Applying Marketing to Enhance Social Programs: The Asian Experience

Shiraz Latiff

Chartered Marketer, FCIM (UK) MBA, Dip. M (UK) Trustee, The Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK

Director, CIM Holdings, UK Founder/CEO, Hummingbird International, Sri Lanka

Hummingbird International

Connecting People with Strategy

Sri Lanka – The Pearl of Asia

Full name: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Population: 21.0 million (UN, 2011) Capital: Colombo (commercial), Sri Jayawardenepura (administrative) Largest city: Colombo Area: 65,610 sq km (25,332 sq miles) Major languages: Sinhala, Tamil, English Major religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity Life expectancy: 72 years (men), 78 years (women) (UN) Main exports: Clothing and textiles, tea, gems, rubber, coconuts GNI per capita: US $2,580 (World Bank, 2011)

The Asian Experience of Social Marketing

‘Seeni Meanie’

Reduce Sugar

Happy Life

Educate Youth

Prevent Thalassemia

Thalassemia Free Sri Lanka

‘Seeni Meanie’ • A program is to create awareness amongst children and adolescents on

adopting a healthy lifestyle to prevent Diabetes.

‘Happy Life’ • A Sexual & Reproductive Health Education program targeted towards

youth with the usage of technology and the internet. ‘Thalassemia Free Sri Lanka’ • Program uses the conventional marketing communication channels and

the Registrar of Marriages network to educate the youth on the options available for prevention of the sickness

Three Successful Social Marketing Programs in Sri Lanka

Change In-take of Sugar to Prevent Diabetes

Global Footprint of Diabetes

Sri Lankan Prevalence & Mortality

Diabetes Prevention Programs

‘Seeni Meanie’

F’Poon

F’poon Program

Current Status

• All Major Restaurants have adopted F’poon at their own cost in Colombo, Kandy, and Galle

• Discussions underway by the SLDA and a funding agency to roll this out amongst medium and low end tea boutiques at no cost island-wide

• Targeting coverage of all 22 Districts by 2015

‘Seeni Meanie’ Program

Programs

• Education and Awareness program for school children

Objective

• Educate and increase awareness amongst schoolchildren on Diabetes and how to prevent through healthy lifestyles

• Empower youth at a crucial stage in life to take a stand and establish a culture that encourages a healthy lifestyle from a young age

Target Audience

• 1 Million students aged 15-20 years, Teachers, Parents and General Public

Program Outline

• 129 schools island-wide with each Rotary Club mentoring at least two schools

• Schools empowered to create their own awareness programs on Diabetes and its Prevention

• Guidance by sponsoring Rotary Clubs and Advertising Agency with Action Kits

• School teams create and conduct innovative and successful awareness campaigns running for three years

• Target audience are peers, family and community

• Message to community about the dangers of leading an unhealthy lifestyle.

• Progress reports submitted by the Rotary Clubs every six months

• Annual survey to determine success of increase of awareness

The Action Kit

Campaign Literature, Letters, Campaign Proposal Sheets, Pre and Post Evaluation Questionnaires and Sticker Sheets

CD containing soft copy of Campaign Literature and Digital Portfolio

A glimpse inside the

Seeni Meanie Handbook

Progress

Street Promotions

Intra-School Art Exhibitions

Progress

Intra-School Drama Competitions

Awareness & Education Seminars

Progress

• Schools island-wide with their mentoring Rotary Clubs have reported the current progress as of first six months ending March 31, 2013

• Minimum direct audience of 100,000 within the schools in first phase

• Next Phase of Schools rolled out in April

• Awareness level improvement to be measured after first year

Change Adolescent Behavior on Sexual Reproductive Health

Happy Life

Educate Youth

Why ‘Happy Life’

• Socio-cultural norms view the discussion of sex/sexuality as taboo. • Internet & Social Media exposes youth to various misleading

information on SRH • Isolation and confusion as too embarrassed to discuss SRH issues

within family, friends, teachers, • Issues of youth and unmarried addressed by the mainstream health

system. • To increase access to reliable SRH information to underserved social

groups in a secure space. • Using ICT as a platform with tri-lingual space for dialogue &

dissemination of information and counseling • High levels of mobile penetration, increasing ICT literacy (estimated

at 35%) in the country and web access/PC penetration throughout the island.

