Strategic Social Marketing Planning

1. Strategic Social Marketing Planning James H. Mintz Health Canada

2. Purpose • This document is a checklist for the development of a social marketing plan.

3. Situation Analysis • What is the social issue the campaign is addressing? (FAS/FAE) • What is the campaign focus? (alcohol and pregnancy) • What is the campaign purpose i.e intended impact (benefit) (reduced cases of FAS/FAE) • What are internal strengths and weaknesses resources, expertise, management support, internal publics)

4. Situation Analysis Secondary Analysis • What are the external opportunities and threats? (extend networks, PEST, Legal)? • What are the findings from prior or similar efforts? • From secondary analysis, what is epidemiology of the problem in population? (e.g. prevalence, incidence rates) • Are there any high risk groups, also what is consequence of the problem • What knowledge, attitudes and behaviours are related to problem

5. Situational Analysis • What approaches have been used to address the problem by other organizations? • Who are the experts in the area? • What are the geographic boundaries for the initiative? • What trends (PEST) may affect the environment for the initiative? • Which groups/organizations will oppose/support your initiative?

6. Situational Analysis • What are policies, regulations, pending legislation that may affect your initiative? • What other organizations in your geographic area is presently addressing this issue? • What are the messages that will be competing with your initiative for attention? (e.g. messages from opponents/allies?)

7. Situation Analysis Primary research • What gaps have been identified from secondary research? • What methodology do we plan to use?

8. Target Audience (TA) • Define the primary TA – rationale i.e. high risk, easily changeable, (“low hanging fruit”) • Define the secondary TA, e.g. those who influence the TA

9. Segmentation • Describe TA in terms of size, problem, incidence, severity etc., including demos, psychos, geos, behaviours and/or stages of change • What attitudes/beliefs/behaviours, related to problem, define separate segments? • Are there segments you won’t target, i.e not feasible or someone already addressing segment. • Primary TA, rationale, i.e. high risk, easily reachable/changeable (low hanging fruit). • Secondary TA, e.g. those who influence TA.

10. Segmentation • What about opinion makers, key stakeholders (e.g. media)?. • How will you allocate resources for your segments? • What methods will you use to conduct research on your segments? Qualitative: focus groups, in-depth interviews, observation studies. Quantitative: surveys, intercepts, existing databases.

11. Objectives and Goals • What does primary and secondary (baseline/benchmark) research indicate would be most strategic objectives? • Behaviour objective: What specifically do you want to influence your TA to do as a result of the campaign? • Knowledge objective: Is there anything you need them to know in order to act? • Belief objective: Is there anything you need them to believe in order to act? • Goals:What are SMART goals? State them in terms of behaviour change, and other measures e.g. awareness, campaign recall/response, changes in knowledge, belief/behavioural intent.

12. Analysis of TA & Competition • Analysis must be relative to your objective (desired behaviour) and your TA • What is their current behaviour, knowledge and beliefs? • What benefits/barriers do they perceive? • What is the behaviour you are asking the TA to adopt? • What are key benefits the TA would receive from adopting the behaviour?

13. Analysis of TA & Competition • What are the competing alternative behaviours? • What benefits/costs does your TA associate with these behaviours? • What is the competition for your product in the TA eyes? • How is your product different from and better than the competition?

14. Marketing Strategy Development Product: Design the product offering • What is the product, benefits of the desired behaviour? • What is the actual product, the desired behaviour? • Are there any new tangible objects included in the program/campaign • Are there any improvements that need to be made to existing tangible objects or services? • Are there any new services that will be included in program/campaign?

15. Marketing Strategy Development Price • Exit costs: What monetary and /or non-monetary costs will TA associate with abandoning their current behaviour? • Entry costs: What monetary and/or non-monetary costs will TA associate with adopting new behaviour

16. Marketing Strategy Development • What are the barriers to entry to adopt the new behaviour • What is the TA cost threshold? • How can you minimize the costs or remove the barriers?

17. Marketing Strategy Development Establishing pricing strategies: • What prices will be set for tangible objects/services associated with thecampaign? • Will there be any monetary/non-monetary incentives?

18. Marketing Strategy Development Place • Where/When will you encourage/support the TA to perform the desired behaviour? • Where/When will the TA acquire any related tangible objects/services? • Where are the places the TA make decisions about engaging in the desired behaviour? • Are there any enhancements that would increase the appeal of the location?

19. Marketing Strategy Development • Where does the TA spend much of their time? • What distribution systems will be most efficient for reaching the TA? • What type of community support is available to help the TA behaviour change?

20. Marketing Strategy Development Promotion • What key messages do you want your campaign to communicate to your TA • What are your specific communications objectives? • What benefits will you promise and what will be communicated to support the promise?

21. Marketing Strategy Development • What do you want your TA to know or believe? • What specific actions do you want your TA to take as a result of the campaign? • Which communications channels do TA pay attention/trust the most? • What are important copy points/graphics/formats etc. need to be considered? • What promotion techniques (i.e. promotion mix) will work best to convey your message? • Who are the most credible spokespeople to address your TA?

22. Marketing Strategy Development • Who are the people/groups (in addition to your primary and secondary TA) outside/inside your organization whose support you need / that you need to address for your program to be successful? • Which are the most promising organizations (private/public sector) to join forces/collaborate with? • How will the strategic communications tactics be integrated into your campaign (including media relations, launches, etc.)?

23. Budget • What costs will be associated with your product/place/price/promotion related strategies? • If costs exceed currently available funds what additional funding sources can be explored? • What strategies will you use to appeal to these potential funders? • Who/how will the work get done and what outside/inside resources will you need?

24. Evaluation Tracking and Monitoring • What goals will be measured? • What techniques,mechanisms and methodologies will be used ,when will they be implemented, and how will they be reported? • How will you use the results of your monitoring, tracking and evaluation?

25. Implementation • Will there be phases to the campaign? How will they be organized? ( i.e. by market, objectives, activities)? • For each phase,what will be done, who will be responsible, when will it be done, and for how much?

26. Bibliography • Social Marketing…. Improving the Quality of life, Kotler, Roberto and Lee. Sage publications 2002 • Hands on Social Marketing: Kline- Weinreich, Sage publications