Presentation 4.4: Social Marketing

Outline The challenge What is social marketing The theory The process The tools The exercise Summary

Introduction Some interface issues require urgent action Effective communication tools can change behavior, if carefully implemented

The Challenge Interface issues require citizen action to resolve  wildfire, water and energy conservation, exotic plants, waste management, climate change, etc. Citizens may be concerned but not knowledgeable about what to do Action is non-existent, not coordinated, or not effective

What can help? EducationEducation can help lay a foundation of greater awareness and knowledge Persuasive communicationPersuasive communication campaigns can prompt action Social marketing strategies can reduce barriers, change perceptions, build a new social norm

When and wherefore When agencies work within their mandate – protect endangered species, provide clean water, and When the solution is not controversial, or When the community agrees to the solution Social marketing strategies may be useful

Social marketing Using product-marketing strategies to promote ideas like health and conservation Influencing a target audience to voluntarily accept, reject, or modify an action For the benefit of individuals, groups, or society as a whole

Common examples Drunk driving Drug usage HIV/AIDS Smoking Child immunization

Engine idling Idling cars at bus stops and schools create air pollution Face-to-face conversations on-site provided information cards and asked people to participate Put a sticker on your window Turn your engine off

Clean marina Tank clean-out procedures Oil recycling facilities Garbage pickup Flags indicate participating marinas; they get more business

UF water quality Stream cleanup Car maintenance Street drains Lawn care Stickers on storm-water drains

Be Bear Aware Increasing knowledge and awareness Changing behavior  Storing and putting out trash for pickup Garbage cans  Storing pet food  Fencing

What helps you change a behavior?

If others do it too? If you have enough information? If someone asks you to? If you know your effort will be effective? If you care about it? Which factors are more important and does that change with the behavior?

Theory of Planned Behavior

What you know about the behavior and its consequences What other people think about the behavior Whether you can do the behavior How you feel about the behavior and its consequences How much you care about what others think about behavior Whether your actions will make a difference BeliefsAttitudes

So what matters? What people know about behavior & consequences How they feel about behavior & consequences What “important others” think about the behavior and how much they matter Perceptions of whether I can do it, and do it well enough Information Opinion Leaders Stories Models Prompts Interaction with Others

The process Select behavior and audience Understand barriers and attitudes Develop messages and reduce barriers Pilot test messages Implement and monitor With community participation

Understand the barriers Find out what barriers prevent the behavior  misconception?  resources? Work to overcome them  Provide presentations, fact sheets, or news articles to change misconceptions  Provide tool exchange to provide resources

The Tools Poster from Naperville High School Breaking Free Program

Incentives can be effective Monetary incentives  Help if the financial burden is large, particularly for one investment  Are usually unsustainable Incentives like recognition, status, award  Help raise awareness and build community support Kentucky’s Spring Cleanup Week includes a poster contest for schools

Use all the good reasons One reason to change a behavior is not better than others Different people care about different reasons Plant native plants: Good for hummingbirds, good for water quality, good for ecosystem, good for family, pretty to look at …

Use community leaders Find the leaders Work with them to understand the barriers and identify likely solutions Ask them to help convey the information or solutions Community leaders may convey your message better than you can

Create social learning People are social organisms; we learn from others Being part of a community is important Build a community norm for change Design programs that have workshops, demonstrations, festivals, work parties

Modeling is effective Models help people  Know that others are doing the behavior  See how the behavior could be done  Realize the results Use demonstration areas, testimonials, case studies, and examples to model new ideas

Provide a prompt If people understand the issue and want to make a change, but just forget Provide a short phrase at the point where they need the reminder  Stickers  Signs  Magnets

Ask for commitment People who make a commitment to take an action are more likely to do so. They need to understand why and agree that it is worth doing. Provide information and then ask for their participation!

Exercise 4.10: Understanding Social Marketing

Exercise 4.10 Directions In small groups, use the information on your cards to complete the task Do not show your card to anyone Design a campaign to achieve one of these goals

Exercise 4.10 Discussion Questions Which tool is best suited for which goal? Why? What other variables might be needed to decide which tool is best? How did leadership develop in your group? How effective were your communication skills?

Summary Behavior and communication theories can be used effectively in community campaigns to change conservation behavior  Engage community leaders  Use prompts, modeling, commitment, incentives, and other tools  Monitor results and provide feedback

Credits Slide 1: Worldways social marketing Slide 4: Stan Kirkland, FWCC Slide 7: Kotler, Roberto, and Lee Social marketing: Improving the quality of life. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage Publications. Slide 8: AIDS Project Los Angeles Slide 9: Environment Canada Slide 10: Florida DEP Slide 11, 18, 22, 25: Martha Monroe Slide 12: Be Bear Aware Campaigns (Nat’l and FL) Slide 15: Icek Ajzen, Univ of Massachusetts Slide 24: Meridian Group International Slide 26: Prince Edwards Island Campaign