Effective Social Marketing Campaigns Research Articles

Selling hope versus hate: the impact of partisan social media messaging on social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThis study aims to examine the role of hope and hate in political leaders’ messages in influencing liberals versus conservatives’ social-distancing behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the increasing political partisanship across the world today, using the appropriate message framing has important implications for social and public policy.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use two Natural Language Processing (NLP) methods – a pretrained package (HateSonar) and a classifier built to implement our supervised neural network-based model architecture using RoBERTa – to analyze 61,466 tweets by each US state’s governor and two senators with the goal of examining the association between message factors invoking hate and hope and increased or decreased social distancing from March to May 2020. The authors examine individuals’ social-distancing behaviors (the amount of nonessential driving undertaken) using data from 3,047 US counties between March 13 and May 31, 2020, as reported by Google COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports and the New York Times repository of COVID-19 data.FindingsThe results show that for conservative state leaders, the use of hate increases nonessential driving of state residents. However, when these leaders use hope in their speech, nonessential driving of state residents decreases. For liberal state leaders, the use of hate displays a directionally different result as compared to their conservative counterparts.Research limitations/implicationsAmid the emergence of new analytic techniques and novel data sources, the findings demonstrate that the use of global positioning systems data and social media analysis can provide valuable and precise insights into individual behavior. They also contribute to the literature on political ideology and emotion by demonstrating the use of specific emotion appeals in targeting specific consumer segments based on their political ideology.Practical implicationsThe findings have significant implications for policymakers and public health officials regarding the importance of considering partisanship when developing and implementing public health policies. As partisanship continues to increase, applying the appropriate emotion appeal in messages will become increasingly crucial. The findings can help marketers and policymakers develop more effective social marketing campaigns by tailoring specific appeals given the political identity of the consumer.Originality/valueUsing Neural NLP methods, this study identifies the specific factors linking social media messaging from political leaders and increased compliance with health directives in a partisan population.

P119 Mass Media as a Means of Engagement and Reach During Alcohol Free for 40 (AFF40)

<h3>Objective</h3> To report the process evaluation findings as it relates to mass media methods used to recruit and engage participants in Alcohol Free for 40 (AFF40). <h3>Use of Theory or Research</h3> The social marketing theory was used to promote voluntary behavior change and promote health strategies for participant adoption. Effective social marketing campaigns used a variety of medias such as social, mass, and digital. <h3>Target Audience</h3> Adults 21 and older looking to abstain from alcohol to improve their overall health. <h3>Program Description</h3> AFF40 is an annual 40-day voluntary alcohol abstinence challenge that is hosted by the Ochsner Eat Fit^TM team of registered dietitians. Participants are challenged to abstain from alcohol consumption for 40 days to promote better health. Strategic planning is used to develop, implement, and evaluate media content (recruitment and program related) across multiple communication channels. <h3>Evaluation Methods</h3> Process evaluation included the tracking of reach, engagement rates, impressions, reactions, downloads, and pageviews from multiple media sources. <h3>Results</h3> During the four months of recruitment and program implementation, the AFF40 Facebook and Instagram pages published 62 posts, reached 104,080 people, recorded 530 new page follows, and had an engagement rate of 6.97% (engagement/reach*100). The AFF40 Facebook group had 934 active members and 4,189 reactions. The AFF40 website registered 719 unique pageviews and the Ochsner blog resulted in 4,796 unique pageviews across six alcohol related articles. Print media garnered 750,000 impressions across 3 newspaper articles. A 2-month span of radio segments (5 times per day each week) added 276,500 impressions. Six television news segments aired with indeterminable reach. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Using technology in the form of mass media allowed for wide participant reach and program engagement in AFF40. Future community-based program efforts may consider the use of multiple communication channels in recruiting, engaging, and disseminating program information. We believe the use of multiple channels, rather than singular, was key to program success in promoting behavior change. <h3>Funding</h3> Ochsner Health

Motivating Seasonal Influenza Vaccination and Cross-Promoting COVID-19 Vaccination: An Audience Segmentation Study among University Students.

