Social Marketing - Recently Updated Pages

Having HP2020 Objectives for Social Marketing

Anonymous — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:09:25 CDT

Several of us have been working many months to have 1 or more objectives related to social marketing in the Healthy People 2020 - the US national health objectives for the next decade. With them, social marketing becomes part of a touchstone document for national policy related to health promotion and disease prevention. Without one, we watch the band go by - for example, one for Risk Communication has already received preliminary approval (see the complete list of officially proposed HP2020 Health Communication and Health IT objectives here). Our difficulties in getting a social marketing objective accepted are (1) we are not getting the type of support from stakeholders like you to make an impact on the Federal Interagency Work Group that is vetting HP2020 objectives, and (2) we need to have a funded mechanism - or commitment to do so - to evaluate progress towards the objective. The objectives we are proposing are:

Increase the number of programs that use evidence-based social marketing for health promotion and disease prevention.
a. Increase undergraduate/graduate training in schools of public health
b. Increase continuing education for public health practitioners
c. Increase evidence-based research in prevention research centers and schools of public health, business and other related disciplines.

We need to do 2 things:
1. Send in public comments as individuals AND organizations supporting the inclusion of social marketing objectives (see below). The public comment period opens on October 30th, 2009.
2. As importantly, we need to demonstrate commitment by one or more organizations to collect the data needed to document progress towards the objectives as well.

***Here's what we need you to do: ***

(1) Please write a letter supporting a new objective for social marketing in HP2020. If possible, tell them how you or your organization has used social marketing in your work (for example, we use social marketing extensively in our planning of chronic disease prevention programs, understanding our audiences for HIV prevention, establishing priorities for resource allocations). Be sure to include the language of the objective above (in bold).
(2) Submit your letter through the official comment website: http://www.healthypeople.gov/hp2020/comments/ after 30 October 2009. Only comments submitted through this website will become part of the official record and considered by the Healthy People work groups.
(3) Make a note at the end of this page to help us monitor the response.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Added 30 October 2009 - Specific Directions for Using the Public Comment Form

Several people mentioned having difficulty submitting a comment about the social marketing in HP2020. Here’s some advice from my several tries at doing it.

First, I have already submitted a proposed OBJECTIVE for social marketing; so you only need to submit a COMMENT on a topic area. Here’s how…..

Go to http://www.healthypeople.gov/hp2020/Comments/

Log In (if you already haven’t)

On the Proposed Healthy People 2020 Objectives—List for Public Comment; go down the list and click on Health Communication and Health IT

On the near top of the next page, click on the “Submit a Topic Area Comment” (Do NOT go down the page and click on “Propose a New Objective”) unless you intend to type in a totally new objective….

That will take you to the page where you can type (or paste) a comment about our proposed objective. (You will see comments already posted there.)

Remember to hit “SUBMIT” to send in your comment.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Here is the complete document we are working from -
To: Director, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

From:
R. Craig Lefebvre, PhD, George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services
Robert J. Marshall PhD, Rhode Island Department of Health

Date: October 14, 2009 (DRAFT)

Re: Proposed New Objective for Healthy People 2020

Proposed New Healthy People 2020 Objective
Increase the number of programs that use evidence-based social marketing for health promotion and disease prevention.
a. Increase undergraduate/graduate training in schools of public health
b. Increase continuing education for public health practitioners
c. Increase evidence-based research in prevention research centers and schools of public health, business and other related disciplines.

Justification for New Objective
Public health research shows that about one-half of the leading causes of deaths in the US are related to underlying voluntary risk behaviors, such as tobacco use, poor diet, lack of physical activity, drug and alcohol use, intentional injury (firearms), risky sexual behavior and failure to use seatbelts and other safety devices (McGinnis and Foege, 1993; Mokdad et.al. 2004), In addition, the number of these “preventable” deaths due to poor diet and lack of physical activity alone increased by about one-third from 1990 to 2000.

Success in reversing some of these trends, and improving the Nation’s health, requires a transformative strategy that optimizes the health of the entire population by influencing behaviors that lead to preventable conditions responsible for a majority of premature deaths. Some of the most important preventable risks for poor health involve consumer wants and needs - voluntary behaviors rooted in ignorance, deliberate personal preference, convenience, etc. – that occur within the larger contexts of economic forces, changes in technology, peer and social network influences and social and cultural trends that confront the individual with often arbitrary and conflicting choices. For those interested in promoting population health, the interaction of these multiple influences on consumer behavior creates a difficult dilemma of drawing a line of intervention that crosses between individual freedom of choice and the iron hand of public policy. Fortunately the social marketing approach provides many options for promoting population health by influencing individual behaviors using strategies based on consumer choice.

The use of marketing principles and practices in the private sector provides one of the most compelling demonstrations of solving the core business problem of achieving organizational success (improving public health in this instance) through satisfying consumer wants and needs. Marketing goes beyond advertising and sales. When applied as intended, it becomes a systematic way for management to structure its relationships with consumers and stakeholders from the products and experiences it offers, the structure of the incentives and costs associated with them, and their accessibility to various population groups (segments), to how they are promoted in the marketplace with an ever expanding palette of communication tools. This same marketing management approach can be applied to the analysis, planning, implementation and sustainability of public health programs aimed at promoting healthy behaviors.

Definitions of social marketing evolved over the more than three decades since its first description by Kotler & Zaltman (1971). One of the more commonly used definitions says

Social marketing is a process that applies marketing principles and techniques to create, communicate, and deliver value in order to influence target audience behaviors that benefit society (public health, safety, the environment and communities) as well as the target audience (Kotler, Lee & Rothschild, 2007).

More to the point: Social Marketing is a systematic approach to changing behavior that offers the tools to translate theory into practice and to scale up proven intervention approaches. By using a systematic process the public health practitioner will be able to: select an appropriate priority audience, understand the determinants of their current behavior, establish realistic objectives, develop an integrated strategy to facilitate the adoption of healthier behaviors (or maintain current ones) and measure the degree of successful performance. Indeed, when we examine some of the more well-known and successful public health programs over the past three decades, the principles of social marketing are being applied by the US Agency for International Development, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and in public and professional education programs of the National Institutes of Health to name just a few.

