One student's blog about the experiences of creating a hypothetical, but hopefully awesome, social marketing campaign

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Friday, April 23, 2010

New Changes

Things that I have to keep in mind now: 9-26 males is a HUGE demographic range, and something that I knew, however a better way of stating it that seems less foreboding is "HPV vaccination eligible males" or even "males at risk for HPV" etc. So that is definitely a change I will make for my marketing plan.

Another issue is targeting both males and their parents who serve as gatekeepers, or better put, "channels" similarly to doctors, thus at the targeting stage I will have a concurrent campaign to parents, using similar media (print, PR, news, tv ads, internet ads, the website) but use it with the same benefits message, but a different package (ie parents in the commercial caring that their kids don't get warts, with the same benefit of "no warts" for males and their parents), and then have that be on shows that target parents, etc. along with channels that target young men.

And the Superbowl. Hey, I'm working for big Pharma here, it can happen. Having an ad for the for Garasil hasn't happened yet, but that's because so far it's only been marketed to women, but there is no reason it can't happen, and it should in the targeting to men since it's the m superbowl ost men watching at once in the US, could create the necessary word-of-mouth & PR campaign, and jump-start the entire campaign. I think it could be a great grand enterance into the game.

Also, any ideas (readers?) for a great name for a website that will serve like hpv.com does? And by this I mean, I want a separte informational website just for the male campaign so that hits to the website can be a measurable goal. So far, all I have is hpvformen.com, which is pretty boring, though would be high on the list in a search engine since the topic is in the title, and that too has some merit.

Also, in terms of the campaign, which will have the benefit of "no warts" and use the value of sexual attractiveness for males, I was thinking of a hybrid to Orbits gum commercials and Axe. So take a yonder, and think about what a hybrid might look like.






It feels so wrong, but oh, it's so effective. It's on.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Metrics & more on Communications

*Randomized surveys through phone and email to measure beliefs/attitudes about the HPV vaccine
*Measure before the campaign, at the start of the campaign, and 6 months after the campaign
Since my campaign is Acquisition/Stimulate Demand, it will be information/awareness.
Within this quadrant, my strategic focus in channels is Product (expertise), which works because it's about factual informational regarding hpv, mainly focusing (if I decide on the sexual attractiveness value) of warts, it can have a doctor but be funny like the Orbit gum commercials, a mix between Orbit gum and Axe body products.
The product will be in the realm of "search" but not experience, unless someone has already had HPV. Instead, the "search" will apply to everything that the young men learn, and hopefully help attain the goal of getting them to go to hpv.com and learn more. This will be measured as well in the pre-during-and post campaign surveys, to see if people went to the site, what they recalled, etc.
The NEED within channels of communication is NEED RECOGNITION, the first step, since guys have to be aware that the vaccine is actually for them, not just for girls. The strategies that would work best to target young boys would be television ads (on TV & online ads), and then the website for research. Word of mouth would be great too, but it can't be controlled so there isn't much I'll do there.
I need to build awareness of the vaccine for guys and exactly what it does (i.e. prevent warts), so that is what the campaign will focus on.

Execution: Communications Plan, Products & Collaborators

Target Audience

Eric is 13 and watches plenty of television, especially sports shows. He spends a significant amount of time chatting with friends on the internet while browsing sites. His image is very important to him, so he wears trendy cloths and sneakers. He uses AXE products because he believes it will contribute to his popularity and appeal to the ladies.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Estimating Customer Value

I feel like my brain is exploding from finals.

Also: What the F campaign, I was looking at pictures of genital warts last night, which is disturbing, I know. And it's not helping my brain pain either.

Things that I'm considering: I don't want to scare people, but I do want to inspire them to care enough to get vaccinated, and it's different for boys because they don't get cervical cancer or possible infertility from its complications. (So there's that).

Which brings me to what we discussed in class which is estimating customer value. And the values really do relate to which theme I'll choose for the marketing campaign, so that all of the stakeholders are on board, with the same views and points to give.

