We spent four class sessions on each of the elements of the marketing mix: products, prices, places and promotion – such a great change from a presentation or workshop when I get to spend 5-10 minutes on the core ideas. There are social marketers who believe that the marketing mix needs to be expanded from these basic four to an even larger set of Ps. My advice: get comfortable and facile with the core 4 first.
The 3 Layers of the Product:
Inner layer: core product/the benefit of it;
Middle layer: actual product/specific behavior;
Outer layer: augmented product/objects, services and programs tied to product.
Question: does the success of the product (and its launch) rest on whether or not it addresses or is comprised of all three layers? Is it imperative to have all three layers? Bottom line: Must unearth the person’s personal benefit they think it has in order to yield behavior change (example: drug IV users using clean, sterile needles in order to prevent HIV spread, benefit? Keeps drug users healthy to continue in drug use).
Good quote: “If people like buying your product, it’s because its story helps fill in the gaps in their own lives.”
Coca-Cola and many other corporations modify their product in order to meet cultural trends and consumer desires (such as 100 calorie Coca-Coal drinks in response to the anti-obesity initiatives)…the public health field needs to be as sensitive and flexible to consumer’s desires in order to get the consumer to buy our “product” – the intended behavior change?
When cost is low and promoted action benefit the individual, change is relevantly easy; when cost is high and promoted action benefits the society, change is difficult.
PH field needs to get better at increasing incentives rather than just focusing on barriers.
Social marketers can never forget that every new behavior has an opportunity cost which should be figured in the “price” variable of the marketing mix.
Distribution is a business of people. It depends on people to happen.
Three dissemination strategies: organizational, principles, and program. I often forget the organizational part.
Support time and energy for discovery, testing, networking, adapting, monitoring and preserving the past.
“Easy, Fun and Popular” - Bill Smith (AED)
Is there EASY access to the services I’m offering?
How much FUN is the product I’m offering?
How POPULAR is the product?
“The Tipping Point” – Three types of people needed for dissemination team: connector, maven, and salesperson. The connector puts people together. The maven connects people through knowledge. The salesperson uses knowledge to engage and persuade.
Marketing strategies are essentially the answers to the questions: “Why are we doing this and how are we going to achieve it?” centered around the Marketing Mix of Product, Placement, Pricing and Promotion.
It is challenging for many but critical to think of strategy (one big, unifying idea) before individual tactics.
I hate to admit that your comment about cyberspace being somewhere we live rings true for me. I am probably 50 times more likely to read about a piece of news on my computer screen or listen to it stream from my speakers than to read about it in a paper or on TV.
“Ubiquity is the new exclusivity.”
Craig Lefebvre showed the class some very creative social marketing campaigns, such as the CDC’s use of Whyville, an online community to market flu vaccines to children. Although the marketers gave up some measure of control (when children can intentionally catch the flu in order to infect as many people as possible) they were successful in producing the desired virtual behavior change in that children sought vaccination. Other fantastic places that social marketing can take place are MySpace and Second Life whereby people can interact with the messages social marketers are disseminating. Am I a young dinosaur for not knowing about Whyville and Second Life before this class?! I feel ancient.
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