On Social Marketing and Social Change

Three Social Marketing Conferences for Global Trekkers

The global nature of social marketing shows in the recent announcements of 3 conferences on 3 continents in the next 18 months. Here's a quick rundown with links to the conferences' websites.

The University of South Florida’s Social Marketing in Public Health Conference & Training Academy will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary on 11-14 June 2010. The conference theme is Milestones in Social Marketing: Past, Present, and Future and will feature special plenary session speaker Philip Kotler, PhD. The University of South Florida and our partner, AED, are excited for the opportunity to reflect on the past 20 years and appreciate the countless people who have contributed to the sustenance and nurturing of the conference. We anticipate that the 2010 conference will provide participants with a unique and memorable experience. The conference is designed for social marketers, public health professionals, health educators, and program administrators who plan programs for a variety of settings, such as the CDC, state/local health departments, public health agencies, and non-profit organizations, among others. Sessions are offered for researchers, practitioners, and students. Abstracts are being accepted for review until 18 Januray 2010. For more information.

Queensland University of Technology and Griffith University will host the 2010 International Nonprofit & Social Marketing Conference on 15-16 July 2010 in Brisbane, Australia. The theme of this conference will be Connecting Thought and Action. Abstracts for this conference are being accepted until 15 February 2010. Headliners for this conference include Gerard Hastings and yours truly. For more information.

The 2nd World Non-Profit and Social Marketing Conference will take place in Dublin, Ireland, 11-12 April 2011. It will bring together those interested in applying strategic communications, marketing and behaviour change methodology to solve key social challenges.

Themes that will be used to structure the conference key notes, parallel programme and workshops include:

• Rational and Non rational behaviour and how to influence it

• Intersectoral collaboration to tackle behavioural challenges

• Global learning systems including the new Global Social Marketing Network

The 2nd World Conference will be structured to encourage the maximum amount of group and social networking. As well as key note presentations by leading experts and thinkers the conference will include, a market place to swap and share ideas and projects, a chance to meet the gurus, a poster presentation area, a full workshop and seminar programme, and an extensive exhibition area. Additionally, a social programme is being designed to ensure that delegates coming alone or for the first time will be supported to interact with many other delegates as well as have a great time in a wonderful city. For more information.

So make your plans early and get those abstracts in. See you in Clearwater Beach, Brisbane and Dublin!

USF Field School on Social Marketing

Registration is still open for courses offered in the Social Marketing Field School at the University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 4-8 January 2010. Join over 60 of your colleagues who will start 2010 by exploring (and warming up too):

Introduction to Social Marketing with Ms. Nancy Lee

This course is designed to give students a thorough orientation to the discipline of social marketing and specific applications in public health as well as environmental protection. It is appropriate for current and future practitioners in the public health field and other public sector disciplines. Class sessions will combine didactic presentations with group discussions and in-class exercises.

Focus Group Research Strategies with Dr. Richard Krueger

This course is an intensive overview of focus group procedures in the public and non-profit environment. Attention will be placed on question development, moderator skills, analysis strategies and planning critical logistical details of focus group interviews, and analyzing results of focus group interviews. The course will examine unique methodological characteristics of focus group interviews, identify emerging trends, and explore areas of appropriate and inappropriate use.

Designing Social Marketing Programs with Dr. Craig Lefebvre

Participants in this course will learn how to use social marketing to design public health and social change programs. The course will use a people-centered approach that relies on insight and empathy as much as on data for program development. We will explore learning and behavior change in a social context as much as in an individual one. The course will emphasize the context of the everyday lives of people, the competition for ‘space’ in their lives, and the 4P's marketing framework as a tool to address public health problems. We will adapt design thinking methodologies to complement the marketing planning process and learn to engage people to develop programs that are more effective, efficient, equitable and sustainable than existing solutions. PREREQUISITE: Introduction to Social Marketing or comparable experience.

More information is available at www.cme.hsc.usf.edu/fsjan

The Nefarious Uses of Rodeos for Tobacco Marketing

An article to be published in the American Journal of Public Health reports:

We used previously secret tobacco industry documents to examine the history and internal motivations for tobacco company rodeo sponsorship. Rodeos allow tobacco companies to reach rural audiences and young people, enhance brand image, conduct market research, and generate positive press. Relationships with athletes and fans were used to fight proposed restrictions on tobacco sports sponsorship. Rodeo sponsorship was intended to enhance tobacco sales, not the sport.

[GASP] They had to go to 'once secret documents' to discover this? Maybe a (good) marketing course should be required for all public health people - it could save years of people's lives, including those of the academics.

It's been 3 years since I talked about looking for rodeos - still haven't heard that the ice hockey angle for flu shots has been played yet (more evidence is needed?).

Spend more time looking for the opportunities rather than creating the perfect message.

Source: Ling, PM, Haber, LA & Wedl, S.. Branding the rodeo: A case study of tobacco sports sponsorship. American Journal of Public Health, 2010;100:32-41.