SOCIAL MARKETING FOR SMALL WATERSHED ORGANIZATIONS

Transcription

1 SOCIAL MARKETING FOR SMALL WATERSHED ORGANIZATIONS Erin Ling Biological Systems Engineering Center for Watershed Studies Virginia Tech Biological Systems Engineering 1

2 Overview Today Social marketing defined Intro to Community Based Social Marketing Measuring impact: contact and change metrics Social Marketing process milestones Education and Outreach process and metrics Discussion and sharing examples 2

3 Promoting Successful Restoration through Effective Monitoring NFWF project Our charge: Identify metrics for each project type to assess: Short-term (1-2 yr) projects Project performance (pre-, during, post-project) Usable by small watershed groups Potential links to in-stream nutrient reductions and/or habitat restoration Assist grantees: in evaluating their own progress to ensure successful project outcomes 3

4 Social Marketing defined: the use of marketing principles and techniques to influence a target audience to voluntarily accept, reject, modify or abandon a behavior for the benefit of the target audience or society as a whole (Kotler et al. 2002, Weinreich 1999). Focuses on a defined target audience and a desired behavior change for that audience Follows a specific process to understand the target audience and the barriers to adoption of the desired behavior Has as its primary goal measureable and sustained behavior change 4

5 Community Based Social Marketing CBSM is a hybrid of psychology and social marketing Used to compliment educational, persuasive, and regulatory approaches More commonly applied to environmental challenges Based on premise that there are three reasons an audience won t adopt a behavior: Don t know about it. Do know about it, but perceive significant challenges (barriers) Do know about it, do not perceive significant barriers, but do perceive significant benefits to continue doing what they are doing Source: McKenzie-Mohr, D. and W. Smith Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-based Social Marketing. New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, BC, Canada. 5

6 Community Based Social Marketing Three key ideas: People gravitate toward behavior with most benefits and fewest barriers for them Barriers and benefits may be real or perceived and may vary significantly between individuals Desired behaviors compete with other behaviors. Adopting a new behavior often involves altering or rejecting another. Understanding a target audience and what motivates their behavior is key Source: McKenzie-Mohr, D. and W. Smith Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-based Social Marketing. New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, BC, Canada. 6

7 Importance of targeting an audience Source: Schultz, P.W. May Social Marketing: A Community-Based Approach. Presentation prepared for the USEPA, RCC Web Academy. May 20, 2010.

8 Ultimately. Improving water quality from human-induced sources of pollution requires people to change their behavior g_waste_products.html vementresources.htm 8

9 Measuring impact Two types of metrics: CONTACT number of people reached by a campaign or effort (e.g., shoppers, homeowners, volunteers) = 5 CHANGE measure of change as a result of contact 9

10 Community Based Social Marketing Process 1. Define environmental objective(s) What condition must be remedied? 2. Define target audience(s) and target behavior(s) Who has the greatest potential to affect the environmental condition? Prioritize if multiple audiences Background research to understand Literature review of similar audiences and campaigns Qualitative observational studies or focus groups Quantitative surveys or interviews 10

11 Community Based Social Marketing Process 4. Identify barriers and benefits Changing behavior is complicated: requires altering or giving up existing behaviors Conduct background research to determine real and perceived barriers to adopting the target behavior Behaviors can be one-time or continuous Recognize component behaviors Don t assume you know what is driving target audience behavior find out from them! 11

12 Community Based Social Marketing Process Identifying barriers and benefits Perceived benefits Perceived barriers New (Target) behavior Installing and maintaining a backyard rain garden Increase wildlife habitat Prevent standing water in yard and mosquitoes Improved water quality for nearby creek I don t fully understand the function and benefits of installing a rain garden Concern about time and money required to build and maintain DECREASE INCREASE Exisiting (Competing) behavior Continuing to maintain backyard as in the past Looks nice, the way I like my yard to look Not limited in the type of vegetation I can plant Can do things the way I am accustomed Yard looks like the others in my neighborhood Not improving water quality of nearby creek Issues with standing water, runoff and mosquitoes Basement floods a few times a year 12

13 Community Based Social Marketing Process 5. Select approach and tools to use: Prompts Commitment Norms Communication Incentives Removal of external barriers 13

14 Community Based Social Marketing Process Tools Prompts Audio or visual cue Intended not to change behavior, but remind to do a behavior already predisposed to do Best used close in time and space to where activity will/will not happen

15 Community Based Social Marketing Process Tools Commitment Obtaining a small initial request to encourage more significant behavior change in the future; provides a foot in the door Written more effective than verbal Public (in groups) commitment most effective May help people see themselves as environmentally responsible

16 Community Based Social Marketing Process Tools Norms Opinions of others have a strong impact on behavior Affect behavior in two ways: Compliance: change behavior to receive reward Conformity: change behavior to be similar to others Modeling see others doing the behavior Social diffusion share info with others Must be VISUAL and INTERNALIZED (people believe it is how they should behave)

