What students take away from the classes is one of my intermediate endpoints in teaching social marketing. A second is how well they do with their group projects that always address real-time issues and often involve real-life partners. The third one is whether they then move on to a professional career in social marketing (a little more time is needed to evaluate that one, but there is at least one so far!). SO to pass-on the feedback I receive from them about the ideas that resonate with them, a few more of their thoughts meant to provoke your own reflections.
Concept of “extraordinary normal” – this was new to me. People don’t want to be something totally different from what they see as possible; they strive for something just above what they see as mundane. We need to capitalize on these desires more in health, not just in the commercial sector.
Importance of the critical “takeoff zone” [in diffusion of innovations], where 15-20% of the population practices a behavior and it can spread by word of mouth. This is why the early adopters and early majority are so important.
Importance of social connections and connectedness in determining a person’s role in the diffusion of innovations. Convincing the laggards is hardest because of their attitudes but also because of their near-isolation.
INSIGHT! Exploratory research is not to confirm others’ research. You want to “change your world” by gaining invaluable insight into your audience.
Evaluations answer the “So what who cares.”
Co-presence – you are in reality and also in another co-present space. Ex. Watching a TV show with friends – and chatting online about it at the same time with an absent friend, or tweeting a conference. Digital natives are growing up with co-presence.
How do you create that co-presence as a marketer? Interesting thought. Will try to remember this one!
That the best brands are the consumers who tell the best stories is very striking - it reminds me of the concept of consumer evangelism and the importance of having a brand that engages the consumer. This also reinforces the idea that good marketers aren’t the ones who concentrate on sending the most creative messages, but good marketers are facilitators of communication amongst people…the second striking concept was being reminded that a brand is more than just a logo - it is how consumers think, feel, and identify with a brand. To consider branding just a logo is tantamount to considering marketing just promotion.
Technological literacy has become a new social determinant of health, as telehealth emerges as one of, if not the most, dominant means of health interaction with professionals. How will this further marginalize those with low literacy levels, or low SES?
The role of mobile technology is to enable, simplify, and navigate, not just to communicate. This is poorly understood or utilized by too many organizations, who are missing the boat on mobile technology. I think this is why Twitter has taken off. Companies missed Facebook, they missed MySpace, and now they saw Twitter early and wanted to make it the next big thing. Will corporate involvement on Twitter ultimately be its downfall?
Concept of “social franchising” – using a commercial model can be very successful. I think the franchise element builds trust, because there is an element of continuity, people know what to expect when they come into a MinuteClinic at CVS.
Behavioral Economics – people make decisions based on approximate rules of thumb or heuristics that makes things easier to think about – but these are not always rational decisions. Framing – the way a problem or a decision is presented to the decision maker will affect their course of action. Reward good stuff – remove rewards for bad stuff.
I had never heard the term digital immigrant (learning the technological world) vs. digital native (grew up using the web, other new technologies) – but after hearing it in class I started hearing and seeing it in all kinds of places.
Coalition-building takes years – this is something that organizations for whom I have worked attempted to do in months, if not weeks, and shortcomings were always attributed to unwillingness on the part of people, not on the fact that trust and relationships take time to build. Good message.
Trust is a price. Social capital builds assets and lowers cost. This trust becomes especially important when considering community development programs – who does the community already trust, and how can this be leveraged?
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