CTS staff on
Issues regarding LGBTQ youth
And YMSM
Increased intent to
incorporate youth-specific
HIV CTR protocols into
existing services
Increase in the knowledge of
staff in utilization of
social marketing in the
promotion of HIV Testing
services
•Development of peer
recruitment strategy for
campaign
Community Level
Outcomes
Enhanced relationships
reported among staff of
partnering CBOs
Increase in the
number
of community HIV testing
events for youth
Increase in the number
of organizational HIV
CTS staff trained on
issues pertaining to youth
and HIV
•Increase in
organizational capacity
to conduct HIV CTS for
youth
Increase in the leadership
opportunities for youth of
color
Increase in the number of
HIV CTS service providers
able to provide culturally
appropriate services
to youth
•Intent to create a
“youth friendly” space
and services
•Utilization of social
marketing strategy for HIV
CTS services
•Increase youth involvement
In the YKD campaign
•Recruitment of 5-7
Youth
•Convene 1-2 meetings
per year
Organizational Level
Outcomes
•Increase in knowledge and
benefits of targeted
HIV testing recruitment
methods
•Increase in # of youth
accessing HIV services
Increase in
the number of CTRS
service providers who
are able to reach
youth for HIV CTRS
services
Impacts
Increase in the number
Of youth who
Know their HIV
serostatus
The REALtalkDC campaign
Mobile Messaging
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Cell phones promote behavior
change
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Youth can access free testing and
condoms on their phones
Txt NW, SW, SE or NE
2 find free clinics and
condoms in your
area!
Realtalk2 – learn
about REALtalkDC
events in your area!
REALtalk3 - Play the
“Get Real ’bout HIV!”
quiz!
REALtalkDC website
REALtalkDC ads
REALtalkDC events
REALtalkDC New Media Campaign
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MTA testing numbers
increased by 148% during ad
campaign.
90% of youth tested who
saw campaign materials were
motivated by the campaign
to get tested.
62.5% of youth tested who
saw at least four kinds
campaign materials reported
that the campaign influenced
their decision.
During the five-week
campaign, over 4500 text
messages sent to
REALtalkDC.
QUESTIONS,
COMMENTS,
CONCERNS?
Activity: Creating A Social Marketing
Campaign
QUESTIONS,
COMMENTS,
CONCERNS?
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Carmel Pryor
Social Marketing Manager
202.543.0094
cpryor@metroteenaids.org
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Isaiah Webster III
Director of Capacity Building
202.543.0094
iwebster@metroteenaids.org
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www.realtalkdc.org
www.metroteenaids.org
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CONTACT
INFORMATION