Flying back from the World Social Marketing Conference in Dublin last week, I had an eight hour delay in Newark that gave me A LOT of time to think through everything I was exposed to at the conference. Between the keynotes, the seminars, the plenary sessions, and the debates, the amount of information shared was overwhelming, comprehensive, and interesting. But how to make sense of it all? I’m not sure I have, but it certainly has got me thinking.
A strong theme that emerged across many of the sessions I attended was about how to define social marketing, as well as the related question of whether social marketing needs to redefine itself.
On day two of the WSMC, in addition to many thought provoking sessions, we were surprised (and elated) when some of us got to meet the Dalai Lama in the lobby! But, back to the conference…this morning I attended a very interesting session on Social Marketing initiatives in Europe, featuring Professor Jeff French, founder and organizer of the conference, and Dr. Christine Domegan of the National University of Ireland, Galway. I caught up with them after for a quick interview on some of the session’s key takeaways. Check them out:
Day two of the World Social Marketing Conference proved to be as engaging as day one! In a session chaired by our own Michael Briggs this afternoon, Iain Potter of the Health Sponsorship Council in New Zealand spoke about how social marketers worry about over selling what we do and consequently under sell what is achieved and could be achieved. We asked him to summarize some key thoughts from his presentation.
At yesterday’s panel on environmental sustainability, Dr. Doug McKenzie-Mohr, President of McKenzie Mohr & Associates (Canada) discussed how community-based social marketing has proven to be highly effective in fostering the adoption of environmentally-friendly behaviors. He believes that in order to be successful, there are five important steps to follow:
The Marketing Mix, also known as the 4Ps of Social Marketing, is the combination of Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. Yesterday, we heard a very dynamic debate at WSMC on whether the 4Ps are still an important intervention tool for Social Marketing practitioners.
Sue Nelson, Social Marketing Director, Kindred (UK), and Clive Blair-Stevens, Director, Strategic Social Marketing (UK) argued to abandon the 4Ps, as they believe it has lost its practical application as technology and social media 2.0 have evolved. Mark Blayney Stuart, Head of Research, the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK) and Nancy Lee, President, Social Marketing Services, Inc. and University of South Florida/University of Washington, argued to retain the 4Ps as they believe it is an important tool that enable practitioners to speak in one voice and in one language. A vote was taken at the end of the debate in favor of keeping the 4Ps. Hear both sides of the debate below:
This post was originally posted to Ogilvy PR’s 360 Digital Influence’s Fresh Influence blog.
In recent weeks, many of our government clients have been asking if they should incorporate QR codes into their educational materials. This is great news as QR codes can be an excellent tool for connect citizens to government services and educational information while they are on the go. However, as with all new communication vehicles it is important to take a few things into consideration before deciding if QR codes are right for your agency.
Until recently, there was a low awareness of QR codes in the US, but has changed in recent months with nearly two thirds of adults having seen one of these codes and one third having used them. Big brands like Macy’s, Sephora and many others are integrating QR codes into their advertising, catalogs and retail experiences and are using their advertising cache to educate Americans about what these codes are and how to use them. This opens the door for other organizations like the government to capitalize on this awareness and start using QR codes.
The first question a government organization should ask themselves before launching a QR code intiative is, “Is my target audience using QR codes and smartphones?”. According to eMarketer statistics, the demographic profile of these QR code users is more educated and higher income than the general population. However, if minority populations are the target audience, QR codes may be a great options since minorities are much more likely than whites to own a smartphone capable of scanning and reading the codes.
Today marked the start of the of the 2nd World Non-Profit & Social Marketing Conference. Matt Escoubas and I had the opportunity to conduct FlipCam interviews with several presenters at the conclusion of their presentations. We’ll be posting our interviews on the Social Marketing exChange this week; I kick it off below with Dr. Jay Bernhardt on Social Marketing 2.0.
Dr. Jay Bernhardt (@jaybernhardt), Professor and Chair of Health Education and Behavior at the University of Florida, spoke at the opening plenary session on Social Marketing 2.0: the emergence of social marketing 2.0 strategies and the changing paradigm of “place” within the social marketing mix. According to Dr. Bernhardt, these channels and platforms such as participatory social media and mobile devices allow for increased and sustained reach and have the potential to revolutionize distribution channels by leveraging location and personalization. In other words, this allows us to put the “Product” it the “Right Place” and the “Right Time” for every customer. Here’s a quick recap from Dr. Bernhardt:
Stay tuned for more posts throughout the day and week. Join the conversation below or on Twitter with #WSMC.
Plug adapter–check! Snacks for the transAtlantic flight–check! Program for the World Social Marketing Conference downloaded to my laptop–check!
In just a few hours I’ll be joining my colleagues in Dublin for the 2nd World Social Marketing Conference. My colleagues have been posting about the great sessions we want to attend and the presentations that Ogilvy will be leading. Starting Monday, look for new posts here on the exChange where we will be sharing what we’ve been learning in Dublin.
