Positioning social marketing as a planning process for health education

American Journal of Health Studies, Spring-Summer, 2003 by Brad L. Neiger, Rosemary Thackeray, Michael D. Barnes, James F. McKenzie

The quantitative and qualitative processes of collecting audience data in social marketing constitute formative research, which, as defined by Bryant (1998), includes the segmentation process and identifying the wants and needs of the segment as well as factors that influence its behavior, including benefits, barriers, and readiness to change. Identifying the wants and needs of the target audience, as well as challenges, likes, dislikes, and fears related to a health problem and its determinants, is labeled consumer analysis in the SMART Model (Neiger & Thackeray, 1998), consumer orientation by Lefebvre and Flora (1988), and formative research by Bryant.).

Formative research is also defined broadly to include other factors related to an audience segment. For example, market analysis (see the SMART Model), in part, establishes the marketing mix. The marketing mix or 4 Ps, a hallmark of social marketing, includes product, price, place, and promotion. A product can include ideas and behavior changes (Flora, Schooler, & Pierson, 1997; Lefebvre & Flora, 1988), or something offered to the consumer to satisfy a want or need (Wilson & Olds, 1991). Examples may include educational programs, screenings, environmental changes, self-care programs, etc. Price is the barrier(s) or cost(s) that may prevent the consumer from taking action (Bloom & Novelli, 1981). Costs can include money, time, opportunity, energy (Kotler & Zaltman. 1971), social, behavioral, geographic, physical, structural, psychological factors (Flora et al.), and convenience or pleasure (Siegel & Doner, 1998).

Price considerations include the exchange theory. Exchange theory in marketing is defined as the transfer or trade of something of value between two parties (Flora et al., 1997). It can include giving up one behavior in exchange for something else (Hastings & Haywood, 1991). The exchange emphasis is on voluntary exchange (versus coercion), and should emphasize the benefits to the consumer by participating in the exchange (Lefebvre & Flora, 1988). Closely related to the concept of exchange is positioning. In social marketing, positioning is the process of showing key benefits of the product relative to the competition (Weinreich, 1999). Positioning allows consumers to clearly see exchange benefits.

Place is where the product can be obtained (Kotler & Zaltman, 1971). It involves identifying ways to reach the consumer (Hasting & Haywood, 1991) and make the product available to the consumer (Wilson & Olds, 1991). The place can also be considered where the consumer puts motivation into action (Kotler & Zaltman, 1971).

Promotion encompasses the communication strategies, tactics, and the means used to communicate with the consumer (Hastings & Haywood, 1991). It includes advertising, personal selling, publicity, sales, and promotion (Kotler & Zakman, 1971). Channel analysis, explicitly labeled in two models in Table 1, and implicitly in the others, is related to promotion. It involves selecting effective and efficient methods of reaching each audience segment, finding out where and how audience members get their information, and how to use appropriate channels to distribute a message, product, or program (Weinreich, 1999).