In the response to the coronavirus pandemic, much attention has been invested in promoting COVID-19 vaccination. However, the impact of seasonal influenza should not be neglected, particularly during the winter influenza surge. Currently, most influenza vaccination campaigns target at healthcare workers or high-risk population groups, while COVID-19 vaccination programmes are targeting the whole population as a single homogeneous group. There is limited research on the promotion of influenza vaccination for university students who study, live, and socialise in close contact with a large variety of people on campus, resulting in a low vaccination rate among this underserved group. Thus, a vaccination programme tailored for university students should be developed to increase protection against influenza-like illnesses and complications, and to help achieve herd immunity across populations who spread viruses. WHO has advocated the potential value of social marketing in vaccination campaigns and highlighted the need for audience segmentation as a major prerequisite component of intervention design. This study aims to identify distinct and homogeneous groups of university students based on sociodemographic, psychographic, and behavioural attributes to inform interventions. Two-step cluster analysis was applied in a sample size of 530 university students and revealed four segments that demonstrate statistically significant differences in their attitudes, behaviours, intentions, and responses to promotion messages about seasonal influenza and COVID-19 vaccination. The findings provide a detailed understanding of segment characteristics among university students that can be applied to develop an effective social marketing campaign that can motivate influenza vaccination and cross-promote uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Effective Social Marketing Campaign Can Promote Family Medicine Clinics Utilization: An Intervention Trial

BACKGROUND: Although it is well established that family medicine/primary care is the backbone of a successful healthcare system, family medicine clinics (FMC) services are still underutilized. Social marketing can be used as an effective approach to increase people’s awareness and change their attitude and behaviors related to primary care then promote service utilization. AIM: The objective of this study is to detect the causes of underutilization of FMC services and to study the role of a social marketing campaign on increasing the utilization of these services. METHODS: This is an experimental study where 1120 participants attending the primary health care center were interviewed pre- and post-campaign to assess the rates of FMC services utilization and the causes of underutilization. A 3 months social marketing campaign was held through internal and external marketing seminars then evaluating the campaign effect through service output indicators and comparing questionnaires’ results pre- and post-campaign. RESULTS: Underutilization of FMC services was caused mainly by the lake of knowledge about the presence of service (94.9%) and this decreased postcampaign to be (75.9%). The new patients attending the FMC increased from 61 to 2093, the frequency of weekly visits of the regular attenders increased by 32% and the number of new files opened post-campaign increased by 56%. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: Social marketing is a successful technique to increase the utilization of the services provided by FMC. According to the results, it is recommended to promote social marketing activities to increase awareness of the FMC services and improve its utilization.

Exploration of the Factors Influencing Attitudes to Breastfeeding in Public.

Negative attitudes toward breastfeeding in public have consistently been identified as a key barrier to breastfeeding continuation. In order to design effective social marketing campaigns to improve public attitude toward breastfeeding in public, it is critical to identify segments of the population who are less likely to support this activity, their underlying reasons, and the medium through which they can be reached. The aims were to (a) identify the underlying dimensions that drive acceptance or opposition to breastfeeding in public, (b) test whether specific population segments were more or less likely to support breastfeeding in public, and (c) identify suitable media outlets to reach them. A cross-sectional survey testing agreement with 60 statements was administered online between May 2016 and May 2017 and was completed by 7190 respondents. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify 12 dimensions driving acceptance or opposition to breastfeeding in public. The influence of demographics and media consumption on attitudes toward breastfeeding in public was tested using Welch's t tests and one-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs). Acceptance of breastfeeding in public was found to differ with gender, age, religion, and parental and breastfeeding status, but not household income. Support for breastfeeding in public also varied with media consumption habits. This work lays the foundation to design effective social marketing campaigns aimed at increasing public support for breastfeeding in public.

