You CAN Use Marketing to Change the World
Whereas commercial marketing often has comparatively simple goals, social marketing targets may be far more subtle and complicated.
A commercial marketer seeks only to influence a buyer into making a purchase, while social marketers are dealing with selling ideas and attitudes - targets such as encouraging the use of condoms or discouraging smoking or encouraging seat belt usage. These are far more complex issues and they have longer-term goals.
In the past, social marketing was seen as a tool to be used by non-profit organisations or governments. But there is now a growing realisation that large corporates have been created by society and must therefore serve it, not only profit from it.
Corporate Social Opportunities: Opportunities in Conflict Zones – Responsible Spoils of War
Trailblazing businesses have shown that their presence in war-torn territories can be a force for good, say David Grayson and Adrian Hodges…
For companies operating in conflict zones, such as Colombia, working through operational difficulties is a necessary part of doing business. There are other examples of companies that have discovered that corporate responsibility, social marketing and community engagement can be the means to overcome conflict-related operational difficulties…
The US institution Fund for Peace identifies 90 countries with above-average risk of violence, and most of them are suffering from “intra-state conflict” with economic, cultural, ethnic, religious or environmental roots. Most of them have poor rule of law, weak government and few resources.
The willingness and ability of the private sector to contribute to conditions that create economic development and promote reconciliation may prove critical to the normalisation of conditions in those countries. More firms will be able to make that contribution if they can see that by aligning core business activities with the special social and economic needs of conflict-zones they can help the prospects both of their business and of peace.
HPPC Plans More Evaluation for HIV Ads
A panel that oversees HIV prevention in the city [San Francisco] plans to increase how it evaluates the social marketing campaigns it funds with federal money…
The health department has also kicked off what it is calling "Project Storee," which stands for San Francisco Tells Our Real Experience Through Evaluation. According to the HPPC co-chairs' report issued last week, the project is designed to develop a "meaningful approach to evaluation." The project has several components, including evaluating who is being reached with what services by providers contracted to provide health education and risk reduction as well as prevention with positives, and a working group of HIV prevention section staff and providers who have been meeting over the last several months to develop a long-term plan for evaluation of HIV prevention in the city…
Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, director of the department's STD prevention and control section, told the council that social marketing campaigns are indeed needed but should be better evaluated to ensure they accomplish what they are meant to do. He said funders of these campaigns should know what outcomes are expected and what the plan is to evaluate the campaign.
"We should not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Social marketing campaigns done by professionals can have a significant impact and can be effective," he said. "Any evaluation should not be done by the funded entity but by a third party or other group that does rigorous evaluation."
Center Begins Outreach to Homeless Young People
After a year of needs assessment and research, the Cleveland LGBT Center has begun an outreach to homeless youth…
A van will head out every Thursday, making stops downtown and in the Ohio City neighborhood to offer help and services to homeless youth. Testing for HIV and other STDs will be provided, as well as other health care workers and a case manager…
Research is underway to determine the best way to advertise the program.
“We are launching a social marketing campaign and we are looking at what will yield the greatest results,” Major said. “We do have a budget for it, but we want to be good stewards with the money, so the biggest gain for the least expense will be important.”
She anticipates as many as 500 young people being served by the program in its first year.
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