A review of the literature on the effectiveness of social marketing by the UK Department of Health and the National Consumer Council and the National Health Service (NCC, 2006) concluded that:

a. When the core concepts and principles of social marketing are applied systematically they can significantly improve the impact and effectiveness of work, whether at local, national or international level.

a. Social marketing has potential to support achievement of specific behavioral goals across a diverse range of issues and topics. While social marketing has a developing history in the health sector, it is also increasingly being used in other areas such as sustainability and community safety.

b. Social marketing can help to achieve behavioral goals and directly support service development and redesign by ensuring that they respond to, and meet the needs of, their intended audiences or consumers.

Potential Data Source
We propose that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention support the development of a data source (or sources) that will provide a national sample of programs that use evidence-based social marketing for health promotion and disease prevention that can be evaluated for their use of best practices. A similar mechanism, such as through existing Cooperative Agreements or Prevention Research Centers, should be established to measure progress on the training and education components. These resources will support national organizations such as the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers (ASTHO), Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH), Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE), National Public Health Information Coalition (NPHIC) and others who propose a program establishing a sampling frame for a systematic selection of programs to be evaluated. We propose a baseline survey(s) to be completed by the end of FY2011 with three additional biennial surveys for monitoring and feedback to stakeholders throughout the decade.

Anticipated Number of Data Points During the Decade
A total of four data points are proposed for each objective.

Proposed Target
A 50% increase above baseline level for the primary objective and each subobjective.

Health Determinant Identification
Indicate the relevant health determinant(s) for which the proposed objective applies:
___ Physical Environment _x__ Social Environment _x__ Individual Behavior
___ Biology and Genetics _X__Health Services

Proposed 2020 Topic Area Identification
See listings below to indicate the relevant cross-cutting focus area(s), and/or sub area, for which the proposed objective applies (not attached here).

Organizational Support
The decisions above are supported by a large group of social marketing practitioners in public health represented by a workgroup designated by participants at the 2009 National Conference on Social Marketing in Public Health. This group also received support from the agencies listed below. Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

Association of State and Territorial Health Officers (ASTHO)
Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE)
National Public Health Information Coalition (NPHIC)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

ACTION:
1. Go the Public Comment website (see above), log in and make your comment supporting its inclusion - and why if you like - in Healthy People 2020.
2. Have your organization, health agency or firm Log In and comment for organizational support as well, perhaps adding ways in which social marketing has been or is being used to improve public health in your area.
3. Note on this page - after this entry under "what we have done" - what you have accomplished. You will need to scroll back to the top of the page, click 'Easy Edit' and then scroll back here to make your entry. Click 'Save' when done and 'Save' again when the smaller 'Edit Note' box appears.

And thanks for your help.

What We have Done - our thanks to those who have helped and those yet to.

Letter of support from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
Letter of support from the National Public Health Information Coalition.
Letter of support from the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors.
Letter of support from the Brown University Public Health Program.

Health Communication and HIT Objectives for HP2020

rcraiglefebvre — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:49:10 CDT

These are the officially recommended objectives as of October 30, 2009.

Objectives Retained as is from Healthy People 2010
HC/HIT HP2020-1: Increase the proportion of persons who report that their health care providers have satisfactory communication skills.

Increase the proportion of persons who report that their healthcare provider always listened carefully to them.
Increase the proportion of persons who report that their healthcare provider always explained things so they could understand them.
Increase the proportion of persons who report that their healthcare provider always showed respect for what they had to say.
Increase the proportion of persons who report that their healthcare provider always spent enough time with them.

Data Source: Medical Expenditure Survey (MEPS), AHRQ.

Action: Retained HP2010 objective 11-6

Objectives Retained but Modified from Healthy People 2010
HC/HIT HP2020-2: (Developmental) Increase individuals’ access to the internet.

Potential Data Source: To be determined.

Action: Retain but modified Healthy People 2010 objective 11-1

HC/HIT HP2020-3: (Developmental) Improve the health literacy of the population.

Potential Data Source: To be determined.

Action: Retain but modified Healthy People 2010 objective 11-2

HC/HIT HP2020-4: Increase the proportion of quality, health-related Web sites.

Increase the proportion of health-related Web sites that meet three or more evaluation criteria, disclosing information that can be used to assess information reliability.

Increase the proportion of health-related Web sites that follow established usability principles.

Data Source: Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion survey, HHS.

Action: Retain but modified Healthy People 2010 objective 11-4.

HC/HIT HP2020-5: (Developmental) Increase the proportion of online health information seekers who report easily accessing health information.

Potential Data Source: Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), NIH, NCI.

Action: Retain but modified Healthy People 2010 objective 11-4c.

Objectives New to Healthy People 2020

HC/HIT HP2020-6: (Developmental) Increase the proportion of persons who report that their healthcare providers always involved them in decisions about their healthcare as much as they wanted.

Potential Data Source: Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), NIH, NCI.

Action: New to Healthy People 2020

HC/HIT HP2020-7: (Developmental) Increase the proportion of persons who use electronic personal health management tools.

Increase the proportion of persons who use the Internet to keep track of personal health information, such as care received, test results, or upcoming medical appointments.
Increase the proportion of persons who use the Internet to communicate with their provider.

Potential Data Source: Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), NIH, NCI.

Action: New to Healthy People 2020

HC/HIT HP2020-8: (Developmental) Increase the proportion of patients whose doctor recommends personalized health information resources to help them manage their health.

Potential Data Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project, PEW.

Action: New to Healthy People 2020

HC/HIT HP2020-9: (Developmental) Increase the proportion of adults who report having social support.

Potential Data Source: Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), NIH, NCI.

Action: New to Healthy People 2020

HC/HIT HP2020-10: (Developmental) Increase the proportion of crisis and emergency risk messages, intended to protect the public’s health that demonstrate the use of best practices.

Potential Data Source: To be determined.

Action: New to Healthy People 2020

HC/HIT HP2020-11: (Developmental) Increase the proportion of providers who use health information technology to improve individual and population health.

Potential Data Source: To be determined.

Action: New to Healthy People 2020

HC/HIT HP2020-12: (Developmental) Increase the proportion of providers and governmental health agencies that use advanced connectivity to optimize electronic health information exchange to improve individual and population health.

Potential Data Source: To be determined.

Action: New to Healthy People 2020

Objectives Archived from Healthy People 2010
HP 2010 Objective 11-3: Increase the proportion of health communication activities that include research and evaluation.

a. Increase the proportion of HHS-sponsored health communication campaigns that include formative evaluation.
b. Increase the proportion of HHS-sponsored health communication campaigns that include process evaluation.
c. Increase the proportion of HHS-sponsored health communication campaigns that include outcome evaluation.