Benefits:
Sexual Attractiveness: No warts = happy young men (this might be the most FUN thing to market, and funny, however, it would only target young men and maybe their dads? But not so much parents, unless it was about "avoiding embarrassment")
Health: This is the most wide ranging topic, because it can target doctors, parents, and the young men to be vaccinated, and can talk about warts & cervical cancer
Good-Parent/Pride/Caregiver: I'm a good parent if I get my kid vaccinated, feeling responsible (but this ONLY targets parents, so I should think about if I want to go this route, since they do have a lot of clout, and are gatekeepers for those 9-18, but even so, less inclusive/fun)

Costs:
Time: Getting a vaccination takes an appointment, and making time for it/transportation/etc. can be a barrier. This could be fought by making the vaccine easily available like in drug stores (or better yet, sporting events like college basketball/football, etc. Can that be a thing?)
Money: The shots cost money, and they are costly. But they have great benefit too, and hopefully will be covered by insurance, either way, it can be a barrier. However, a lot of clinics give it for free or at significantly reduced costs, so maybe making that information known on the website or something.
FEAR: And this is huge, people are afraid of side-effects, and the statistically small but possible chance of death, and a lot of people are really afraid and untrusting of vaccines in general, so this is a big one. Statistically, the side-effects are very minimal, and usually end with some soreness at the spot of injection in the arm.

Now, I think (and asked a n=1 of a boy) that the sexual attractiveness would be the most effective. People are vain, they don't want genital warts, and boys don't want another barrier into getting into someone's pants, and don't want embarrassment in that region. However, that sort of campaign could also backfire and turn off a lot of parents. (But AXE works like crazy for young boys, and their parents buy them the sprays/deodorants despite absurdly raunchy ads, so where is the moral outcry for that?)
Also, most guys (this is based on an n=3 or so, but even so I'll go ahead and generalize) don't even know that they HPV vaccine has been approved for them, so AWARENESS might be the way to go. But do I still have to focus on health? Either way it would be a no-warts campaign, since that is the real effect on men since they don't get cervical cancer, but can I do awareness and sexual attractiveness. I think yes, but do I want to discount parents? It could really target whoever AXE/Trojan targets, which is more like 12-26, so then I'm only missing a few years. But boys can autonomously buy Axe & condoms(maybe) while they can't just go get a vaccine as a minor on their own, but maybe could pressure their parents. And making a website for parents too would help. I would rather have concurrent ads, one targeting parents and one with sexual attractiveness targeting men, but for the purposes of this project I guess I have to focus.

I want television ads, especially for awareness, because I think it's the most reach for something new. There can be print ads too, maybe in sports magazines and parenting magazines. And when I say television, I mean hulu & the internet too, and a corresponding website with more information, which Gardasil already has, but they could have a more targeted one for men.



Sunday, April 18, 2010

Change of Goals/Direction

So, based on where my campaign should be under Acquire/Stimulate Demand, my marketing should consist of information and awareness, not yet behaviors. Even though my ultimate goal is for young boys/men to get the HPV vaccine, since most men do not yet know that Gardasil is available to them, my first, more realistic goal should be a significant rise in awareness concerning what HPV is, and then what the vaccine does & who it is available too. So there's a change.

And so: A NEW 5-Box (my other 5-box can serve as a marker of future goals, the next segment, but for now:)

Current Do: Nothing. Not getting the hpv vaccine. Does not know that the hpv exists for young men.
Current Belief: What is HPV? Isn't it that thing that ladies have a vaccine for?
Consumer Proposition: The hpv vaccine (Gardasil) protects greatly against genital warts and cervical cancer, and since there is no test for boys/men, it will help prevent them from being carriers of the most risky forms, and it's just a shot that lasts a lifetime.
Desired Belief: Oh wow! HPV causes warts, and there is a vaccine for not just girls, but boys too! That's cool.
Desired Do: Ask a doctor for more information, or go to a website to learn more about what HPV is and what the vaccine is.

So there is the new 5-box. And now there is the issue of evaluation, which can no longer exactly be measured as a percentage of boys getting the vaccine in comparison to girls. Instead, there would ideally be a survey happening NOW amongst boys aged 9-26 along with surveys of their parents measuring knowledge of HPV and the vaccine, and attitudes towards then. Then, there would be my marketing campaign (informational or attitude-y) and another survey 3 months and 6 months after is is aired, to measure changes in attitudes/beliefs longitudinally about HPV and the vaccine.