If you just can’t wait for the posts, we will also be live-tweeting the sessions on Monday and Tuesday! Here’s a list of Ogilvy tweeple (heh) to follow:
There’s been a lot of great (and exciting) stories related to social health circulating around the interwebs this week. Here are a few I found most interesting:
JAMA Commentary on Games for Health: This commentary, from Dr. J. Leighton Read and Dr. Stephen Shortell, encourages practitioners, health care providers, and policy makers to place more attention on using gaming to promote behavior change. The authors argue that positive outcomes could come from channeling the already booming gaming industry.
More Evidence of Patients Seeking Information and Support Online: NPR’s Nancy Shute reports on patients with rare diseases using online communities, like Facebook, to seek out more information and support. Related, the Los Angeles Times’ Booster Shots reports on patients skipping the waiting list, instead using Facebook to find donors.
QR Code Best Practices for Gov 2.0: Ogilvy’s 360 Digital Influence team member Sarah Van Velsor provides best practices for government and QR codes. My favorite do: ensure that you have a QR code content strategy. While it’s great to be innovative, it’s more important to make sure you’re strategic and provide a pay-off or call to action when jumping into QR codes.
Moms Go Mobile: Ad Age reports on a new study from BabyCenter that becoming a mom is a trigger for embracing mobile devices. This provides further support for reaching moms with health information using mobile methods, whether it’s an SMS program like Text4Baby or developing an app to provide on-the-go tips for a healthy lifestyle.
What have you been reading? Share in the comments below and check back next week for another Friday Round-Up.
Is it possible to scare teenagers into becoming safer drivers? Plenty of well-meaning people thought so back in the 1950s, when high school drivers education programs began featuring films that showed the aftermath of violent car crashes, including shots of the victims. Characterized by noirish soundtracks and hardboiled narration, the films were created to present an unsentimental, unvarnished view of the terrible things that happened when drivers drove recklessly or without sufficient attention to the road.
Use of the films in high school classes has fluctuated over the past five decades, due at least in part to differing opinions about how well they work. Based on a Web search of recent research, experts tend to report that “scare tactics” don’t have a significant impact on convincing teens to drive more carefully. But there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence – including online responses to viral videos that utilize violence to send a message – that they do have some value.
One of those viral videos takes the realism and shock factor to a new level. Produced in the U.K. last year by Peter Watkins-Hughes in partnership with the Gwent police department, the 30 minute piece shows in graphic detail what happens in an accident caused by a teenaged girl who’s texting while driving. While the film was created for showing in drivers education classes, a four minute synopsized version posted on YouTube last year has been viewed millions of times (please note – the film is very graphic). Skim through the more than 3,000 comments (and try to ignore the dumb and vulgar) and you’ll find plenty of people – teens and adults – saying the film has made an impact and will stop them from texting and driving. This obviously isn’t scientific evidence – but it’s hard to argue with so many people asserting that after seeing the video they’ll “never” text and drive again.
But the video’s violence is only one component of its story. The driver survives and is completely lucid during the aftermath as she realizes her friends have died, and she’s forced to listen to the daughter of a victim in one of the other cars desperately begging her deceased father to “wake up.” The video ends with the teen driver being airlifted – as the only injured person to have survived – from the scene, and in the last seconds she shuts her eyes, as if the reality of what she has caused is too terrible to comprehend.
What’s happening is a clear introduction of the consequences of the driver’s actions; a visceral play on survivor guilt and of the realization that a young life that has been irrevocably and sadly changed. Consequences also play a significant role in “Every 15 Minutes,” a highly regarded and much more elaborate program being utilized by schools around the country. Taking place over a two day period, the program likewise features a dramatic and realistic reenactment of an accident but also engages teens with role-playing exercises that force them to imagine dying in an alcohol-related car crash – and living with the guilt and sadness in surviving one caused by their own actions. The program also engages parents, who write obituaries for their own children, which are read to the other students. This component of the program is especially significant given the role that parents – who are also key audiences for Ogilvy’s work for LG and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Parents Are the Key– play in influencing teen behaviors around driving.
Take a look at this NBC Today show clip of “Every 15 Minutes” in action, and you’ll see the unmistakably intense reactions from the young people who are participating.
The Statistics and Facts on Every 15 Minute’s website provides evidence (a decade old but still compelling) that the program is working. Which offers plenty of reason to consider the use of fear in our efforts to show young people the possible consequences of unsafe behavior instead of simply talking about them. As noted by Debra Munk, Principal of the school featured in the Today Show piece, “We can preach all we want, but when they actually see it and feel it – and they truly feel it – that’s when it has an impact.”
Do you know of other compelling efforts to promote teen safety? If so, feel free to add to the discussion!
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