Social Marketing in the News
This edition highlights four programs. The first is from Stuart Elliott’s In Advertising column that appears in the NYT. Though the “social marketing” words are never mentioned, I thought some readers might be interested in the tactics the Arizona Department of Health are using in their teen pregnancy reduction program. They are certainly up to the edge and it reflects a high degree of trust they must have in the agency they are working with – were that the case more often.
The second note is a follow-up article about the California teen sexual violence program also noted in the last Social Marketing in the News. Readers who work in media outreach might want to see how the press release (see September 14th note) compares with this rendition as it appeared in the Sacramento Bee (at least they kept the “social marketing” words in it).
The Governor of Illinois announces a social marketing campaign to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS among African Americans. Kudos to the folks in Illinois who have the words coming from the top!
Finally, though I usually do not cover PR for agencies who profess to use “social marketing” (as opposed to the programs they may be doing), I have included a release about RARE as many people in social marketing often ask about resources and programs where social marketing is addressing environmental and conservation issues. Here is an award winner.
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Word Up, Arizona
An innovative campaign for a state health department uses poetry for a prosaic purpose. The campaign is aimed at reducing the rate of teenage pregnancies in Arizona, which is the second highest in the country behind only Mississippi. The advertising, sponsored by the Arizona Department of Health Services, is aimed at teenage girls and their sex partners as well as parents.
The campaign, carrying the theme "Respect yourself," is created by an agency in Phoenix, Moses Anshell, and has a budget estimated at $440,000. It is scheduled to conclude its six-month run on Sunday.
The campaign is unusual for a couple of reasons. One is that the ads present their message - "Abstain or use a condom" - in the form of what is known as spoken-word poetry, as it is performed in competitions called poetry slams.
The other reason the campaign is unusual is its extensive use of nontraditional media, which includes cellphone text messaging, e-mail messages and the Internet in addition to more conventional media like television, radio, posters and billboards. Such media are, of course, mainstays of the teenagers at whom the campaign is aimed.
Sending a Strong Message: A campaign aims to cut sexual violence among young men
The posters all depict teenage couples in a familiar pose: clinging to one another.
One ad reads, "So when she was too drunk to decide, I decided we shouldn't."
Another says, "So when I paid for our date, she didn't owe me."
With messages like these and $3.4 million in federal funds, the state of California and the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault want to convince young men that sexual violence isn't cool before they reach an age when it may be too late.
Officials in Sacramento on Tuesday unveiled the social-marketing [sic] campaign, which has the slogan, "My strength is not for hurting." The effort is targeted at 14-to 18-year-olds, with the hope that the pervasive message will filter into youth culture.
Gov. Blagojevich Announces New HIV/AIDS Awareness Effort Targeting African Americans
In order to address alarming trends that show HIV/AIDS disproportionately impacting African Americans, [Illinois] Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today announced an expanded social marketing effort designed to reach the African-American community with education, prevention and testing.
The campaign is called BASUAH – (Brothers And Sisters United Against HIV/AIDS)- A Governor Blagojevich initiative to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS. Numerous media outlets statewide have agreed to partner with the State of Illinois to boost this effort geared toward the African-American community. The state will increase funding efforts ten-fold to $2.5 million, build media partnerships and form key partnerships with churches, colleges and South Africa to address this public health crisis.
Rare Enterprise in Mexico Wins Conde Nast Traveler Award
Rare – a U.S. based conservation organization – and its local partners in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula have been working for several years to build a sustainable ecotourism enterprise capable of competing with outside operators, while benefiting the local economy and environment. The result is Community Tours Sian Ka’an, which has recently been named to Conde Nast Traveler magazine’s “Green List” and is featured in the September 2005 issue. Unlike Conde Nast’s famous “Hot List” and “Gold List”—which highlight tourism locations with luxurious design or upscale clientele – the Green List features tour operations that provide equal benefit to the local economy, the environment, and the consumer.
Rare, a U.S. based conservation organization, works globally to equip people in the world's most threatened natural areas with the tools and motivations they need to care for their natural resources. Rare believes conservation is a social issue, as much as it is a scientific one. A lack of alternatives and awareness leads people to live in ways that are harmful to the environment. For thirty years, Rare has used social marketing campaigns, "edutainment" radio programs, and economic development solutions to make conservation attainable, desirable, and even profitable for people close enough to make a difference. Rare was named one of Fast Company magazine’s “Top 25 Social Capitalists” for 2005.
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