HP2010 Data Source: Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion survey, HHS

Action: Archived due to target being met.

HP2010 Objective 11-5: Increase the number of centers for excellence that seek to advance the research and practice of health communication.

HP2010 Data Source: Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), NIH, NCI

Action: Archived due to target being met.

Home

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:56:17 CDT

Welcome to the Social Marketing Wiki!

Audiences for this site include undergraduate and graduate students in various academic settings, program staff and managers, community leaders and health workers, program planners and evaluators, directors of corporate social responsibility initiatives, social entrepreneurs and policy-makers.

Advanced methods and training materials are also important to include here as well. The site is staffed by a range of social marketing practitioners, commentators and academics from around the globe.

As an open resource any one can contribute materials and links they find useful in presenting social marketing to any one of a number of audiences in a diversity of contexts - what educators use in classrooms, trainers use in workshops, consultants use with clients, change agents use with members of the community and even (maybe especially) how you explain what you do to your parents.

July 2008: Note that a series of new pages have been added to create a conversation and resource space for those interested in the development of a social marketing organization. Quick link.

August 2008: A new page for job announcements has been created and is active. Quick link.

Broad areas of content on the site include

Please see Our Terms of Use before using this site.

Twitter Social Marketing Handles

Anonymous — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:08:45 CDT

Are you a social marketer and on Twitter? Please add your handle here!

Definition of Social Marketing (not to be confused with "Social Media Marketing"): "Social marketingis the systematic application ofmarketingalong with other concepts and techniques to achieve specific behavioral goals for a social good" - Wikipedia.

Nedra Weinreich @nedra
Craig Lefebvre @chiefmaven
Stephen Dann @stephendann
Alexandra Rampy @socialbttrfly
Mike Newtown Ward @sm1guru
Andre Blackman @mindofandre
Stephan Dahl @socMKT
Larissa Fair @LYF108
Steve Lunceford @dslunceford
Mike Kujawski @mikekujawski
Jeff Green @jeff_green and @upromise

Shashi Bellamkonda @shashib @netsolcares

Jason Eano @jasoneano & @typicalcolectiv
L. Suzanne Suggs @ssuggs

Justin Williams @jnwilliams76
Erica Holt @ericaholt
Nicholas Goodwin @nickgoodwin
University of Michigan's Social Marketing Club @uofsocmkt

The (RED) Campaign: Social Marketing Applied to Donor Behavior

Anonymous — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 08:55:31 CDT

When Bono and Bobby Shriver, Chair of Debt AIDS Trade Africa (DATA) teamed up in 2006 to launch the (RED) campaign, many doubted whether they could have much impact. To date they have raised $25 million for HIV/Aids treatment and prevention in Africa through the ,,Global Fund, a United Nations led HIV/Aids program. How did they do it? The concept is quite simple. Companies sign up to supply Product (RED) merchandise, consumers purchase these brands instead of other brands, money from the sale is donated to the (RED) campaign, and this money is passed onto African governments to purchase HIV/Aids treatment and prevention services for at risk or infected populations. It’s one thing for a company to become a sponsor, but how do you convince the public to buy a product that is helping people with problems that are so far removed from their own lives? Social marketing played a big role in this process. Faced with donor fatigue from governments in the West and a generally apathetic audience, Bono and Shriver set out to tackle the problem from the top down – by changing “donor behavior”. Africa is far away from most people’s hearts and minds. According to research conducted by Kennedy & Radley in the U.K. on attitudes to charitable giving, this is one of the key barriers to someone making the decision to donate. Borrowing from Fishbein’s the Theory of Reasoned Action, the authors conclude that the level of people’s charity depends on their personal experience with an issue and the strength of their integration into social groups – if both are strong the pull to “do the right thing” and not deviate from social norms will be the key behavioral determinants. The (RED) campaign is bringing Africa closer to people’s hearts and minds and is therefore fulfilling the “personal experience” quotient in the donor behavioral change initiative. They are also creating community through the “joinred.com” website – which makes it cool to give. The site’s main product is belonging. Here people can become (RED) members, view and buy the latest (RED) products, contribute to the (RED) blog, and join (RED) events live or on-line. Team (RED) has even added its own unique language, around the notion of “red” – as a member you can qualify for cards that elevate you to the status of “Ado(red)”, “Admi(red) or “Treasu(red)”. Who wouldn’t want to belong to a movement that features the world’s most powerful figures in entertainment, politics, sports, and literature? Product (RED) may have moved one step closer to answering this along with the “why and how” of donor behavior.

An Overview of Prochaska and DiClemente's Transtheoretical Model

Anonymous — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:30:18 CDT

Alan Andreasen (1995) suggests that the most useful model for social marketing applications is the stage conceptualization model of behavior change developed by Prochaska and DiClemente. These scholars developed the Transtheoretical Model, which construes change as a process involving progress through a series of five stages and includes a series of independent variables, called the Processes of Change, to establish how change occurs and a series of outcome measures to determine when change occurs, including the Decisional Balance, Self-Efficacy and Temptation scales.

The stage construct represents ordered categories along a continuum of motivation readiness to change a problem behavior. The five stages are precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and confirmation or maintenance. In the precontemplation stage consumers feel that the behavior is not appropriate for them at this certain point. In the contemplation stage consumers think about and evaluate the recommended behavior. In the preparation stage consumers have decided to act and are attempting to put in place whatever is needed to carry out the behavior. In the action stage consumers are doing the behavior for the first time, and finally in the confirmation stage consumers are committed to the behavior and have no intention to return to the earlier behavior.

Transitions between the stages of change are effected by a set of independent variables known as the Processes of Change, which are ten cognitive and behavior activities that facilitate change. The first five are classified as experiential processes and are used for early stage transitions; they are consciousness raising, dramatic relief (emotional arousal), environmental reevaluation, social liberation, and self-reevaluation. The last five are behavioral processes and are used for later stage transitions; they are stimulus control, helping relationship (supporting), counter conditioning (substituting), reinforcement management (rewarding), and self-liberation (committing).

The model also incorporates a series of intervening or outcome variables to determine when change occurs. These include the Decisional Balance scale, which reflects the consumer’s relative weighing of the pros and cons of change, the Self-efficacy construct, which represents a consumer’s confidence in their ability to change across problem situations without relapsing to their unhealthy or high-risk habit, and the Temptation scale, which reflects the intensity of urges to engage in a specific behavior when in the midst of difficult situations.