Evaluation of sport participation objectives within a health-focussed social marketing sponsorship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically test O’Reilly and Madill’s (2012) process model to assess social marketing elements of a multi-year partnership between Coca-Cola Canada and a physical activity microgrant program, known as Teen Challenge, managed by ParticipACTION, a Canadian not-for-profit organization that champions sport and physical activity participation. ParticipACTION’s Teen Challenge is a multi-year initiative that was developed in 2008 and involves over 5,800 community organizations (COs) and over 500,000 Canadian teens across the nation (ParticipACTION, 2016). Design/methodology/approach A series of ten hypotheses related to the evaluation are tested using longitudinal data from event participants over a five-year period from 2009 to 2013. Findings The study revealed that sponsor and sponsee shared objectives around sport participation, including the three found in this study. Practically, this is a positive result for sport participation properties who might now consider this as part of a sponsorship sales strategy. The research found that both Coca-Cola Canada and ParticipACTION have the following shared objectives in this particular sponsorship: motivate and support youth to get active and live a healthy life; remove barriers that youth face in getting physically active; and encourage more COs to be involved in the program. Conceptually, this finding extends the discussion of shared social marketing objectives in sponsorship proposed by Madill and O’Reilly (2010). Research limitations/implications The findings support the sponsorship literature, in suggesting that shared objectives among sponsorship partners are important for the sponsorship to achieve successful outcomes (Cornwell et al., 2001). Shared sponsorship objectives can be utilized as a strategic tool for the sponsee to demonstrate the effectiveness of the program and to build a long-term relationship. The results of the logistic regression analysis indicate that COs which viewed partners’ collaboration as positive agreed that the Teen Challenge program made physical activity more accessible and affordable for youth. Practical implications This study provides several important implications for non-profit organizations that aim to establish an effective social marketing campaign. One way for non-profit organizations to build a strong relationship with sponsors was through positive collaboration where the two partners work together (e.g. activation) to maximize the sponsorship’s effectiveness. First, it increased youth participation in the Teen Challenge program and made it affordable for teens to participate in other physical activity programs. Second, it enhanced Coca-Cola’s image as supporters of active lifestyle in the eyes of COs. Finally, it affected the likelihood that COs would recommend the program. Social implications Results of the survey of COs that are registered with the program provides us with another important finding that positive partner collaboration is only one component of overall effectiveness. Another component would be to take action to communicate to COs that positive collaboration indeed took place in the sponsorship. One way to achieve this goal is to demonstrate to COs the importance of funding that the sponsor provides as well as the impact of sponsorship partners’ positive collaboration on the overall program. The authors also found that sponsorship partners’ positive collaboration in the delivery of the Teen Challenge program played an important role in whether COs recommend the program to others. Originality/value The results of this research contribute to the evaluation of the sponsorship of a health-oriented social marketing sponsorship of a sport participation property or sponsee (ParticipACTION) and a major brand as sponsor (Coca-Cola).

PENGARUH DRIVE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY, COLLECTIVISM DAN SUBJECTIVE NORM TERHADAP BEHAVIORAL INTENTION PENGGUNAAN REUSABLE BAG

The purpose of the research is to examine the effect of driver for environmental responsibility, collectivism and subjective norm on behavioral intention in using reusable bag. This was a quantitative survey using a total sample of 282 respondents. Data were analyzed by using multiple regression method in order to test the hypotheses. Findings of the research revealed that driver for environmental responsibility and subjective norm were two strong predictors for behavioral intention in using reusable bag. However, there was no significant effect of collectivism on behavioral intention. The study contributes to the literature of pro-environmental behavior and its antecedents as well as suggestions for policy makers and retailers to design effective social marketing campaign to promote pro-environmental behavior, which is using reusable bag.

Validation of a scale of health beliefs about type 1 diabetes for the Mexican context: HBM-T1DM

To generate a scale to measure health beliefs among Mexican adolescents and young people with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) to determine the extent to which they affect adherence to treatment and to be able to develop more effective social marketing campaigns. Based on the Health Belief Model (HBM), a scale was generated; three field tests were applied, and it was administered in two regions of Mexico to young people with type 1 diabetes.Tests of reliability, stability, convergence-discrimination and predictive validity were developed. The main predictor is perceived barriers to treatment adherence, followed by self-efficacy to disease control, susceptibility/vulnerability to disease complications and perceived benefits of treatment. This scale may be especially useful for better monitoring young Mexican patients with T1DM and prevent sequelae of disease.