Monday, April 12, 2010

STP

STP: Key “competitors,” MV/DV/target audience definition/5 box positioning statement/path to purchase

Thanks to bensette, in comments, to bringing my attention to what my category is, which helps me redefine my competitors. If my category is "HPV prevention" rather than vaccines, then here are my Key "competitors"
  • Condoms: Help prevent HPV, but not 100%, especially since HPV is spread by skin to skin contact, and condoms do not cover all skin, but do reduce risk.
  • Abstinence: works, but is unrealistic.
  • Reduction of partners: work, but again, is unrealistic. HPV goes symptomless for a lot of people, completely in men, and occasionally leading to abnormal paps in women. There is no test for men, and they would only even know if they had warts, and by then it's too late.
So the vaccine is MOST effective for the worst types of HPV, and is only three shots as opposed to a perfect condom use and reduction of partners, which are still less effective.

MV: HPV Prevention
DV: Effectiveness, Efficiency

Gardasil is more effective than just condoms and just reduction of partners, Gardasil is easier in that it is three shots for a lifetime of less risk.

Target Audience Definition:

Jamie is a mother of two boys, aged 9 and 15. She has been paying attention to the news concerning Gardasil, but is afraid because of the horror stories of the young girls with severe allergic reactions. Even so, Jamie has always gotten her sons vaccinated, and believes that vaccines make a difference. Once Jamie sees the ads for Gardasil promoting it for boys, she goes to hpv.com to find out more about the vaccine, and decides, based on the facts, that getting both of her boys vaccinated is worth while. She makes an appointment for both of them to get the shot.

Tommy just started college and is 18 years old. He's been seeing ads for Gardasil, but doesn't know much about HPV. He's too embarrassed to ask his friends or go to the doctor for more information. Then he visits the website and finds out that Gardasil can prevent genital warts, which is something he's always been afraid of. He decides to make an appointment at his University Health Services to get a shot.

5-box: See previous post

Path to Purchase: ?

4Ps:

Product Attributes: Reliable, easy, early form of prevention for HPV, the vaccine Garasil approved for boys age 9-26.
Channel emphasis:
Product: Gardasil
Place: Ads on tv & online promoting that young men get it, along with a website to go to for more information
Time: Ads at different times throughout the day, mornings for parents/certain shows targeting moms, and then evenings & during different shows targeting 18-26 yo men.
Pricing:
Value/Competitive: I'm not sure what this means, but this is the only vaccine for HPV available, and it's more expensive then just using condoms, but then again is a one-time cost, might be covered by insurance, and has a greater effect/benefit
Trial/Continuity: Using same pricing as what is currently used for Gardasil for women
Communications Objective:
Awareness: For parents/young men to know that Gardasil is now available for young men and effective at preventing (most) genital warts and (most) of the forms of HPV that cause cervical cancer
Information: know what the website is to learn more, know it's only three shots, know what ages boys should be to get it, know that it's highly effective
Image: ? That's it's reliable and effective
Behavior: Promotion campaign to help people get vaccinated with Gardasil to help prevent HPV

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Segmentation

If segmentation is about finding similarities rather than difference, then I want to include as many people into my target audience as possible, as long as it's applicable. So parents of 9-26 males, and the males themselves.

Sometimes though, I have a really difficult time conceptually translating concepts of the Big Picture as related to commercial marketing to those regarding health behaviors. I get it when it's still about money, and stealing share from similar places for donations or volunteers, but what about when I am the only competitor? Gardasil is the only available hpv vaccine in the US. Sweet sweet patent, what do you mean for my variables?

Source of Volume: Stimulate Demand
Marketing Objective: Acquisition

But heart loyals, head loyals, and hand loyals, what of it? There is no hand loyal for a vaccine that you have to make an appointment to get. (Is there?). And heart loyal, maybe if you're passionate about preventing cervical cancer because of familial experiences, etc, but it's not heart loyal to the product, but rather the cause, and I want people to get the product (1st shot of the vaccine, my goal). So head loyals, and acquisition, hello, nice to meet you, let me tell you some great things about a sweet vaccine that helps you not get genital warts, helps you big time.