Andreasen, A.R. (1995). Marketing social change: Changing behavior to promote health, social development, and the environment. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Social Marketing in Action: Campaigns from around the World

rcraiglefebvre — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 05:49:34 CDT

This page is a collection of links to active social marketing projects, campaigns and key websites highlight the practice of social marketing.

Australia

For decades, speeding has been the biggest road safety problem in New South Wales and young male drivers are significantly over represented in speeding related crashes. This is despite the introduction of new technology to help detect and penalise speeding drivers, targeted legislation, improved vehicle safety features and education campaigns to ensure drivers are aware of and understand the dangers of speeding.
In 2007 the RTA adopted a new approach to make contact with a traditionally difficult to reach target audience (young men) with an anti speeding message that would have an impact on their attitudes, beliefs and motivate behaviour change. The ‘Pinkie’ campaign ‘Speeding. No one thinks big of you’ has not only broken through the youth barrier but has been embraced by popular youth culture. Amazingly the campaign has generated worldwide interest, confirming that young male speeding drivers are a global problem and that the campaign has adopted a unique approach. The campaign has won industry awards and gained unparalleled media exposure but most importantly it has combined with other anti speeding initiatives to help significantly reduce speeding related fatalities in NSW. The campaign was extensively researched during its development and subsequent campaign tracking confirms the methodology was on target. The Pinkie campaign has introduced a new paradigm into road safety marketing in Australia.

Project Overview.
2009 Effie Award Submission - background, research and product shots.
Article in Whiteboard - social research newsletter

United Kingdom
National Social Marketing Centre: The Blair Government commissioned a major independent study into the practice, use and implementation of social marketing in the UK. This site is the nexus point for the National Social Marketing Centre, and contains a wealth of information, reports, and a very comprehensive, practitioner orientated definition of the social marketing framework, and a comprehensive list of the resources developed by the NSMC.

United States
Affinity, a research firm, tests and reports upon thousands of print ads, in their VISTA series of reports. They measure total recall, brand association, and action taken measures.
There is a brief article on this service in the September 2006 issue of A Goodman's Free Range Thinking

Canada

Research for International Tobacco Control (RITC) is a program of IDRC that funds multidisciplinary tobacco control research projects in developing countries. RITC's mission is to create a strong research, funding and knowledge base for the development of effective tobacco control policies and programs that will minimize the threat of tobacco production and consumption to health and human development in developing countries. The site includes a publications library, including papers on "Social Marketing Implications for Tobacco Control Policy" and "Application of the Conversion Model to Analysis of the Determinants of Black South African Women's Smoking Lifestyles"

product marketing

Anonymous — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:33:06 CDT

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

AutoShare

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:47:53 CDT

Autoshare, a car sharing company in Toronto, provides individuals with the freedom of driving without the hassles and high costs associated with owning a car. The company began in October of 1998, with 16 members sharing the use of 3 cars, and had grown to over 10,000 members and 200+ cars by July 2009. Case study

Tobacco and Smoking

Anonymous — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:00:38 CDT

well tobacco is very good for the brain and i can see why ppl get addicted to the stuff they are drugs
useful drugs tho

well im a smoker and this is a smokers opinion u dont like it go to hell

nicotine is an insecticide and thats a good thing because it keeps bugs away lol :p

Social Marketing Courses

Anonymous — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:16:24 CDT

The linked pages are for course descriptions that either focus on social marketing exclusively or include social marketing as a major component of the content. Links at this time are for Undergraduate and Graduate courses sponsored by academic institutions. If links are not available, please post the entire course description on this page with an (optional) link to a source for more information about it.

Syllabi, resources and tools that may be used in these courses are found elsewhere on the wiki.

There are still places avaliable for Atlas Communication & Media's Introduction, Insight & Case Study Analysis running next week in Scotland.
18 - 19 June 2009, Edinburgh

Social marketing is about changing people’s behaviour for the wider social good. It’s about social change.

What is social marketing? How and where can you use it? How do you get started?

The workshop, with a mix of practical and theoretical compo¬nents will cover: Day 1
Introduction and overview to social marketing
Understanding behaviour and change
The 5Ps of social marketing plus more...
Insight, exchange and competition
Successful social marketing case-studies
Developing a social marketing toolbox

Day 2
Developing a social marketing plan
Total process planning model
Gathering insight
Planning your intervention
Getting implementation right

New attendees can attend Day 1 only and previous attendees can attend Day 2 only.

Case Studies
To deepen understanding of the key components we undertake in-depth case study analysis of a selection of successful social marketing campaigns. Examples include the Swiss based Aids campaign (the long¬est running and one of the most successful social marketing campaigns in the world) and Travel Smart (originally developed in Western Australia with the aim of increasing public transport usage). We also review an international selection of television adverts.

Who are the workshops for?
People who are involved in creating, managing or implement¬ing behaviour or social change programs.

Trainer
Janet MacDonald has more than 15 years international communi¬cation experience. Her communication agency, Atlas, focuses on projects which incorporate behaviour change and social market¬ing and her experience encompasses environmental and public/population health organisations and projects. Atlas is a strategic partner of the National Social Marketing Centre and Janet sits on their training forum. Location: CBC House,Edinburgh
Dates: 18-19 June 2009
Cost: £225 per day ( £195 for public sector, £175 not for profits, charitable status required)
£420 both days ( £365 for public sector, £330 not for profits, chari¬table status required)
Price per day including refreshments and lunch.

A detailed work¬book containing course information, planning models and links for further learning is also provided.

Attendees are also eligible for reduced consulting fees should they wish to obtain one-to-one planning advice or follow-on coaching. For more information or to book please click here : Social Marketing Workshop

Further information: www.atlascomm.co.uk
or check out our blog Change the Discussion

“Coming into a not-for-profit environment, focused on securing behaviour change, after spending many years in private sector marketing, I found the Atlas course invaluable. A very clear and pragmatic exploration of the principles of social marketing - and the opportunity to learn ways to put these principles to use as soon as I was back in the office. The opportunity to hear others’ experiences was also extremely useful, because of the range of backgrounds which delegates represented.”
Fiona Cameron, Marketing Manager, Energy efficiency charity, Scotland.