The Stigma of Mental Illness: Using Segmentation for Social Change

Despite the unequivocal incidence and burden that mental illnesses place on the world, those with mental illness remain not only neglected but also deeply stigmatized across societies. The stigma that surrounds mental illness serves as a barrier to treatment and recovery, leading to serious negative consequences such as school failure, job loss, and suicide. While many large-scale social marketing efforts have found some success in reducing stigma, we contend that the recommended approaches, which utilize the input of people with mental illness and those close to them, are inadequate and that a deeper understanding of those who stigmatize is needed. This research first provides a comprehensive examination of the components that comprise stigma and then uses these components to segment the general population. The authors then present recommendations based on differences in the endorsement of stigma among these segments to inform policy and advocacy groups in developing more varied and potentially more effective social marketing campaigns.

Improving gestational weight gain and breastfeeding promotion: Visual communication to overcome health literacy barriers

Maternal and infant outcomes in the US rank among the worst in the developed world. Too-little or too-much weight gain during pregnancy is linked to these poor outcomes and failure to initiate breastfeeding. Despite interventions, these remain public health concerns. Two important elements to improve public health efforts include greater attention to audience's levels of health literacy and increased use of effective visual communication. The purpose of this research was to investigate linking two related issues to improve health promotion efforts. A survey covered knowledge, beliefs, and opinions of weight gain during pregnancy, breastfeeding practices, and perceptions of visual information. Four conditions were implemented: a control group which received no promotional material, a group which received a gestational weight gain brochure, a group which received a breastfeeding brochure, and a group that received a brochure that combined gestational weight gain and breastfeeding information. A total of n = 83 women participated, the majority of which were mothers or soon-to-be-mothers. Results indicate the combined gestational weight gain and breastfeeding brochure did not achieve greater impact among participants, but did not detract from participant's opinions in comparison to the single-issue brochures. Participants identified more with materials that included breastfeeding information. This study incorporated principles essential to effective social marketing campaigns – attractive visuals and clear communication – to improve beliefs and knowledge about appropriate gestational weight gain and breastfeeding practices. Given the substantial health benefits of these practices, this investigation calls for continued development of creative approaches to engage women in these health issues.

Eliciting positive social change: marketing’s capacity to drive prosocial behaviours

Purpose – While social marketing has been utilised to bring about positive social change, ultimately, the decision to engage in prosocial behaviour resides with the individual. The purpose of this paper is to explore the determinants and outcomes of prosocial behaviours. Design/methodology/approach – A web-based self-administered survey was used to collect data from a convenience sample of largely university staff and students. Data obtained were analysed using SEM-based partial least squares methodology. Findings – The results show that individuals who are future oriented and issue involved are more likely to engage in prosocial behaviour. Also, these individuals are more likely to assess fewer negative consequences and experience more positive feelings as a result of their prosocial behaviour. Research limitations/implications – While the study focuses on two social issues, it does provide some explanation of self-reported behaviour, rather than intention to behave. However, future research could pay attention to a wider array of social issues and undertake post hoc testing to measure the characteristics of the chosen social issues. This may enhance findings, and provide greater support for the generalisability of the model. Also, future research could be directed towards the examining the role of perceived risk and feelings as an outcome of behaviour. Practical implications – A better understanding of the prosocial individual can assist in designing more effective social marketing campaigns. In particular, focusing on positive feelings as a result of engaging in prosocial behaviour has practical implications. Originality/value – Little attention has been given in the marketing and consumer behaviour literature to understanding the prosocial individual. To this end, this research empirically tests a model of prosocial behaviour for two social issues that integrates determinants (social responsibility, time orientation and issue involvement) and outcomes (assessment of negative consequences and feelings). Moreover, the results highlight that positive feelings are a significant outcome of prosocial behaviour.