For my area of segmentation, since I'm not doing steal share, I just have a Main Variable. But, I think Gardasil, as the only player in the category of hpv vaccination in the US, wins.

But, in the interest of "need for 'attitude/benefit'" the belief is that the vaccine is worthwhile, that it does what is proposes to do, cuts cervical cancer and genital warts incidence rates.

Gardasil is the category leader of hpv vaccinations that prevent against the least desirable forms of hpv.

Values associated with Gardasil: safety, efficacy, comfort, convenience, security, empowerment, autonomy, control, quality of life, caring (good parent), logic (it's the safer thing to do for the future, this really combines some of them like security)

New Ads

Evidently I watch Lady Shows, because I get lots of hpv ads, but Merck has come out with a new one that goes to hpv.com again, but the thing is, it isn't the "one less" campaign, and it is scary. It makes getting a biopsy seem terrible, which it really isn't. This is disheartening. I wonder why they went the scary route, is it because of the competitors ads?

Good news: gardasil.com does have info about boys now (yay!).

"What is GARDASIL? GARDASIL is the only HPV vaccine that helps protect against 4 types of HPV. In girls and young women ages 9 to 26, GARDASIL helps protect against 2 types of HPV that cause about 75% of cervical cancer cases, and 2 more types that cause 90% of genital warts cases. In boys and young men ages 9 to 26, GARDASIL helps protect against 90% of genital warts cases.

GARDASIL also helps protect girls and young women ages 9 to 26 against 70% of vaginal cancer cases and up to 50% of vulvar cancer cases."

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

5 box

Small steps, I want to start with the 5-box and go back to brainstorming my STP.
But, since I'm not sure of my target audience, if it's the young man/boy or parents of said young man/boy, I'll do two.

Current Do: Nothing. Not getting the hpv vaccine.
Current Belief: Getting the hpv vaccine is not worthwhile, the cost is not worth it.
Consumer Proposition: The hpv vaccine protects greatly against genital warts and cervical cancer, and since there is no test for boys/men, it will help prevent them from being carriers of the most risky forms, and it's just a shot that lasts a lifetime.
Desired Belief: The hpv is worth the cost for improvement of life-long health, and it's easy.
Desired Do: Get the hpv vaccine. (At least the first dose, retention is a different story.)

Now that I've done that, I think that the the 5-box would actually look the same for both parents and young men, because the beliefs are the same. If parents or the actual men think that getting vaccinated is important and easy and worthwhile, than whoever the decision maker is, that is my target. Awesome.

Monday, April 5, 2010

4Bs Excersize

I've been having trouble with the latest exercise, with the 4Bs and deciding between type of acquisition or retention.

What I want for the hpv vaccine for men is Acquisition, Stimulate Demand. I think that's what makes the most sense for me.

Category: Vaccination, specifically hpv vaccination
Customer Definition: I still have to decide between boys aged 9-26 who already want to be vaccinated, or their parents who are making that decision who support vaccination, since the customer definition is who we want them to be, not who they are pre-our efforts. Even so, I think I will have to narrow this down.
Other Competitors: People getting false/faulty information about the vaccine
Bodies: I'll need a number here, but this will be any boy aged 9-26 who is not yet vaccinated, or parents of this age group of boys with the potential to vaccinate their kids

Beliefs:
Before: No need to vaccinate
% Converted: Hopefully 80-90% (I need to define my goal more concretely) of whatever the first cohort of girls in 5 years to get vaccinated was
After: Want hpv vaccine (for themselves if they're a boy, or for their child if they are parents)

Behaviors:
Before: Not vaccinated
Purchases/year Before: None, no hpv vaccine
% Converted: Hopefully 80% of what the number of girls was
Purchases/year After: 1-3 shots of the hpv vaccine, with my measurable goal of at least getting the initial shot
After: Vaccinated with Gardasil

Key Metric: # of customers, so boys getting the 1st shot of Gardasil in the 5 years (? or just the length of the campaign and directly after?) of study

Bucks: Well, however much the vaccine costs, which varies, but around $600 per person if they get all 3 shots, but $200 per person, as an estimate, for the first shot

When I think about acquisition and steal share, that is when it gets tricky for a vaccine where Gardasil is the only hpv vaccine in the US, so who is it stealing shares from? There is no direct competitor, but time would be an option as something that it goes against, the convenience of not going to get the vaccine. Even so, I think stimulating demand is the way to go for a new product out for a certain cohort of people.