Health Belief Model

Anonymous — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:04:42 CDT

A central theory to the discipline of Social Marketing is the Health Belief Model (HBM). This psychological model attempts to explain and predict health behaviors, focusing on a person's attitudes and beliefs surrounding their health. The theory is attributed to social psychologists Hochbaum, Rosenstock, and Kegels. Since its inception in the 1950s, the Health Belief Model has been modified to address a variety of long- and short-term health behaviors. The core assumptions are that a person will take a health-related action if they:

1. believe a negative health condition can be avoided/prevented,
2. expect that taking action will help them avoid this negative condition, and,
3. believe they can take the recommend action comfortably and with confidence (self-efficacy)

One possible update needed to the Health Belief Model is the increasing expectation people hold that advances in science and medicine have created (and will continue to create) heath “shortcuts”—competing alternatives to health-related actions they may otherwise take. Consider frustrated dieters who have their stomach stapled, or resort to liposuction in lieu of a diet and exercise routine.

We are currently in an era where elective surgery is more and more commonplace. For example, from 1990 to 2002, the rate of total knee replacements for patients ages 75 to 84 more than doubled. (Source: Mayo Clinic)
The goal of most elective surgeries is to improve and maintain physical functioning and overall quality of life, but in some cases, it may act as a new alterative for people who have diverted from the traditional Health Belief Model.

Social marketing: a solution to reduce poverty?

Anonymous — Fri, 08 May 2009 04:39:29 CDT

SUBJECT: Thesis on “Communicate the end of poverty: the role of the UN in the last decade”

I am a Social Communication and marketing major at the University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Italy and and I am currently volunteering as communication officer for the “World for World Organization “ (WFWO), an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, which support and promote the work of the United Nations and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

I am currently in New York, since I was selected for a “research” scholarship, promoted by the University of Rome “La Sapienza” to complete my research project for my graduation thesis on “Communicate the end of poverty: the role of the UN in the last decade” in the United States c/o the United Nations.
My thesis will give an overview of the social marketing approach to change public behavior but in particular it will focus on the main question: can social marketing strategies be used for social issues such as poverty? And if yes, which would be the best practices and strategies to use? And how to evaluate them? The research will then introduce as case study the United Nations’ “Millennium Campaign” for the promotion of the Millennium Development Goals, analyzing which social marketing strategies and approaches the institution followed for planning the campaign and its effectiveness.

On this concern, I would like to have the opportunity to discuss with you, your experiences and academic knowledge and I would really appreciate if you could kindly advice me about more specific resources, such as book references or articles about social problems and social marketing strategies and advertising related in particular with poverty issues.
Thanks in advance for your support.

Sincerely,

Karima Cherif
Major in Social Communication
University of Rome "La Sapienza", Italy
Cell: +1 646 353 3655 / +39 349 311 4546
Email: c.karima@gmail.com
Website: www.uniroma1.it

Evaluation of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign

Anonymous — Mon, 04 May 2009 22:01:19 CDT

test.This is the fifth in a series of semiannual reports based on the National Survey of Parents and Youth (NSPY), a continuing survey designed to evaluate the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign (the Media Campaign) is part of an effort by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to educate and enable America’s youth to reject illegal drugs by means of an advertising and social marketing program about the dangers of drugs. Other important Media Campaign goals are to convince youth who are occasional users of drugs to stop using them, to enhance adult perceptions of harm associated with the use of marijuana and inhalants, and to emphasize to parents and influential adults that their actions can make a critical difference in preventing youth drug use.

Example of Theory of Reasoned Action

Anonymous — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 08:39:58 CDT

One example of the Theory of Reasoned Action is a program to increase the number of adult flu vaccinations in two inner-city Pittsburgh health centers. These centers employed a combination of tactics before and during flu season, including posters in exam rooms, mailed reminder notices, free or low-cost vaccines to those who couldn’t afford to pay, posters and fliers in the community, on-site walk-in vaccinations and off-site community vaccination clinics.

After the 2001-02 flu season, the authors conducted a random telephone survey of 648 patients to determine if they received a flu shot and to gauge their attitudes and beliefs about adult immunization. They received a 58 percent response rate on a questionnaire based on the Triandis model for consumer decision-making, which the authors state “draws upon the theory of reasoned action.” The team analyzed benefits of and barriers to influenza vaccination by age group (persons aged 50 to 64 years and persons aged 65 years or older) and whether the respondent did or did not receive a shot. The survey examined two underlying attitudes and two social influences on whether or not a respondent received a vaccination and found that underlying attitudes were indeed predictive of behavior:

Nearly everyone who received the shot (98 percent of each age group) believed getting a flu shot is a wise thing to do, while only 59 percent of those in each age group who did not receive the vaccination held the same belief.
Almost half (45 percent) of unvaccinated persons aged 50 to 64 believed getting a flu shot is more trouble than it’s worth, compared to 35 percent of those over age 65 who didn’t receive the shot. Only 3 percent of those in each age group who were vaccinated held that belief.

The team also found that social influences were important factors in whether a participant chose to be vaccinated:

Nearly all (95 percent among age 50 to 64 and 99 percent age 65 and older) who were vaccinated reported that their doctors think they should get the flu shot. Among those who didn’t receive the shot, only 63 percent of those aged 50 to 64 and 79 percent aged 65 or older held the same belief.
Fewer reported that friends or family think they should get the flu shot. Three-quarters of those vaccinated in the younger age group and 80 percent of those vaccinated in the older group reported that belief, while among those not vaccinated only 42 percent and 36 percent, respectively, held that opinion.

The importance of a recommendation from friends, family or physicians in the decision to get a flu shot should be an important factor to consider when developing a strategy to change behaviors among the target audience.

Zimmerman, R.K., Nowalk, M.P., Raymund, M., Tabbarah, M., Hall, D.G., Wahrenberger, J.T., Wilson, S.A., and Ricci, E.M. (2003). Tailored interventions to increase influence vaccination in neighborhood health centers serving the disadvantaged. American Journal of Public Health, 93, 1699-1705.

Definitions of Social Marketing

fridemar — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 09:14:38 CDT

Social marketing has been defined in many different ways since the original offering by Kotler & Zaltman in 1971. Central to most of them is that social marketing is the application of the ideas, processes and practices of the marketing discipline to improve conditions that determine and sustain personal, social and environmental health and well-being.