Is removing blood donation barriers a donation facilitator?

Purpose – The aim of this study was to assess whether the removal of blood donation “barriers” facilitates blood donation intentions, using a sample of African migrants, and to identify the implications for social marketing. African migrants are currently under-represented as blood donors in Australia. Some members of the African community have unique donation needs that can only be served by this community. Design/methodology/approach – Interviews were conducted with 425 people from the African community in Victoria and South Australia. Factor analysis was performed on the barriers and the removal of barriers. Item groupings for both constructs differed, suggesting that barriers and their removal are not necessarily opposite constructs. Findings – The cultural society factor was negatively associated with blood donation intention (i.e. a barrier), whereas engagement and overcoming fear were positively associated with blood donation intention (i.e. facilitators). Cultural issues and lack of understanding were not seen to impede blood donation. Additionally, the removal of cultural barriers did not facilitate increases in blood donation intentions. Thus, the removal of barriers may not be sufficient on their own to encourage donation. Research limitations/implications – This only examines the issue with regards to whether the removal of barriers is a facilitator of blood donation with one group of migrants, and relationships may vary across other migrant and non-migrant groups. Practical implications – Policymakers often use social marketing interventions to overcome barriers as a way of facilitating blood donation. This research suggests that removing barriers is indeed important because these barriers impede people considering becoming blood donors. However, the findings also suggest that the removal of barriers is insufficient on its own to motivate blood donations (i.e. the removal of barriers is a hygiene factor). If this is the case, social marketing campaigns need to be multifaceted, removing barriers as well as leveraging facilitators, simultaneously. Social implications – This work identified that the impact of barriers and their removal may facilitate effective social marketing campaigns in differing ways, in the context of blood donation. Originality/value – How barriers and their removal impact social marketing activities (i.e. blood donation behaviour) has generally not been explored in research.

Best practices in social marketing among Aboriginal people

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify, summarize and assess literature focused on developing social marketing programs for Aboriginal people. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted a literature search and review of research papers concerning social marketing and Aboriginal populations over the period 2003-2013. Findings – The research reveals very little published research (N = 16). The literature points to a wide range of findings including the importance of segmenting/targeting and avoiding pan-Aboriginal campaigns; cultural importance of family and community; the importance of multi-channels; universal value of mainstream and Aboriginal media outlets, use of print media, value of elders and story-telling for message dissemination; increasingly important role of Internet-based technology; need for campaign development to reflect Aboriginal culture; and importance of formative research to inform campaign development. Social implications – Considerable research is warranted to better develop more effective social marketing campaigns targeted to Aboriginal audiences to improve health outcomes for such groups across the globe. Originality/value – This paper provides a baseline foundation upon which future social marketing research can be built. It also acts as a call to action for future research and theory in this important field.

Promoting functional foods as acceptable alternatives to doping: potential for information-based social marketing approach

BackgroundSubstances with performance enhancing properties appear on a continuum, ranging from prohibited performance enhancing drugs (PED) through dietary supplements to functional foods (FF). Anti-doping messages designed to dissuade athletes from using PEDs have been typically based on moralising sport competition and/or employing scare campaigns with focus on the negative consequences. Campaigns offering comparable and acceptable alternatives are nonexistent, nor are athletes helped in finding these for themselves. It is timely that social marketing strategies for anti-doping prevention and intervention incorporate media messages that complement the existing approaches by promoting comparable and acceptable alternatives to doping. To facilitate this process, the aim of this study was to ascertain whether a single exposure knowledge-based information intervention led to increased knowledge and subsequently result in changes in beliefs and automatic associations regarding performance enhancements.MethodsIn a repeated measure design, 115 male recreational gym users were recruited and provided with a brief information pamphlet on nitrite/nitrate and erythropoietin as a comparison. Measures of knowledge, beliefs and automatic associations were taken before and after the intervention with at least 24 hours between the two assessments. The psychological tests included explicit measures of beliefs and cognitive attitudes toward FF and PED using a self-reported questionnaire and computerised assessments of automatic associations using the modified and shortened version of the Implicit Association Test.ResultsThe information based intervention significantly increased knowledge (p < 0.001), changed explicit beliefs in specific FF (p < 0.001) and shifted the automatic association of FF with health to performance (p < 0.001). Explicitly expressed beliefs and automatic associations appear to be independent.ConclusionEvidence was found that even a single exposure to a persuasive positive message can lead to belief change and can create new or alter existing associations - but only in the specific domain. Interventions to change outcome expectations in a positive way could be a rewarding avenue for anti-doping. Effective social marketing campaigns for drug free sport should follow appropriate market segmentation and use targeted messages via promoting the natural form as opposed to the purified form of the main active ingredient.

