Thursday, September 18, 2008

Social Marketing Secrets

By Watkins Olson


What is social marketing? Social marketing is the strategic planning and implementation of a program that seeks to influence and motivate socially responsible behavior to benefit the individual and society. It uses various educational methods to introduce the desired behaviors. Mason Tillman designs innovative social marketing programs that have brought about responsible change at a low cost. We help companies profile the values of their target groups and then tailor messages and programs to reach them.Cause-related marketing [sometimes referred to as social cause marketing or social marketing--editor] refers to a commercial activity in which companies and nonprofit organizations form alliances to market an image, product or service for mutual benefit. Some companies also extend their relationship with an organization or a cause beyond marketing, integrating it with other company activities, such as community involvement, employee volunteerism or corporate philanthropy.

What about the researchers that say Social Norms Marketing doesn't work? Just like any form of research, Social Norms Marketing has been met with some criticisms. To hear responses from the experts, please refer to the articles at Response rates vary depending on what type of research is conducted. We feel that a 50% response rate is a good measure to use in our research with the Health Promotion survey.

How can I get involved? There are many opportunities available to you! Schedule a program for your organization or apply to be a Social Norms Marketing intern or campaign assistant. For more opportunities, please click here.Answer: The cost of a social norms marketing campaign varies depending on the media used (college newspaper, posters, flyers, TV or radio public service announcements) and the length of time the campaign takes place.

Question: What is a social norms marketing campaign? Answer: If misperceived norms are leading to increased drinking behavior, it makes sense that informing students of actual drinking norms may reduce student drinking. A social norms marketing campaign about high-risk drinking attempts to correct student misperceptions of drinking norms to reflect actual drinking patterns on campus. Social norms is the topic of the campaign, while social marketing is the process used to disseminate information about campus norms.Answer: While there has not yet been definitive research on the effectiveness of social norms marketing campaigns, several schools have implemented such campaigns with encouraging results. (For more information, visit What Schools Are Doing.

Question: How expensive is a social norms marketing campaign? Answer: The cost of a social norms marketing campaign varies depending on the media used (college newspaper, posters, flyers, TV or radio public service announcements) and the length of time the campaign takes place.The Stall Seat Journal is a social norms marketing campaign which focuses on UVa first years. The information on the posters is specific to first years and the posters therefore go up only in the bathrooms of the first year dorms. There is another campaign, the Hoo Knew? Grounds-wide campaign that is located in the UVa buses, on the Corner and around Grounds.

How do you go about administering the surveys at UVa? The Health Promotion survey is administered annually to a random stratified sample of UVa undergraduate students via a web-based application. The survey is anonymous and voluntary. Each participate in the sample receives a letter and token of appreciation in the mail, inviting them to log on to the URL and take a web-based survey. Reminder e-mails and postcards are sent to all participants over a four week period.The process works by collecting data on the actual versus perceived behavioural norms. If there is an over-exaggeration of the norms, then media materials and messages are developed to communicate the true norms that exist.

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