People come to social marketing from different academic and professional backgrounds. This feature of the field, combined with the complex social problems that are tackled with this approach, lead to the incorporation of many different theoretical models and social change perspectives. Examples of this multidisciplinary and eclectic tradition are reflected throughout the materials and case studies available at this site. One simple way of understanding the different influences on social marketing is to refer to social marketing as having 'two parents' [NSM Centre 2006]:
a) a social parent = social sciences / social policy / social reform and campaigning
b) a marketing parent = commericial and public sector marketing

Social marketing is constantly evolving from “influencing ideas” as presented by Kotler & Zaltman (1971) to 'large scale, broad-based,behavior change focused programs' offered by Lefebvre & Flora (1988). The essential components of social marketing outlined by Lefebvre & Flora still hold today. They are:

1. A consumer orientation to realize organizational (social) goals
2. An emphasis on the voluntary exchanges of goods and services between providers and consumers
3. Research in audience analysis and segmentation strategies
4. The use of formative research in product and message design and the pretesting of these materials
5. An analysis of distribution (or communication) channels
6. Use of the marketing mix - utilizing and blending product, price, place and promotion characteristics in intervention planning and implementation
7. A process tracking system with both integrative and control functions
8. A management process that involves problem analysis, planning, implementation and feedback functions

A definition of social marketing offered by one of its early practiioners, Richard Manoff, suggested that…it is more than research, product design and distribution, diffusion of information, or the formulation and implementation of a communication strategy. It may include introduction of a new product (e.g., oral rehydration salts), the modification of existing ones (e.g., iodized salt), restricted consumption of others (e.g., cigarettes, infant formula), and promotion of structural change in existing institutions (e.g., food stamps, hospital practices). Social marketing may be exclusively educational (e.g., restriction of sodium consumption) yet still be obliged to do missionary work with food companies for sodium-reduced products (Manoff, 1985,)

Indeed, especially in the development community, social marketing has often been defined as the procurement, distribution and promotion of health products (condoms, oral contraceptives, malaria nets for example) for sale at donor subsidized prices. This 'social marketing' approach has been contrasted with efforts to distribute commodities for free or to offer products at their full costs (plus margins) in the commercial marketplace.

One of the most commonly cited definitions is from Andreasen, (1995), positioning social marketing as:

"the application of commercial marketing technologies to the analysis, planning, execution, and evaluation of programs designed to influence the voluntary behaviour of target audiences in order to improve their personal welfare and that of their society."

It should be noted however that Andreasen has moved on from this definition recognising that social marketing draws on more than just commerical marketing and while in the history of a developing definition this was useful, it has since been overtaken by a wider appreciation of different disciplines informing it.

Kotler, Roberto and Lee (2002) outline social marketing asthe use of marketing principles and techniques to influence a target audience to voluntarily accept, reject, modify, or abandon a behaviour for the benefit of individuals, groups or society as a whole.

Donovan & Henley (2003) define it asthe application of the marketing concept, commercial marketing techniques and other social change techniques to achieving individual behaviour changes and social structural changes that are consistent with the UN Declaration of Human Rights.

In 2006, the National Social Marketing Centre in the UK reviewed the historic development of definitions and descriptions of social marketing and produced an updated and more inclusive definition to recognise the different influences on social marketing:

"Social marketing is the systematic application of marketing, alongside other concepts and techniques, to achieve specific behavioural goals, for a social good".

They also go on to describe an additional element of 'health related social marketing' as:

"the systematic application of marketing, alongside other concepts and techniques, to achieve specific behavioural goals, to improve health and reduce inequalities". (French, Blair-Stevens 2006).

Although multiple definitions of social marketing exist, three common themes were identified by the NSM Centre in the preparation of their working definition. The commonality between the definitions are as follows:

Social marketing as the primary aim of achieving a particular 'social good' (rather than a specific commercial benefit), through the use of specific behavioural goals clearly identified and targeted.
Social marketing is a systematic process phased to address short, medium and long-term issues.
Social marketing utilises a range of marketing techniques and approaches

The National Social Marketing Centre have since gone on to produce an 8 point social marketing National Benchmark Criteria (building on earlier work by Alan Andreasen and Lefebvre & Flora) that is being used to help encourage and promote greater consistency in the use and application of social marketing:

1: Clear focus on behaviour and achieving specific behavioural goals
2: Centred on understanding the customer using a variety of customer and market research
3: Is theory-based and informed
4: Is 'insight' driven
5: Uses 'exchange' concept and analysis
6: Uses 'competition' concept and analysis
7: Has a more developed 'segmentation' approach (going beyond basic targeting)
8: Utilises an 'intervention mix' or 'marketing mix' (rather than relying on single methods)

Whilst differences exist between the definitions of each other, this is a feature of the dynamic nature of social marketing, and should be seen as an area of debate and discussion that is ongoing to ensure social marketing remains relevant in the social change marketplace.

Definitions of the 4Ps of social marketing.

Prosumer-oriented Social Marketing

Wikinomics introduces with transparent Open Business a new component of Social Marketing, that reduces the differences between consumers and producers.
While Open Source opened as Wealth Generator the source code for general participation, open business opens even more resources for sharing within and with online communities.
As contribution to this trend, the author has set up a realworld public domain portfolio, he is willing to share and reflect on it -- fridemar
PS.:
(This contribution is ClipMarked for interfacing different Social Communities)

References

Andreasen, A. (1995). Marketing social change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Donovan, R, Henley, N. (2003) Social marketing: Principles and practice. Victoria, Australia: IP Communications.

French, J, and Blair Stevens, C. (2005) Social Marketing Pocket guide (1st Edition) National Social Marketing Centre for Excellence, (www.nsms.org.uk)

Kotler, P, Zaltman, G. (1971) Social Marketing: An Approach to Planned Social Change. Journal of Marketing 35:3-12.

Kotler, P,- Roberto, W and Lee, N. (2002) Social Marketing - Improving the quality of life (2nd Edition) Sage Publications.

Lefebvre, RC, Flora, JA. (1988) Social marketing and public health intervention. Health Education Quarterly 15:299-315.

Manoff, R. (1985) Social marketing: New imperative for public health. New York: Praeger.

Training Opportunities

AtlasGirl — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:47:27 CDT

Introduction, Insight and Case Study Analysis Workshops
24th April 2009, Edinburgh

Social marketing is about changing people’s behaviour for the wider social good. It’s about social change.

What is social marketing? How and where can you use it? How do you get started?

The workshop, with a mix of practical and theoretical components will cover:
Day 1
Introduction and overview to social marketing
Understanding behaviour and change
The 5Ps of social marketing plus more...
Insight, exchange and competition
Successful social marketing case-studies
Developing a social marketing toolbox

Case Studies
To deepen understanding of the key components we undertake in-depth case study analysis of a selection of successful social marketing campaigns. Examples include the Swiss based Aids campaign (the longest running and one of the most successful social marketing campaigns in the world) and Travel Smart (originally developed in Western Australia with the aim of increasing public transport usage). We also review an international selection of television adverts.

