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Jennifer Wayman

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Executive Vice President and Group Director
Washington DC
Posts: 20

Jennifer has worked in social marketing and health communications for more than 19 years and currently heads the Washington, DC Social Marketing Practice of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide (Ogilvy PR). She has counseled and provided communications and social marketing expertise to corporations, trade associations, and government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Food and Drug Administration.

Jennifer is passionate about women’s health and youth marketing and has developed national campaigns and initiatives for those audiences and more on the issues of heart disease, cancer, vaccines, and violence prevention, among others. Her work has included the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s The Heart Truth® women’s heart health campaign, CDC’s Choose Your Cover skin cancer prevention campaign for teens and young adults, and CDC’s Inside Knowledge: Get the Facts about Gynecologic Cancer campaign.

Jennifer was named the 2007 Washington PR Woman of the Year by Washington Women in Public Relations. She holds a master of health science degree in Behavioral Science and Health Education from Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Lehigh University.

10 Reflections on the 2013 World Social Marketing Conference

Apr 23

Category: Behavior Change, Ogilvy Washington, Social Marketing

In the few short hours since the 2013 World Social Marketing Conference concluded earlier this evening, I’ve found myself reflecting quite a bit on the presentations and discussions.  So, while it’s all still fresh in my head, here are some of my personal takeaways (in no particular order):

1.  Social change marketing, as I’m now referring to our discipline, is still brand challenged — most notably by the ever-growing confusion with “social media” and the fact that to some “marketing” is a bad word.  Yes, we need to do a better job of “marketing social change marketing.”  So let’s stop talking about it, and let’s start doing it.

2.  It was refreshing to hear some presenters admit they don’t have all the answers and call for the field to collaborate on finding solutions to big problems.

3.  It was disheartening to see the divide that still exists between academics and practitioners.  As my colleague, Tom Beall, eloquently said: Let’s build on our commonalities and not exploit our divisions.

4. I wish there were more time to experience the culture of Toronto.  To open the conference, we were treated to a beautiful blessing from a member of First Nations followed by a performance by a World Champion Hoop Dancer — something I’d never seen before and thoroughly enjoyed.  Yet, I found myself wishing for more opportunities to experience the culture of Canada and the beautiful city of Toronto throughout the next 2 1/2 days.  The next time we gather, I hope there are more opportunities to do so that are baked in to the conference agenda.

5.  Presentations that rely heavily on visuals and compelling stories are far more engaging than text-heavy slides.  (This is not a new learning but one that was re-confirmed after watching 2 1/2 days of consecutive presentations.)

6. Experts from outside the field of social marketing but who work in a related field bring a valuable perspective — we should strive to hear more from them.

7.  The solutions to our society’s most wicked problems will only be solved with the involvement of ALL sectors of society.  (Jay Bernhardt)

8. Both sides of public-private partnerships need courage for there are always detractors.  (Celeste Bottorff)

9. Social and Marketing go together like a horse and carriage.  Lyrics by Nancy Lee.  Vocals by Nancy Lee’s Granddaughters.

10. There is amazing insightful, creative, and innovative social marketing work happening around the world.  I’m inspired and am looking forward to getting back to work to apply some of what I learned this week!

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Introducing OgilvyEngage

May 16

Category: Behavior Change, Behavioral Economics, Corporate Social Responsibility, Ogilvy Washington, Public Health, Public Safety, Social Marketing

OgilvyExchange Logo

The Business of Behavior

Companies increasingly recognize that if societies falter, their business can’t succeed. Accordingly, many enterprises acknowledge that it is a business imperative to get people to change individual behaviors around such issues as driving safely, eating healthier, taking medications regularly, staying out of debt  and others.

Through corporate responsibility commitments, sustainability initiatives, philanthropic contributions, and more, companies are changing the way they do business and driving awareness of important social issues. But too many efforts stop there, and much more can be done. What’s often missing is the engagement of stakeholder audiences in changing their behaviors… to move people beyond awareness toward actions that make an impact.

