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Social marketing can deliver outstanding results for public organisations. But is it a useful tool for private companies, asks Colin Shevills, social marketing expert at Porter Novelli |
Stop telling me what to do!
Social marketing is, according to the National Social Marketing Centre*:
“The systematic application of marketing, alongside other concepts and techniques, to achieve specific behavioural goals, for a social good.”
In other words, social marketing seeks to influence people to change their lifestyle for the better, whether that's for the goal of eradicating drink driving, tackling obesity or saving the planet from environmental disaster.
As a concept it has been around for some time. Every charity or government initiative that has sought to make people's lives better has often been termed social marketing, but could more accurately be called health promotion. But the difference between, say, the old Green Cross Code adverts and the modern strain of social marketing, is the attitude towards the customer.
Simply telling people what to do, no matter how creatively it's packaged, just doesn't work. What is needed is a customer-centric approach; the kind of approach that is second nature to successful brands.
This is an approach that uses a deep understanding of people's habits, predilections, lifestyles and social environment and delivers through the most appropriate channels: whether that's advertising, press, peer-to-peer networks or something entirely outside of traditional marketing. In other words, it's modern communications in all their glory and diversity, but applied to the social good.
The relevance of social marketing for the public sector is obvious. A major part of the remit of Government departments and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) is behaviour change, from getting the public to use less electricity to eating less fat and sugar.
Partnership matters
But what can be gained by private businesses? A company can have its own reasons for effecting behaviour change; for example, a sportswear brand has a vested interest in promoting an active lifestyle. Other companies may need to show they have a credible Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy, part of which could be encouraging their customers to recycle. Others may have a reputation for socially harmful products, and need to prove they are one of the 'good guys' by encouraging positive changes in behaviour.
On both sides, public and private, a partnership can often achieve the best results. Public organisations such as NGOs will acquire the marketing expertise (and budget) of a private business while the private company gains the integrity, passion and expertise of the public organisation. A partnership could range from a quick, tactical win lasting only months, to a long, strategic relationship lasting years. Whichever it is, a social marketing partnership should be subject to the same considerations as any other deal.
First, is your company a good fit with your partner? This doesn't necessarily mean you have brand values that are compatible or that you even appeal to the same audience. You simply have to have a singular set of results in mind. What kind of company are you - conservative or community-based? Is your mission to serve shareholders or do you care about the stakeholders in the wider community? Your partner's goals should be aligned with yours in respect to these goals, or, if they are not, you should at least both be honest and find a way to satisfy both of your needs. If your goals are truly aligned, then all kinds of unlikely partnerships can suddenly make sense.
Everyone's a winner
There are other occasions when the interests of both public and private sector can coincide. Pharmaceutical companies have been using the principles of social marketing for some time to raise awareness of health issues.
For example, one major pharmaceutical business ran a pilot programme in the North East of England designed to raise awareness of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a disease of the circulation which often goes undiagnosed and can prove fatal. More than that, they encouraged a change of behaviour - they wanted people to recognise that pain in the lower leg could be dangerous and they should go to see their GP. At the same time they educated healthcare professionals about the dangers of the condition.
The through-the-line marketing campaign proved to be extremely successful. Following the campaign there was a 12 per cent increase in patient referrals from community pharmacists and a 10 per cent increase in GP referrals to specialists. Overall, there was a 30 per cent increase in PAD patients seen over the six weeks of the campaign.
It is an approach which is particularly useful for companies with products in a market-leading position. It has not always been popular with the public sector, but as long as the programme is driven by the needs of the population and all available treatment options are communicated, it then produces a win-win situation.
* The National Social Marketing Centre, in association with The Chartered Institute of Marketing, is holding the World Social Marketing Conference in Brighton on 29 and 30 September 2008. For more information please see: www.tcp-events.co.uk/wsmc or telephone 01323 637 722. |