Who are the workshops for?
People who are involved in creating, managing or implementing behaviour or social change programs.

Trainer
Janet MacDonald has more than 15 years international communication experience. Her communication agency, Atlas, focuses on projects which incorporate behaviour change and social marketing and her experience encompasses environmental and public/population health organisations and projects. Atlas is a strategic partner of the National Social Marketing Centre and Janet sits on their training forum

Location: CBC House, Edinburgh
Dates: 24th April 2009
Cost: £225 per day ( £195 for public sector, £175 not for profits, charitable status required)
Price per day including refreshments and lunch.

A detailed workbook containing course information, planning models and links for further learning is also provided.
Price per day including refreshments and lunch. A detailed workbook
containing course information, planning models and links for further learning is also
provided.

Further information: www.atlascomm.co.uk
or check out our blog Change the Discussion

“Coming into a not-for-profit environment, focused on securing behaviour change, after spending many years in private sector marketing, I found the Atlas course invaluable. A very clear and pragmatic exploration of the principles of social marketing - and the opportunity to learn ways to put these principles to use as soon as I was back in the office. The opportunity to hear others’ experiences was also extremely useful, because of the range of backgrounds which delegates represented.”
Fiona Cameron, Marketing Manager, Energy efficiency charity, Scotland.

The University of South Florida, College of Public Health is offering its 18h Social Marketing in Public Health Conference in Clearwater Beach from June 18-21, 2008. The first two days comprise the Social Marketing Academy. The Academy blends didactic and experiential learning and provides participants intensive training in social marketing including:

basic principles and practices associated with formative research and audience segmentation;
conceptual and practical frameworks for marketing strategy development;
social marketing’s approach to program development, and
“thinking like a marketer”.

Case studies are used to illustrate how social marketing can be applied to the development of public health interventions. Participants are provided time to review a systematic logic model that they can then apply to program planning. On Friday June 20th and Saturday, June 21st the full Conference is convened. Friday morning’s plenary sessions are followed by concurrent sessions that cover a range of social marketing topics. Following Saturday morning’s plenary sessions, participants may select from a variety of half-day training options, including focus group research, pretesting methods, evaluation of social marketing interventions, and marketing social marketing. Course participants usually include social marketers, CDC scholarship designees, program planners and administrators, health educators, health communication and health information specialists, researchers, academicians, and graduate students. Registration, hotel and additional information can be found by visiting http://www.cme.hsc.usf.edu/smph/.

Field School

USF also offers social marketing courses in a one-week format each June. For more information, please contact Jim Lindenberger at jlindenb@health.usf.edu Registration, hotel information, and agendas can be found at www.cme.hsc.usf.edu/fsjune

diva creative - social marketing agency

divacreative — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 07:34:58 CDT

diva creative is a full service marketing and communications agency specialising in social marketing campaign delivery.

Examples of social marketing campaigns spanning the health, education and environmental sector can be found on: www.divacreative.com

Gang Violence Prevention

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:11:13 CST

what would you think.

Joan Tabachnick, DSM Consulting.

Resources:
MEE Productions: http://www.meeproductions.com

Attached article on Youth Perception of Violence

Abstract of a study in Philadelphia (below) City of Calgary's new campaign- "Get a Life". http://www.getalife.ca/

Possible paper in social marketing quarterly (see notes below)

Carl Taylor is an expert on gangs and gang violence: http://sociology.msu.edu/ctaylor.html

Using Paintball to reduce gang conflicts could be of interest: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/radio4choice/radio4choice_20061215-1700_40_st.mp3

Comments from the List Serve

From: Sonya Grier I saw a flyer for a presentation on this topic by MEE Productions out of Philadelphia. I missed the talk though.

http://www.meeproductions.com

The Evanston city government (think it was the commission on human rights) also developed an advertisement early 90's against gang violence, and had plans to develop a further campaign- but I am not sure if they ever did.

From: Gwednolyn Quinn The attached article is not exactly what you are looking for, but some of the qualitative results may help you formulate questions for a future project. This was accepted in Public Health and should be published within the next 3 months. I'm happy to answer any questions about the project.

****************************************************
Gwendolyn P. Quinn, Ph.D.
H.L. Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute
University of South Florida, College of Medicine
(813)632-1359
(813)632-1334 FAX
quinng@moffitt.usf.edu

From: Hank Weiss
Hank Weiss MPH, PhD
Director and Associate Professor
Center for Injury Research and Control
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Joseph Stokes, Jr. Research Institute
Fein, Joel A.
3615 Civic Center Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104-4318
Email: fein@email.chop.edu

Project Title: UPACE: The Philadelphia Collaborative Violence Prevention Center.
Project Period: 9/1/2006 – 8/31/2010

The supplement to the Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health (U.S. Public Health Service, 2001), emphasizes the need to develop, adapt, and evaluate empirically-based prevention efforts so that they are maximally sensitive to the needs of particular cultural groups, such as youth living in inner-city, under resourced settings, in which there are high rates of youth from minority ethnic backgrounds. Research demonstrates that these youth are at increased risk for experiencing emotional and behavioral problems, which often lead to violent, aggressive and disruptive behaviors (Black & Krishnakumar, 1998). This is not surprising, given that many of these youth and families are coping with an accumulation of chronic and acute stressors (Wandersman & Nation, 1998). Although many programs have been developed, few researchers have partnered with local communities to determine how best to make systematic cultural adaptations to best practice, empirically-supported programs to meet the needs of these youth, families, and communities. In response to this need, a collaborative prevention research project has been designed in which components of several CDC Best Practice Programs which are focused upon social problem-solving (e.g., Coping Power Program, PATHS), youth mentorship (e.g., Big Brother/Big Sister, National Mentorship Partnership, and parenting/family based strategies (e.g., Parenting Adolescents Wisely, Effective Black Parenting), will be adapted by partnering with community residents. Then a cluster randomized trial will be conducted to test the impact of the Prevention Program on 10-14 year old youth within neighborhood venues (e.g., recreation centers, after school programs, churches) of Southwest and West Philadelphia. Given that aggressive behaviors create many problems for youth, parents, and the community, and are very costly to society, the Prevention Program seeks to better understand the impact of aggression across different facets of the local community, and to take systematic steps to develop comprehensive, cost efficient, and culturally-responsive strategies to decrease aggression and its co-morbidities among youth and their families living in high-risk urban neighborhoods.