This new frontier is discussed in the latest edition of Ogilvy & Mather’s Red Paper Series – From Cause to Change: The business of behavior.  It explores the ways in which companies across a broad range of industries can become agents of behavior change and contribute even more so to the well-being of individuals and society while improving business performance.  For companies, this can translate into market expansion opportunities, reduced costs, strengthened brand positioning, and an enhanced reputation and leadership profile.

Leveraging the science of behavior change is at the heart of social marketing, the application of marketing and communications to the promotion of ideas, issues, and practices that support personal and public health and safety, community benefits, and social change.  In effect, it’s to spark positive behavior change. Social marketing traditionally has had a rich and successful legacy in the public sector, something that our agency has been acquainted with for nearly three decades. We know how social marketing gets people to buckle up, get screened for colon cancer, purchase flood insurance, and more.  These are significant impacts and the results cannot be discounted.

What is OgilvyEngage?

OgilvyEngage is Ogilvy Public Relations’ new global behavioral science practice that helps companies drive socially-beneficial behavior change among consumers, employees, and other stakeholders to improve business performance while contributing to the well-being of individuals and society.  We use proven behavior change models, theories, tools, and techniques to help clients assess opportunities; better understand the motivations of their audiences; and design results-oriented messages, strategies, and programs.

This expertise is born out of our global social marketing practice.  For nearly 30 years, we have been a global leader in helping clients change minds, shift attitudes, redefine norms, and support sustained individual and community behavior change.  We design research-based and theory-informed integrated solutions that combine disciplines such as paid, earned, and owned media; partnership development and coalition building; special events; advertising; and direct marketing to help clients around the world make a difference in healthcare, wellness, safety, education, personal finance, and more.

At the heart of this specialty is our agency’s proprietary Dynamics of Change model, a tool designed to identify the specific change a company should invest in to bring about maximized outcomes for its business, individuals, and society, as well as to define the strategy and processes for implementing a change program.

The Benefit for Business

Global changes to the economy, to our environment, and to our social welfare are mandating new approaches to how we live.  Adding behavior change leadership from the private sector to that of government and public interest organizations will create a multi-faceted approach with exponential benefits.  For example, companies can:

  • Reap meaningful and measurable business performance and return on investment, ranging from market expansion opportunities and reduced costs to strengthened brand positioning and an enhanced reputation and leadership profile.
  • Advance and evolve their engagement in public good and expand the impact of many of their corporate responsibility initiatives.
  • Strengthen the increasingly important – and necessary – relationship among a thriving business enterprise, the well-being of stakeholders, and social change.

Examples in Action

On April 19, we hosted a panel discussion at Ogilvy Washington – Socially Responsible Behavior Change as a Business Imperative –  to share how some companies are already embracing the opportunity to build their business while fostering socially-responsible behavior change.   For example :

  • Opower works with utilities to help them meet their efficiency goals by getting their customers to use less energy.
  • Starbucks promotes composting by providing coffee grounds to consumers to take home for their composts.
  • Energizer prompts consumers to change their smoke detector batteries twice a year when they change their clocks for daylight savings time.
  • Allstate asks teens to pledge not to text and drive.
  • Clorox encourages consumers to regularly disinfect phones and other items in the home that are touched often to reduce the incidence of flu.

These companies are early adopters of what we see as a growing trend and a business imperative.  We are absolutely convinced that businesses that engage consumers and other stakeholders in socially-beneficial behavior change stand to enjoy meaningful benefits to their bottom lines.  And we believe that the engagement of the private sector is critical to helping individuals and societies across the globe tackle the many complex and difficult problems that we face – issues like obesity, water conservation, disease prevention, and financial literacy – that will only be addressed successfully by the cooperation and involvement of all sectors.

