Getting Your Feet Wet with Social Marketing

Jack Wilbur,

Social Marketing Consultant

Utah Department of Agriculture and Food

Simple Steps to Success using Social Marketing

Social Marketing Defined

• Social Marketing is an integrated marketing communication approach to promoting behavior change that benefits individuals or society.

Integrated Marketing communication

• Combine communication approaches

Advertising

Public Relations

Media relations

Newsletters

Existing mediums

Water bill stuffers, point of sale, etc.

Community-based approaches

Speeches

School presentations

Displays

Public meetings

Behavior Change Process

Confirmation

KnowledgeKnowledge

Persuasion

Decision

Implementation

Pre-contemplationPre-contemplation

ContemplationContemplation

PreparationPreparation

ActionAction

Maintenance

Maintenance

Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations

Prochaska, Stages of Change Model

IT’S ALL ABOUT BEHAVIOR CHANGE

• Eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day.

• Buckle your seat belts.

• Pick up after your pet.

• Mow high and let it lie.

• Plant native plants.

• Turn off water while brushing your teeth.

• Water in the early morning or late evening.

• Install low flow shower heads.

Commercial Marketing concepts

• The 4 P’s

Product

Price

Place

Promotion

• Social Marketing “Sells” Positive Behaviors

Why Social Marketing is Harder

We ask people to . . . .

• Be uncomfortable

• Risk rejection

• Reduce pleasure

• Give up looking good

• Be embarrassed

• Go out of their way

• Spend more time

• Spend more money

The Social Marketing Process Outlined in Four phases.

8

Social Marketing Process

• Define the issue and the actions

Behavioral (what you want people to do)

Structural (what sponsors need to do)

Audience

• How can you group, or segment your audiences? Demographics

Interests

Affiliations

audience research

• Who do you target First? Innovators

Change agents

Opinion Leaders

Campaign

• Test Messages and Concepts

• Use and Integrate Marketing Approach (Media Mix)

Mass media

Community based approaches

Earned media (news media)

Evaluate

• What?

Process

Outputs

Outcomes

• Measures

Did people receive the message?

Did they learn something?

Did they take action?

Did the actions spread (diffuse)?

Ways to Make Social Marketing a little easier

• Give people something simple to do

• Make it worth their while

What’s in it for me? (Benefits)

Ways to Make Social Marketing a little easier

• Use your audience research to target your outreach and media efforts

Use Vivid Communication

• Humor

• Shock

• Colors

• Emotional

• In August 2001, the Governor called together major water wholesalers to work towards a 25 percent reduction in per capita water use for the state of Utah. The Governor pointed out that as the second-driest state, Utah should be a model for water conservation.

• The team chose to build on Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District’s Slow the Flow campaign.

Slow the Flow Campaign

• Media mix

School presentations

Demonstration gardens

Utility bill stuffers

Print ads

Radio

Television

News coverage

Slow the Flow Campaign

• Several partners

Leverage money

Staff time

Volunteer time

• Results

25 percent decrease in water use in three years Despite increased population over the same time

Drought was a mitigating factor

Thank You!

Jack Wilbur

(801) 538-7098

jackwilbur@utah.gov

Free Electronic Publication!:

Utah Department of Agriculture and Food Website

http://www.ag.utah.gov/conservation/GettingYourFeetWet1.pdf

Or

www.ag.utah.gov

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