From: Paul McConaughy
http://sociology.msu.edu/ctaylor.html
Carl Taylor is an expert on gangs and gang violence. He might not associate approaches with social marketing but they will be there in his strategies. Paul McConaughy Program Leader Michigan Nutrition Network Family & Consumer Sciences MSU Extension 2110 Anthony Hall East Lansing, MI 48824 517-432-8740 FAX 517-353-6343 mcconau1@msu.edu

From: Ray Harrison

You might want to check out the City of Calgary's new campaign- "Get a
Life". http://www.getalife.ca/

From: Wolf Strecko
Though not 'social marketing' per se, I thought the BBC4 piece on using Paintball to reduce gang conflicts could be of interest.
I have attached the mp3 file or you may be able to find it at http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/radio4choice/radio4choice_20061215-1700_40_st.mp3

Wolf Strecko
Ariel Communications
Vancouver, BC

From: Ryan Rahinel
Has submitted a paper to the social marketing quarterly. Depending upon their print dates, you may be able to get an abstract or a a copy if you contact him directly.
Ryan Rahinel
Research Associate
Management Education Research Institute (MERI)
Faculty of Business
Ryerson University
rrahinel@ryerson.ca

American Legacy Foundation - truth campaign

Anonymous — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:03:53 CST

sss

Launched in February 2000, truth® is a national youth smoking prevention campaign from the American Legacy Foundation®, a national public health foundation based in Washington, DC, devoted to tobacco use prevention and cessation. truth® is the only national campaign in the United States not directed by the tobacco industry. The objective of the campaign is to change social norms and reduce youth smoking. Youth aged 12 to 17 years are the primary focus of the campaign. The campaign is produced by the American Legacy Foundation and its advertising partners, Arnold Worldwide (Boston, MA) and Crispin, Porter + Bogusky (Miami, FL).

Background:

About 80 percent of smokers begin using tobacco before the age of 18. Each day, about 2000 kids try smoking for the first time. For many, it becomes an addiction that can lead to a life of disease and tobacco-related death.

truth® directly counters messages from the tobacco company brands, which spent more than US$15.1 billion in 2003 to market their products in the U.S. alone. When the campaign was created, the American Legacy Foundation and its partners realized truth® could never match that level of spending, so instead they aimed to create a campaign that would stay ahead by breaking through with teens and being more “cutting edge.”

Campaign Philosophy:

The truth® campaign exposes the tactics of the tobacco industry, the truth about addiction, and the health effects and social consequences of smoking - allowing teens to make informed choices about tobacco use by giving them the facts about the industry and its products. It is designed to engage teens by exposing Big Tobacco’s marketing and manufacturing practices, as well as highlighting the toll of tobacco in relevant and innovative ways.

The teenage years are a time of transition into adulthood and a quest for control. For some teens, tobacco use can fulfill some of the innate adolescent needs to rebel; truth® seeks to be an alternative way to meet those needs. The campaign stresses peer-to-peer communication, as teens don’t like to be preached at or talked down to.

The campaign uses research with teen audiences, marketing and social science research, and evidence from the most successful anti-tobacco campaigns to inform its strategies.

The truth® campaign also uses actual tobacco industry documents that were made public after the Master Settlement Agreement. The documents are used to find the facts teens see in truth® ads and on the truth® Web site.

Delivering the Program:

truth® is a multi-dimensional campaign involving:
- advertising (television, radio and print)
- a Web site and interactive communications
- grassroots outreach through summer and winter tours
- “gear” – wearable and cool products like t-shirts, I-Pod socks, and other items reflecting the brand and subtly raising attention to the tobacco issue
- Earned media – an extensive media relations program to place related stories in youth media, and raise attention in adult media to the issue and to the campaign’s award-winning work.

truth® ads are known for being “in-your-face”, hard-hitting and even humorous, because teens respond to up-front and powerful messages that display courage and honesty in a forceful way. In addition, teens are involved in testing all truth® advertising concepts and provide suggestions and feedback through the truth® Web site.

The truth® campaign places its ads in the media teens look at, listen to, and read, including on television networks popular with teens like MTV, BET, Comedy Central, and Spike, and in magazines like Vibe and Cosmogirl. truth® also has a prominent presence on the Internet with a highly interactive and relevant-to-teens Web site, www.thetruth.com, that allows teens to engage with truth® on their own terms.

A summer tour travels across the country, allowing teens to engage first-hand with the campaign. State of the art truth® “trucks” rigged with DJ decks, video monitors and gaming systems allow teens to speak and interact firsthand with truth® “crew members” at popular events where teens gather. Each tour stop features impromptu rap sessions, join-in freestyle demos and giveaways of popular truth® “gear” such as hats, flip flops, wallets and t-shirts.

Results:

Research has found that the truth® campaign accelerated the decline in youth smoking rates between 2000 - 2002.

Twenty-two percent of the overall decline in youth smoking during these years is attributable directly to the truth® campaign, according to research published in the March 2005 issue of the American Journal of Public Health. The study, which was the first to evaluate the behavioral outcomes of the truth® campaign, found that in 2002 there were approximately 300,000 fewer youth smokers as a result of truth®. The study assessed whether there is a “dose-response” relationship between the level of exposure to the campaign and changes in youth smoking rates during the first two years of the campaign, 2000 - 2002. Results showed that youth who were exposed to a greater number of truth® ads - or those who got a “dose” of truth® - were less likely to smoke.

In November 2003, the American Legacy Foundation® released the results of the 2002 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS 2002). This study, conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that smoking had decreased by 18 percent among high school students since the last survey was conducted in 2000. Smoking rates among high school students were at the lowest rate in 28 years and truth® was a factor in the decline.

Results from the 2002 “Monitoring the Future” survey showed declines in smoking rates among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders and cited the truth® campaign as one of the reasons for this public health victory. The Monitoring the Future study, conducted annually, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and conducted by the University of Michigan.

In addition, the campaign has been lauded by leading Federal and state public health officials, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and former President George Bush. The campaign has won more than 500 awards for advertising efficacy.

Contact:
Patricia McLaughlin
Senior Director of Communications
American Legacy Foundation
2030 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
(tel) 202-454-5555
pmclaughlin@americanlegacy.org