A retention campaign would be if I wanted people to go get the 2nd and 3rd shots in the series once they already started getting the vaccination, but for now, I just want them to start, so I'll focus on acquisition.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Core Competence Considerations

Based on the class discussion, I was off with my core competence. It isn't for Gardasil, but rather its parent, Merck & Co., Inc., whose slogan is "be well" but that isn't the core competence.

So, for core competence, brainstorms:
R&D, patent laws (what really makes Gardasil different than others, it protects it allowing it to be the only hpv vaccine in the US).

If I think about it in terms of "skill at 'benefit'"
Then: skill @ petent developemnet
skill @ R&D, narrowing down which drugs will be marketable, focusing R&D on one particular segment

The existing patents are the strategic asset.

Christie mentioned that on some days she doubts that phrama companies have any core competency at all, and I do think that they all do about the same thing, but what saves them in patents, and that helps to drive competition.

So for now, the core competency can be: skill at PATENT DEVELOPMENT (R&D)

Monday, March 29, 2010

Updates to my proposal

So though I got off to a start, I did have some aspects to still think about, so here is some more brainstorming.

Business Objective:
Fundamental Entity: Gardasil, the hpv vaccine, and some brand to be determined just for a campaign targeted to boys (or parents, I need to decide)
Core Competence: Having the only hpv vaccine available in the US, branding
Goal & Time Frame: To have comparable vaccination rates in boys (once it becomes available) as seen in girls, so say for a 5 year period to have 80% of what it was for women. I am choosing vaccination rates instead of rates of hpv incidence because there is no test for hpv detection in men, other than for warts, so it would not be possible to know if boys were carriers of the other two types of hpv that cause cervical cancer that the vaccine protects against

Strategic Quadrant:
Category Definition: Health, vaccination
Customer Definition: Here I'm not totally sure. It will be boys aged 9-26, but I wonder if their parents are the customers until they reach 18?
Marketing Objective: Have comparable rates (80%) of vaccination uptake in boys as was shown in girls of Gardasil (How is the marketing objective different than my goal?)
Source of volume: United States public, boys aged 9-26, their parents if that is who moderates vaccinations, doctors?
4Bs:
Bodies: boys aged 9-26 directly, indirectly parents & doctors
Beliefs: Understanding the benefits of vaccination, knowing what the vaccine protects against (future cervical cancer, 90% of the type that cause genital warts), attitude change to want the vaccination
Behaviors: getting vaccinated, and measuring for both initial shot & how whether or not they get all three (if it's possible to compare this to girls, if not then just initial shot)
Benefits: Lower overall instances of genital warts and cervical cancer, which will not be measured throughout the campaign, but will become evident in years to come from CDC/national data

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Creating Demand

I think it can be done.

Last week I was doing an event for Sexperteam, a peer education group I am apart of that operates under the guidance of UHS. (Check out the twitter & Facebook Fan Page).

I am a peer educator and was at the Union doing a barrier methods demonstration for mostly freshmen and sophomore students.

At the end we always get questions, and one young man came up to me and asked about how hpv is spread, if there is a test, etc. I think the most common questions we get are about the things that people don't recognize (female condoms and dental dams) and want demonstrations of, and then hpv.

And I think that men do care, it's just hard to ask, or know where to ask. I'm glad they do ask.

In any case, I showed another sex-educator the new cervical cancer ads that aren't "one less" and she was also appalled, because these are the type of ads that scare people into inaction.

I want to create something different.

Monday, March 22, 2010

I doubt this.

I think I hate the competing campaign.

Now that I've watched the same two thirty-second clips over and over at every commercial break for two shows online, this:



Seems like a fear tactic to encourage inactivity. Scary isn't great. And there website is far less appealing visually, while not having nearly as much information. Boo. Did they mean to do good?

Competition?

So, as soon as choosing Gardasil, I go home to cook while watching tv online and bam:





A campaign I didn't know about! By another big pharma company, not Merck, but GlaxoSmithKline.