Download the Red Paper

We invite you to join the discussion and we welcome your reactions and responses to our Red Paper.  And I invite you to connect with me directly:

Jennifer.Wayman@ogilvy.com
@JenniferWayman

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A New Look at “Product”

Apr 04

Category: Behavior Change, Corporate Social Responsibility, Public Health, Social Marketing

“Public health is everyone’s responsibility and there is a role for all of us, working in partnership, to tackle these challenges.”
Andrew Lansley CBE MP, Secretary of State for Health, March 2011

Last week, I had the pleasure of participating in the National Social Marketing Centre’s Behavior Change and Corporate Responsibility Conference in London.  While there, I was treated to a number of engaging presentations from leaders in the public and private sectors, and I enjoyed the lively discussion about the importance of corporate involvement in solving the world’s most pressing social challenges (something I personally strongly support).

Regarding this latter point, one presentation in particular, has really stuck with me.  It was Tabitha Brufal’s discussion of the goals, structure, and activities to date of the U.K. Department of Health’s Public Health Responsibility Deal.

The Public Health Responsibility Deal is the U.K. government’s initiative to engage corporations in committing to specific actions that support public health goals within the alcohol, food, physical activity, and “health at work” arenas.  As can be expected, the Responsibility Deal has not been free of criticism, with some detractors saying that the motives of corporate partners aren’t “purely altruistic.”

My response:  why do they have to be?

If we lived in a world without wine and beer, without chocolate and cheese, and without televisions, movie screens and laptops, perhaps we would be healthier.  But that is not the world we live in.  For most of us, these “pleasures” surround us, every day.  We work long hours, care for children and aging parents, and try to find time for friends and leisure activities.

Against this backdrop, it’s easy to over-indulge and under-exercise.  Initiatives that make it easier, more accessible, and more enjoyable to make healthier choices are critically important.  And that’s where the corporate sector, their marketing muscle, and their “products” can contribute.

The companies participating in the Responsibility Deal to date have pledged to make fundamental changes in their products, in their workplaces, and in their marketing practices.  Alcohol manufacturers are reformulating products to lower the alcohol content, and encouraging retailers to promote these lower alcohol versions.  Food manufacturers are reducing salt, trans fats, and calories in their products.  Companies are offering workplace smoking cessation programs, health checks, and physical activity opportunities — and they are stocking their on-site cafeterias with healthier foods and supporting community-wide initiatives to promote active travel (e.g., biking, walking) to/from work.

It makes sense that so many of these efforts involve re-imagining a product or service… after all, products and services are the lifeblood of corporations.  But what struck me so clearly last week was how truly critical it is for the private sector to be encouraged to create innovative new products and services that make it more accessible — and more enjoyable — for all of us to make healthier choices every day.  And how crucial it is for public health leaders to invite corporate leaders to sit at the same table, share goals, and identify opportunities to collaborate and achieve a meaningful impact.

Sure, companies will likely reap some benefits from this collaboration that are not directly related to the public health challenge at hand.  But isn’t this “value exchange” one of the cornerstones of social marketing?  Don’t we promise benefits like:  in exchange for  choosing fruit over candy you will feel better, have more energy, lose weight, etc.?.   Or, as seen in action at the conference: in exchange for your active participation in this afternoon’s discussion, we’ll grab a pint across the street at the end of the day.

In my view, the world’s most challenging public health issues will never be solved unless all parties with a role to play come together and truly collaborate.  It’s time for us to look through a different lens, focusing on where the goals and objectives of the public and private sectors intersect.  It’s a win for individuals struggling to make healthier choices.  It’s a win for society and the public’s health.  And it’s a win for corporations seeking to differentiate themselves from their competition, create innovative products and services, and grow their business.

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The Intersection of Cause Involvement and Behavior Change

Jul 16

Category: Behavior Change, Best Practices, Corporate Social Responsibility, Ogilvy Washington, Social Marketing

When designing interventions for behavior change, the first things that usually come to mind are how to remove the barriers to action, how to increase self-efficacy, or even if the external conditions are favorable for the adoption of the desired behavior. Not often do we consider that involvement in causes can actually trigger individual behavior changes.