17 Community Based Social Marketing Process Tools Communication Capture attention! Messages should be vivid, concrete, specific to target audience Easy to remember Demonstrations or talks from key target audience members Provide feedback about impacts changes are having

18 Community Based Social Marketing Process Tools Communication 18

19 Community Based Social Marketing Process Tools Communication 19

20 Community Based Social Marketing Process Tools Incentives Rewards for performing a behavior Monetary or other (e.g., societal approval) Must be visible and large enough to get attention Best used when an increase in motivation is needed and to reward preferred behavior, not punish negative Share/; 20

21 Community Based Social Marketing Process Tools Remove external barriers Use research findings to determine significant external barriers Examples: existing regulations, lack of infrastructure or funding Some external barriers a matter of perception, not reality Use of other behavior change tools will not be effective if external barriers exist 21

22 Community Based Social Marketing Refining approach and Implementing Strategy 6. Pilot testing Use representative group from target audience Test specific approach, including message, format, media, and spokespeople Is attention of target audience captured? Is message clear and easy to understand? Does it address barriers? Refine strategy accordingly 7. Implementation and evaluation Structure evaluation measures from the outset Create ample opportunities for feedback at many points Be prepared to adjust and evolve to sustain behavior changes Impact is ultimately change in behavior 22

23 Education and Outreach Metrics More focused approach on specific target audience can be useful for education and outreach campaigns too Similar process may be used to develop and pilot test approach, and evaluate changes that may take place Increase or change in knowledge Increased awareness of project or effort Change in attitudes or beliefs Research shows limited correlation between changes in knowledge, awareness, attitudes, and behavior change 23

24 Moving forward & onward Working on an online guidance tool for NFWF grantees interested in social marketing Outline Social Marketing process/checklist Provide access to resources, case studies and lessons learned Mentoring network for sharing tools, ideas, and info For watershed organizations: No matter the size of your organization or scale of project, building capacity to better measure VALUE and IMPACT will strengthen it and make you STAND OUT! Clarify these intentions in writing, clearly outlining how you will measure a baseline and resulting change through evaluation Funders are always thinking in terms of metrics and measuring success those writing proposals should be too! 24

25 Discussion 1. Describe your current or future project or objectives 2. If you already conducted social marketing in the past: a. What were your target environmental behaviors and audiences? b. What was your framework for evaluating success? c. What lessons did you learn/changes did you make? 3. If you haven t conducted social marketing in the past, how might this process help you better reach your target audience? 4. What aspects of the social marketing process would be challenging for you? 25

26 Erin Ling Biological Systems Engineering Center for Watershed Studies

27 Case Study: Chesapeake Club Save the Crabs, Then Eat Em Campaign Environmental objective: Reduce nutrient runoff from greater D.C. residential lawns Target audience: D.C. homeowners with lawns (2 million households) 530,000 acres of lawn Source of about 4.7 million pounds of nitrogen and 560,000 pounds of phosphorus to local streams and rivers Target behavior changes: Get homeowners to fertilize in fall instead of spring Get those who use lawn service to use Bay-friendly lawn services 27

28 Case Study: Chesapeake Club Save the Crabs, Then Eat Em Campaign Identify barriers and benefits One day retreat of watershed managers, academics, other stakeholders Random telephone survey of 600 homeowners Many expressed concern for Bay, but this didn t translate into behavior No strong personal connection to the Bay An attractive lawn is important 84% did own yard work; 16% hired lawn service Those who cared for own yards were more likely to fertilize in spring or spring and fall Waiting until fall to fertilize is not a hard thing to do 28

29 Case Study: Chesapeake Club Save the Crabs, Then Eat Em Campaign Tools Communication Reframe old environmental problem of polluted Bay as culinary one Use humor to avoid sounding preachy Emphasize creating a healthy lawn, not a green one Recruit chefs as spokespeople and lawn care companies to offer Bay friendly services Prompts Advertisements ran during spring months when homeowners were thinking of fertilizing Norms Lawn fertilization is a public social reinforcement behavior subject to 29

30 Case Study: Chesapeake Club Save the Crabs, Then Eat Em Campaign Approach (VERY large audience, mass media campaign) Paid TV and print ads Reached 83% of intended television audience twice a week for two weeks Website Fliers, brochures, decals, lawn signs Posters Coasters provided free to restaurants Pilot tested with focus group: 24 individuals of target audience who provided feedback 30

31 Case Study: Chesapeake Club Save the Crabs, Then Eat Em Campaign Evaluation: pre- and post-intervention telephone survey to 599 residents Reach and recall 72% able to recall major theme with no prompt 37% able to recall Cheapeake Club brand or tagline 38% recalled they should not fertilize in spring Planning to fertilize in spring: 46% of those not exposed to campaign planned spring fert. 40% of those exposed to campaign planned spring fert Planning not to fertilize at all 22% of those not exposed to campaign 30% of those exposed 31