They have their own campaign, with three new ads geared towards teen/young women.
It goes over vaccination, pap tests, & lifestyle changes.

The ad above is creative, but the other two are pretty bleak and depressive, not the same empowerment campaign as Gardasil, but scary might work for a one-time action, but not for prolonged action.

To learn about vaccination the site redirects to the CDC, so it doesn't seem like they have their own vaccine. I wonder what their motivation is. To inform, really social marketing since where is the profit? To stay competitive since cervical cancer is a big issue thanks to the "one less" campaign. To confuse people away from "one less" with a different cervical cancer campaign?

It's not like I should actually be upset, since I do not work for Gardasil despite my newfound loyalty, but it is something else to keep an eye on and review.

My Proposal

So I decided to go ahead with the idea of creating a marketing plan for Gardasil targeting boys/young men.

I met with the lone member of my "peer team," which was very helpful, and we brainstormed the first step.

Notes from the brainstorm:

-find out merke

-core competency of being the only competitor in the US, research the other global vaccine

-research what the age range for men will be (same as women, 9-26?)

-only advantageous directly for warts in men, so market for greater good since they make sure not to say warts in the female campaign

-deconstruct female campaign & who it targets & how

-relate to men & if it will target their parents or them, and what angle to take: protecting children? protecting our future?

-the brand was "one less," create a new brand for men, or expand on the woman's campaign?


There is certainly a lot to think about now, assuming that it gets approved. It is in the gray I think, because getting boys/men vaccinated would certainly be for the public good from a public health perspective, by decreasing the incidence of hpv. Specifically, it would still contribute to a lower incidence of cervical cancer, which might be an angle I could use to target the parents of young boys, and wanting to protect the future of all children, but also it is a good harm reduction technique in terms of contracting other STIs. Having other STIs puts persons at higher risk of getting HIV, so reducing incidence of hpv would be beneficial in many ways.


Organizational Objective:

First I have to decide if I am going to be marketing for Gardasil and thus Merck & Co., Inc. or if I want to be a health department. Gardasil already does the "one less" campaign, which is already branded and known, so it might be better to stick with it. It might make for some brand confusion though, since "one less" really refers to one less woman with cervical cancer, and I wonder if that should still be the slogan for men.


If I am Merck, I have R&D, and money, and incentive to get people vaccinated for profits, but luckily it is also a public good. I need to do more research about Merck to establish what their fundamental entity is, though for Gardasil it is being the only hpv vaccine available in the US, and is already branded under "one less."


Core Competence: being the only provider of the hpv vaccine in the US, so skill at resource distribution, awareness building with "one less"

Strategic Asset: the hpv vaccine, patent

Benefit: reduction in incidence of cervical cancer, genital warts, more generally 4 strains of hpv


I have to decide if the campaign will be promotion or prevention focused, but it is the promotion of a vaccine that is a part of prevention. I think promotion. It is a call to action to get vaccinated, specifically for boys/young men to get the hpv vaccine.


Goal: behavior change, get vaccinated, but also awareness of when it becomes available to men & what it does so that it is a call to action


Time frame: more short than long, so there can be measurable goals, like in the 1st 5 years of availability to men to have at least some comparable portion of new vaccinations with the female vaccine for comparison, but I still need more clearly defined measures of success.


Social Marketing 4Bs:

Bodies: boys ages 9-26 (?), their parents/doctors?

Beliefs: for them to know it is available to men, attitude change to want to be vaccinated

Behaviors: getting vaccinated (at least the initial of three shots)

Benefits: Lower incidence of hpv (genital warts & cervical cancer), but this will have to me measured much later in life, so the measurable might just be # of new persons vaccinated


And that's where I'm at.

HPV Vaccine for Men?

As far as converting campaigns that are traditionally for women to have a male component, I could only think of one example:






Here Jack Black takes about the importance of mammograms, as part of a much larger breast cancer awareness campaign, that usually is more women for women focused.