However, new findings from the Dynamics of Cause Engagement study revealed that more than half of Americans say they have changed their behavior because of their involvement in a cause.

Voting is the number one behavior change triggered by cause involvement across all ages, ethnicities and genders. Environmentally conscious actions (e.g., changing recycling habits, becoming more energy efficient) are also near the top of the list, while health-related behaviors (e.g., visiting a medical professional, requesting a specific medical test) fall lower.

Our study also found interesting differences by ethnicity and gender when it comes to cause-driven behavior change. While Caucasians are more likely to report changes in environmentally conscious behavior, African Americans are more likely to have visited a doctor or medical professional as a result of their involvement in a cause. Women are significantly more likely than men to say they have changed their behavior due to cause involvement (55% vs. 48%), including environmentally conscious actions and health-related behaviors.

These results were presented for the first time at the 21st Annual Social Marketing in Public Health Conference.

During the presentation, we suggested some strategies to motive behavior change through cause involvement. We also shared some real-life examples of how practitioners are applying these strategies.

Here is a sneak preview of the strategies:

1. Provide multiple touch points for support expression

2. Motivate story sharing

3. Reinforce a sense of community

4. Empower supporters

5. Foster an emotional connection

To download the full presentation click here.

Surprised by the findings?  Please share your thoughts.

For more information on the study, click here and stay tuned for the upcoming release of the final report.

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Personal Communication Still Drives Word of Mouth on Causes

Jun 15

Category: Corporate Social Responsibility, Ogilvy Washington, Research + Insights, Social Marketing, Social Media

Quiz of the day: What is the most typical way in which people tell others about social issues and causes they want them to get involved with?

a)      In person

b)      Over the phone

c)       Via text messages

d)      Via social networking messages and invites

e)      Via personal emails or email forwards

The answer: a) in person!

New findings from the Dynamics of Cause Engagement study show that nearly two-thirds of Americans (62%) report that being told in person is the way they are typically informed about causes others want them to be involved with.

These offline conversations about causes are the most prominent across generations. Even younger Americans, generations Y (ages 18 to 29) and X (ages 30 to 45) report this face-to-face engagement –56% and 59%, respectively.

Our study also found that, while generations Y and X are more likely than older Americans to use social media to learn about causes, family, friends and TV news programs still remain their top sources of information.

Social media promotional activities such as joining a cause group or contributing to a blog are also not on the top of the list of ways younger Americans engage with causes.  Rather, the more historically prominent types of engagement including donating, learning more about the cause and volunteering remain the most often ways the ways generations Y and X get involved with causes.

 

Does it mean that younger Americans don’t believe in the power of social media to support causes?  No!

Nearly seven in 10 Americans age 18-29 believe that online networking sites help increase the visibility of social issues and allow people to support causes more easily. More than half (55%) also affirm that social media help them get the word out about causes.

 

These findings suggest that, despite the growing popularity of social media tools and their great potential to engage supporters – particularly the younger ones—the “traditional” forms of learning and talking about social issues and engaging with causes remain extremely relevant.

Want to learn more about how the different generations learn about and engage with causes? Click here and download the full release.

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How alike and different are Caucasians, African Americans and Hispanics when it comes to supporting causes?

May 31

Category: Corporate Social Responsibility, Media, Ogilvy Washington, Social Marketing, Social Media

How alike and different are Caucasians, African Americans and Hispanics when it comes to supporting causes?

Our latest release on the study Dynamics of Cause Engagement revealed interesting similarities and differences in how people of different ethnicities engage with causes.

Among the most interesting findings is the fact that social media play a greater role in cause engagement for African Americans and Hispanics than for Caucasians.

Specifically, African Americans and Hispanics are more likely than Caucasians to believe that social networking sites help get the word out about a social issue or cause and help increase visibility for causes.  (We reported a similar finding among women in our last release.)  Nearly one in three African American adults and four in ten Hispanics say they are more likely to support a cause or social issue online than offline today—both significantly higher percentages than reported by Caucasians.  