‘Happy Life’ Program

Four-Pronged Education System

Interactive Voice Response System (IVR)

The user can dial in through the IVR to connect to the call center for personalized information/ counseling by trained doctors and counselors or a menu of standard information areas

SMS Gateway

An SMS can be sent to a predefined code to receive information on a particular subject matter or send a specific question via SMS to the support center and receive required counseling or medical help

Web Portal

Provides a detailed and simplified knowledge on Sexual and Reproductive Health through the through the links on the website www.happylife.lk

Web Chat

Online chat rooms/user groups and voice/text based messaging services to facilitate customized professional/medical support to users.

A web forum for individuals to come together with medical professionals to discuss various issues with tri-lingual mail application for universal accessibility .

Web Portal

www.happylife.lk

Web Portal cont .....

Other Services

Other Services….

Observation/Progress

• Average 100 calls Daily to the Call Center

• >200 SMS received on SRH related issues

• >100 visitors to the web portal daily

• A team of trained and certified Doctors & counselors (volunteer & paid) service the enquiries

Observations/Progress

• >50% issues related to sexual problems and family planning

• 22.3% of married couples use the ECP as the method of contraception

• 50% of unmarried couples were interested in problems related to sex

• >50% of users are rural youth

Thalassemia Free Sri Lanka through Education

What is Thalassemia

• Thalassemia are forms of inherited autosomal recessive blood disorders.

• The disease is caused by the weakening and destruction of red blood cells.

• People with thalassemia make less hemoglobin and fewer circulating red blood cells than normal, which results in mild or severe anemia

• Thalassemia can cause significant complications, including pneumonia, iron overload, bone deformities and cardiovascular illness.

Facts about Thalassemia in Sri Lanka

• Most common genetic disease in SL with early childhood death

• A child with Thalassemia born every four days in Sri Lanka

• Children with Thalassemia are subjected to: – Average 200 hours of needle pain

– 54 pints of blood transfusion per annum

– Treatment cost of Rs. 800,000 per patient per year

• Can be 100% prevented through awareness.

Average Age of Prevalence

• Global Average Age: 12.6 (SD 5.9) Years

• Beta Thalassemia

– Male 11.9 (SD 3.8) Years

– Female 11.4 (SD 4.8 Years

• HbE/Beta Thalassemia

– Male 15.3 (SD 6.0) Years

– Female 16.1 (SD 5.6) Years

Thalassemia Free Sri Lanka

Problem

• High Mortality Rate of Children due to Thalassemia

• Wrong blood type partner or silent carrier at marriage

Objective

• To educate adolescents on checking their Thalassemia status

• Awareness of Marital partner’s Thalassemia status

• Total Elimination of disease by 2020 by preventive methods

Program

• Education on effects and prevention

• Awareness of available support and cure

• Support system to manage disease

Thalassemia Prevention

• Teenage screening

• Promoting safe marriages

• Education & Awareness – Awareness Programs

– Campaigns (ATL/BTL)

– Professional Network partnering: • Thalassemia Center

• Registrars of Marriage

• Rotary International

Teenage Screening

• Screening Protocol for >15-Year Olds

– Green card for healthy individuals

– Pink card & counseling for confirmed carriers

– Iron therapy for confirmed carriers through Thalassemia Center

– Counseling & Support program through island-wide centers

– Screening points at Marriage Registrar Offices and Thalassemia Centers island-wide

Safe Marriage

• Counseling and advice at the point of marriage registration

• Advice on Thalassemia Horoscope

• Options for free screening and follow up treatment & care

Safe Marriage Horoscope

Education & Awareness

Fund Raising Projects

Village-wide Seminars

Schools Awareness & Blood Donation Programs

TV Commercials

Live TV Discussions

Video Documentary

Professional Channels

Registrar of Marriages • Marriage

Counseling • Screening

Referral • Support

Referral • Awareness

Support

Thalassemia Centers for Treating • Teenage Screening • Medication • Awareness Support • Counseling

Rotary Sponsored Programs • Awareness • Blood Donation

Summary

• All programs use a unique channel to generate CHANGE in behavior of the target group

– Students (Parallel

– Technology (ICT)

– Civil Service (Registrar of Marriages)

• Programs are still on-going with periodic reviews for progress and improvement

Thank You

Q&A Shiraz Latiff

Mobile: +94-77-736-1177, +44-77-6094-8759 Email: shiraz@hummingbirdinternational.org

Linkedin: shirazlatiff Twitter: @shirazl