Understanding Health Behavior: An Integrated Model for Social Marketers

Many effective social marketing campaigns seek to change health-related behavior by utilizing various health-protective behavioral theories. In this article, we review and integrate three such theories: protection motivation theory (PMT), the extended parallel process model (EPPM), and the transtheoretical model (TTM). We highlight how EPPM and TTM can be used to refine PMT by adding insight into the decision-making process involved when consumers consider whether or not to follow a particular recommended health behavior. Specifically, the development of an integrated PMT model can provide insight into the characteristics of people more or less likely to change, what happens when persuasion fails, and what can be done to increase persuasion. Developing an integrated PMT model opens new avenues of research that have the potential to increase our understanding of behavior and assist in creating more persuasive social marketing campaigns.

Positive cueing: Promoting sustainable consumer behavior by cueing common environmental behaviors as environmental

People frequently fail to see themselves as environmentally conscious consumers; one reason for this is that they are oftentimes prone to dismissing their more common ecological behaviors (e.g., avoid littering) as non-diagnostic for that particular self-image. The cueing of commonly performed ecological behaviors as environmentally friendly (what we call positive cueing) renders both cued and non-cued common ecological behaviors more diagnostic for the inference of pro-environmental attitudes (Study 1). As a result, positive cueing increases the likelihood that people will see themselves as consumers who are concerned with the degree to which their behavior is environmentally responsible (Study 2). The cueing of common ecological behaviors leads participants to choose environmentally friendly products with greater frequency, and even to use scrap paper more efficiently (Study 3). We discuss the implications for effective social marketing campaigns.

Peer Power

Peer Power is an innovative school-based program that trains high school students as health educators and mentors for middle school students. The program was designed to produce positive health behavior changes in youth and reduce long-term incidence of chronic diseases of the heart and lung. This program, developed at the Management Academy for Public Health, has been successful in receiving grant funds and has demonstrated positive behavioral changes in youth in the areas of physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco use. Peer Power has far exceeded the anticipated outcomes and proven to be a catalyst for improved health behaviors throughout the community. Positive unintended consequences of Peer Power include the development of an effective social marketing campaign, reduction in tobacco sales to minors, and an increase in smoke-free restaurants in Dare County. Benefits received by Management Academy participants are evident through improved business and administrative skills at the Dare County Department of Public Health, the number of new and innovative programs that have succeeded in securing grant funds, and the sustainability of the programs developed.

Positive Cueing: Promoting Sustainable Consumer Behavior By Cueing Common Environmental Behaviors as Environmental

People frequently fail to see themselves as environmentally-conscious consumers; one reason for this is that they are oftentimes prone to dismissing their more common ecological behaviors (e.g., avoid littering) as non-diagnostic for that particular self-image. The cueing of commonly performed ecological behaviors as environmentally-friendly (what we call positive cueing) renders both cued and non-cued common ecological behaviors more diagnostic for the inference of pro-environmental attitudes (Study 1). As a result, positive cueing increases the likelihood that people will see themselves as consumers who are concerned with the degree to which their behavior is environmentally responsible (Study 2). The cueing of common ecological behaviors leads participants to choose environmentally-friendly products with greater frequency, and even to use scrap paper more efficiently (Study 3). We discuss the implications for effective social marketing campaigns.