 

However, it is important to notice that, across ethnicities, the historically prominent types of engagement (e.g., donating, signing petitions, volunteering) remain among the top ways Americans get involved with causes. Likewise, traditional channels of communication (e.g., television & print media, personal relationship, and websites) remain the top ways that Americans learn about causes.

Another interesting finding: the belief that supporting causes makes people feel good about themselves and creates a sense of purpose and meaning in life is shared across different ethnicities. Nevertheless, African Americans and Hispanics are significantly more likely than Caucasians to value familial cause engagement. They believe that it’s important that their families are involved with causes and said that they were actively involved in causes when growing up.  Additionally, nearly 7 in 10 African Americans and Hispanics affirm that supporting causes gives them the feeling of belonging to a community—this figure was significantly lower among Caucasians.

 

Interested in learning more about how the different ethnicities engage with causes? Click here and download the full release.

Stay tuned for our next release on cause involvement by generation on June 13.

 

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Women Are Strongest Believers in the Power of Supporting Causes

May 17

Category: Behavior Change, Research + Insights, Social Marketing, Social Media

This post was originally posted to Ogilvy PR’s Womenology blog.

A recent study conducted by Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide in partnership with the Center for Social Impact Communication at Georgetown University revealed the importance of supporting causes for women in the U.S.

8 in 10 women believe that supporting causes creates a sense of purpose and meaning in life and feel everyone can make a difference through their support.

Some of the key findings showcase demographic trends in the current dynamics of cause involvement.

Here are some highlights:

Study results show that women are more likely than men to believe in the capacity of individuals to make a difference in society by supporting causes.

The top three causes women are most involved with are supporting our troops, feeding the hungry and breast cancer. The two latter receive greater support from women than from men. Women are also significantly more likely to support youth-related causes like bullying and childhood obesity.

When engaging with causes, social media play a greater role for women than men:

  • Women turn to social media as a source of cause information more often than men—though for both, this lags far behind traditional TV and print media sources and personal relationships.
  • More than 6 in 10 women believe online social networking sites increase the visibility of social issues and allow people to support causes more easily–this figure is significantly lower among men.
  • Women are also more likely than men to feel that social networking sites help them get the word out about a social issue or a cause.

However, women’s engagement in causes is not limited to the social media space. In fact, women expressed that only showing support to a cause on social networking sites is not enough: almost half of women think that “Everybody ‘likes’ causes on Facebook and it doesn’t really mean anything.”

Additionally, the survey revealed that the more historically prominent types of engagement (e.g., donating, learning more about the cause and signing a petition) remain the “most often” means of cause involvement for both women and men.

If you are interested in learning more, click here to download the full fact sheet and stay tuned as we continue to release additional findings from this study in the upcoming weeks:

  • May 31 – Cause Involvement by Ethnicity
  • June 13 – Cause Involvement by Generation
  • June 30 – Cause Involvement and Behavior Change
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Supporting Our Troops and Feeding the Hungry are the Top Causes for Americans

May 05

Category: Public Health, Social Marketing

The recent study, Dynamics of Cause Engagement, revealed that more Americans are involved with supporting our troops and feeding the hungry than any other causes or social issues today. Nearly two in five Americans affirmed to be personally involved with these causes. Health-related issues, such as breast cancer, diabetes and heart disease, also appear near the top of the list of causes in which Americans are most engaged.

 

The study conducted by Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide and Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication found that, when asked about the most prominent causes for 2011, survey respondents mentioned supporting our troops, feeding the hungry, bullying, childhood obesity, global warming and the Tea Party movement among the top causes.

Not surprisingly these causes are constantly on the headlines, indicating that Americans’ opinions over social issues seem to be highly influenced by the media.

