Social marketing…at the community group level?

Can we learn to get a message ‘out there’ from the Canadian ‘Fostering Sustainable Behavior Listserv’ ….. Is there an Australian equivalent?

Only 5 days till Webinar on California’s Flex Your Power Program Friday March 16 2007 is the post I received this morning on the Listserv – takes 20 seconds to scan – from Jay Kassirer, President, Cullbridge Marketing & Communications, Ottawa. I was interested to see what he claimed social marketing has achieved in relation to the Californian energy crisis, so I followed it up.

Over the last few weeks – on a VERY much smaller scale – I have seen the need for ‘social marketing expertise’ in my outer Melbourne, ‘Green Wedge’ township of Warrandyte. A climate change action group is forming, stimulated by both the current situation and a talk by environmental activist Adrian Whitehead, of Beyond Zero Emissions. The group sees a need, first and foremost, to increase awareness in our Warrandyte community, founded on the strong feeling that people want to do something but just don’t know where to start.

I suppose the ‘Norm’ campaign and the ‘Grim Reaper’ are examples of social marketing – but we don’t seem to use the concept much at the individual community level do we?

Jay’s website describes community-based social marketing as one of the most effective voluntary methods for promoting a wide range of desired behaviours, from:

• composting & bicycling, to
• proper nutrition & safe sex.

It uses a straightforward approach that stresses:

• reducing barriers to taking the desired actions,
• direct contact among community members,
• the use of proven tools of change,
• and continuous program improvement.

Tools of change are listed as:

• financial incentives & disincentives,
• norm appeals,
• vivid, personalized communication,
• feedback,
• obtaining a commitment,
• building motivation over time.

These tools, Jay claims, help groups increase motivation and can also help overcome barriers and disincentives, which could discourage people participating, such as:

• inertia,
• information clutter,
• feelings of isolation.

I can certainly relate to these last three points…unsure of facts and what to do and so you do not very much!

Back to the Webinar…
‘Flex Your Power’ is California’s state-wide, multi-sectoral energy efficiency and conservation marketing and outreach campaign. It has reduced both ongoing and peak demand by ‘levering’ energy crisis periods, overcoming consumers’ sense of powerlessness, and building engagement over time through successive campaign phases.

California has been able to prevent blackouts through its energy crisis with the ‘Flex Your Power Program”. The campaign has received national and international recognition, including an Energy Star Award for Excellence.

Campaign components include advertising, educational materials, retail promotions, an awards program and more.

How does it work?
Webinar participants will view the PowerPoint presentation using their web browsers while listening on their telephones to the presentation. Since the presentation is live, participants can ask questions, make comments and exchange advice, all without leaving their offices. The cost is US$ 45 per connection and there’s no limit on how many participants can use the same connection.

Jay included recent comments from other webinar evaluations:

• “Better than a typical conference session – more interactive, more really interested folks.”
• “The Highlights Series is a great way to learn. Whether or not a specific webinar is on your topic of work, you can still generalize the information. Makes social marketing concepts come alive.”
• “It gave me a chance to explore community change processes for a different set of behaviours than I usually get involved in.”
• “Valuable information and an easy-to-follow format.”
• “Informative and fun ..you can ask questions easily and get answers as fast.”
• “I plan to urge all my co-workers to participate in these webinars.”
• “You can learn at your own desk for a fraction of what you’d pay going to an out-of-town workshop or seminar. “

For more details go to http://www.cullbridge.com/Services/Social_Marketing_Workshops.htm

A South African gave advice about participating from outside North America:

“I have used Skype-Out to phone into the webinar from South Africa and once connected it works perfectly. It is ridiculously cheap – about 2 Euros for a 90 minute session. …. Your real life examples give the theory life and aid deeper comprehension.”

Angelika Wilhelm-Rechmann, Johannesburg, South Africa.

There is a free social marketing toolkit at www.toolsofchange.com if all of this is intriguing you, and, if you want to check out the Canadian Listserv, go to fsb@cbsmlist.com.