If I were to choose to promote Gardasil for men, I could at least think about this ad. I think the information that I would want to focus on is:
  • There is currently no test for hpv in men, and it is not regularly screened for as a component of STI testing
  • Gardasil protects against two types of hpv that cause a majority of genital warts, and two types that cause a majority of cervical cancer
  • It would still help protect men from genital warts, and though the type of hpv that causes cervical cancer in women goes symptomless in men, it will help protect their partners

one less: campaigns I love

Another health related social marketing campaign that I love is "one less" to promote the hpv vaccine for women.







I like that it takes an angle of female empowerment. Though the vaccine was initially controversial ("Will it make my child more sexually active?" (NO)), I think the campaign has a great message asking women to stick up for themselves, and if they are minors, mothers, young women, to talk to each other and a doctor about the vaccine.

The line blurs for me if this is definitely social marketing or not, since profits do go to Gardasil, the vaccine, but ultimately it is a vaccine, and one that is trickier than most one-time health behavior actions because it has to be taken three times, with different month lengths in between.

I love that I see stickers for hpv.com with facts in the bathrooms of the 8 ball, I love how wide spread the campaign is, and I love hpv.com because it really does provide a wealth of information.

The FDA fairly recently approved the vaccine for men, but it is not yet available at UHS, and I'm uncertain whether it's available for men at all yet. Another possible option is creating a campaign for future male use, as far as things I may focus on.

Friday, March 19, 2010

truth: campaigns I love

As far as large scale social marketing campaigns are concerned, especially in the field of health where most of my interested tend to lay, there are some campaigns that I love right now and have loved for some time.

truth

After the Master Settlement Agreement in 1998, where the four biggest US tobacco companies were forced to shell out $300 million/year for five years to the Public Education Fund, the American Legacy Foundation, an anti-smoking advocacy group was established, thus creating truth.

2007 ad







2006 ad






2008 ad






Most recent 2009 Ads








Reasons why I adore this campaign:

  • It worked, there is data, it worked.
  • It's tongue in cheek.
  • It appeals to a teen sense of rebellion against "the man" with "the man" being Big Tobacco full of deception and big big lies, only out for a profit. (As opposed to being rebellious by smoking.)
  • The campaign segmented the population really targeting 12-17, to prevent new uptake of smoking and create negative attitudes towards big tobacco.
  • Within this group they targeted to those that were open to smoking as opposed to smoking, and thus appealed to sensation seeking youth, who get bored easily as see rebelling against authority as cool (where they positioned as Big Tobacco as the authority figure as opposed to parents & teachers telling them to not smoke, as Big Tobacco did in there own anti-smoking campaigns for elementary age children that actually increased tobacco uptake and created more positive attitudes towards big tobacco).
  • This campaign lets teens own their own decision, from a teen voice.
  • Finally a health campaign used BRANDING, to make itself memorable and effective.
  • Again, it worked!
A sad truth:

Once those five years passed, there was a lot less funding for the truth campaign, and even though it still exists, it's not nearly as prominent as it used to be.

Check out the website too. It's snarky and interactive, and full of information.


Monday, March 15, 2010

List of Possibilities

Throughout class I brainstormed what non-profits, organizations, or behaviors I might want to elicit through a social marketing campaign.

Current thoughts:
-Farmer's Market Promotion (specifically Ann Arbor, but also maybe the Detroit Eastern Market)
-DECC, Detroit Eastside Community Collaborative
-Jewish Family Services
-Ann Arbor Film Festival
-Michigan Theatre
-Washington DC's new promotion/giveaway of female condoms (notes: how is it being evaluated, and where are they being handed out? What are the short & long term goals? Will success be measured through perception of female condoms? Knowledge of how to use them? Changes in HIV infection rate? People taking them to begin with?)
-Thousand Kites
-Campaign for Justice
-PCAP, Prisoner Creative Arts Project (whose show is next weekend, so then what would I promote?)
-Planned Parenthood
-Yojoa International Medical Center, YIMC
-Seventh Generation Products (don't think it's actually a non-profit, not sure)
-Alternatives for Girls (in Detroit)

So that's a start, and things to think about. Also, UHS, which does not count as a non-profit, but could be helped in terms of health promotions/campaigns

Day 1 of Social Marketing: Create the Blog

So it turns out that underscores can't be used in the site address, but can be used in the title. Lesson learned. 

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