However, the study revealed that “fame” or the perception of “prominence” does not always translate into the belief that a cause enjoys widespread support. Gay marriage ranked at the top of the list of causes that Americans feel society is less open to supporting, and global warming and the tea party movement, which also appeared high on the list of most prominent causes for 2011, also ranked among the top social issues that Americans believe society is less open to supporting.

Perhaps, the polarizing nature of these causes might be the drivers of their perceived notoriety?

 

And, speaking of attention drivers, Americans expressed that a cause needs more than a famous face behind it to garner attention. Although a carefully selected celebrity endorsement can play an important role in raising awareness, the study found that factors such as many people being affected by the issue, a timely event or tragedy, and children being impacted are considered more important attention drivers than celebrity involvement.

If you are interested in learning more, click here (http://www.ogilvypr.com/files/causes_release.pdf) and stay tuned as we continue to release additional findings from this study in the upcoming weeks:

  • May 16 – Cause Involvement by Gender
  • May 30 – Cause Involvement by Ethnicity
  • June 13 – Cause Involvement by Generation
  • June 27 – Cause Involvement and Behavior Change

 

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The Dynamics of Cause Engagement

Apr 19

Category: Behavior Change, Ogilvy Washington, Resources, Social Marketing, Social Media

How has the digital revolution changed the way Americans get involved with causes and social issues?

Illustration by Gerardo Obieta

Lately, we have seen a lot of discussion on the impact of digital media on cause involvement.  “Twitter revolution” and “slactivism” are terms that are now part of the social causes lexicon.

As in all good debates, different points of view have emerged.  Some believe that online activism creates loose ties which aren’t strong enough to propel signficant social movements; while others are advocates of the power of social media to create positive social change.

To add a new perspective to this debate, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide conducted a study in partnership with the Center for Social Impact Communication at Georgetown University to explore the current dynamics of cause engagement from the consumers’ standpoint.

The results of this study were presented for the first time last week at the 2nd World Non-profit and Social Marketing Conference in Dublin, Ireland.

Here are some of the key findings that we shared:

  • Tradition Reigns Supreme: Despite the increased efforts of organizations to engage supporters through social media, our research revealed that various promotional social media activities — such as joining cause groups, posting a logo on social networking sites, and writing on blogs — are most often not the first line of engagement with causes and issues.  Rather, the more historically prominent types of engagement (e.g., donating money, volunteering, learning more about the cause) remain the first and most often means of consumer involvement.
  • Strategic Social Media Can Broaden Engagement:  Although promotional social media activities may not be on top of the list of ways Americans currently engage with causes, consumers recognize the importance of social media in facilitating the support of causes:
    • 57% of Americans agree that online social networking sites allow people to support causes more easily; and
    • 40% feel they can get the word out about a social issue or cause through online social networks.
  • So-called Slactivists: More Active Than You May Think:  Contrary to the assumption that the support of causes through social media would preclude more significant contributions, our study found that Americans who selected a promotional social media activity among the ways in which they most often get involved with causes are:
    • Just as likely as non-social media cause supporters to donate money;
    • Twice as likely to volunteer as non-social media cause supporters; and
    • Twice as likely to participate in events and walks.

In fact, Americans who support causes through promotional social media are involved in a significantly higher number of engagement activities, revealing that social media activities are being added to the range of historically prominent types of cause engagement activities instead of replacing them.

Our study additionally found higher utilization of social media for engaging with causes among particular demographic segments, namely women, younger generations, African Americans, and Hispanics.

Surprised by the findings?  Please share your thoughts.

For more information on the study, click here and stay tuned for upcoming webinars.  We’ll be discussing the implications of the study for practitioners.

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Exciting Social Marketing Career Opportunities at Ogilvy

Feb 01

Category: Ogilvy Washington, Social Marketing, Social Media

Ogilvy Washington, headquarters to Ogilvy’s flagship Social Marketing Practice, is looking for social marketing experts at all levels.  For more information, visit http://careers.ogilvy.com.

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