A Guide to

Health
Promotion
through Social
Marketing

1
 A Guide to
Health
Promotion
through Social
Marketing

2 3
An initiative of the Australian Sports Commission
The views in this publication are those of the author and not necessarily the Australian Government.
Contents
Introduction 7
What is social marketing?  8
Why is behaviour change important? 10
The basics of social marketing  12
14 steps to developing social
marketing strategies & materials  16
Step 1: Define the issue  18
Step 2: Know your audience  20
Step 3: Understand the situation  21
Step 4: Work with others  22
Step 5: Choose who to target  24
Step 6: Outline your behavioural goals  26
Step 7: Choose your communication channels  27
Step 8: Develop strategies and communication messages  28
Step 9: Plan how to track progress and measure impact  30
Step 10: Prepare an action plan  31
Step 11: Create materials  32
Step 12: Seek feedback, pre-test and adjust  33
Step 13: Deliver and monitor  34
Step 14: Measure impact and make adjustments  35

Online resources  36
Resources and guides provided by
the Australian Sports Commission 40
References 42
4 5
 Introduction
This guide will assist you to
understand social marketing and to
use various strategies that support
and motivate healthy behaviours
among certain groups of people.
You may like to inform particular groups about non-communicable
diseases (NCDs) and encourage them to be more physically active to
reduce their risk. Or you may want to advertise a local sporting event
in the community, a new facility or service, or to boost membership
in a sporting organisation to make participation in sport or other

Active
physical activities easier. This guide will assist you achieve these goals
by offering a simple step-by-step process to develop strategies and
communication materials that support and motivate healthy behaviors
through TV, radio, posters, brochures, social media, or whatever other
creative methods you might want to employ.

Unfortunately, it's common for people to think social marketing is

beyond their skills, resources, budgets and timelines. The aim of
this guide is to emphasise that regardless of the challenges you or
your organisation face, applying effective social marketing strategies
is always possible. It can even make your work more productive,
effective, and rewarding.

This guide provides a basic introduction to offer guidance and support

for your social marketing efforts, to set you in the right direction, and
to place a few simple concepts, tips, steps, and prompts in your back
pocket to help you along the way.

7
What is social
marketing?
Social marketing is one way of understanding
why people act as they do and then using this
knowledge to motivate and support them to
modify or maintain positive behaviours.
Adopting a social marketing approach involves combining a range of strategies to make
healthy behaviours easier and more appealing, as well as developing communication

Social
materials that motivate and support these healthy behaviours.

Google 'social marketing' and you will get a confusing array of definitions, concepts,
and terms; enough to scare anyone away. But it helps to know that most of us are
exposed, for better or worse, to some form of marketing almost every day. Coca-Cola,
McDonalds, and Nike, for example, all use sophisticated and well-tested marketing
techniques to encourage people to do what they want them to do: purchase their
products. Typically, this requires a combination of carefully crafted posters, TV and radio
spots, billboards, newspaper advertisements, websites, media, or promotional events. It
also involves reducing various barriers affecting their customers to ensure their products
are affordable, easy to purchase, and always available.

Put simply, social marketing borrows from and adds to some of the most effective
concepts and techniques of commercial marketing to motivate and support behaviours
that benefit individuals and communities. So instead of selling soft-drinks, hamburgers,
and shoes, social marketers are more likely to develop strategies and communication
materials that promote better health, equity, mental wellbeing, and community
development. And when addressing potential barriers to their audience adopting healthy
behaviours, they are more likely to ensure their strategies have been modified to meet
the needs and interests of particular groups of people, including the disadvantaged,
minority groups, or people living with disabilities. Guided by ethical principles, social
marketing aims to put people and community first.

8
Why is
behaviour
change
important?
Understanding and promoting behaviour
change lies at the heart of social marketing.
Behaviour change refers to human actions
that transform or modify over time. While
always complex and often unpredictable, one
useful way of viewing behaviour change is as
a series of stages that people move through.
Social marketing draws upon various techniques and strategies to motivate and
support certain groups of people to shift their position on this behavioural change
continuum — from a state of not knowing and not caring to that of concerned and
motivated, and from committed and planning to actively changing and maintaining
their behaviours.
Of course, behaviour change is never a simple process of moving from one stage
to the next. People can slip back through stages before potentially moving forward
again, such as joining a sports team but dropping out, or planning to exercise every
morning but becoming demotivated. Also, behaviour change does not always follow
a shift in awareness and attitudes. Sometimes the reverse occurs. For example,
a man participating in a Zumba class for the first time might find himself motivated
to learn more about the health benefits of being active after a positive experience.
In short, no single model can capture and predict the complexity of human
behaviour and its transformation over time.
10
Stages of Behaviour Change:
Example of an individual's knowledge, attitude or behaviour
Stage Don’t know, Unaware and unconcerned that a lack of physical activity increases
Don’t care one's risk of developing NCDs.
Stage Aware & Aware of NCDs and that physical activity is one way to reduce
Informed one's personal risk.
Stage Concerned Supports the view that physical activity will reduce one's risk of
& Motivated developing NCDs and is motivated to change their behaviour.
Stage
Stage
Committed
& Planning
Actively
Changing
Seeks out opportunities and makes plans to be physically active.
Being physically active.
Stage Maintaining
Change
Is physically active for extended periods of time and plans to
stay active in the future.
Nevertheless, considering these stages of behaviour change helps us to respond
to the needs, understandings, motivations and barriers of different groups
of people. Some people, for example, may be aware and informed about the
importance of changing their behaviour but do not believe that the proposed
action will be effective in reducing their risk. Others may be concerned and
motivated to change their behaviour but lack confidence in their personal capacity
to make this change because of a number of barriers or a lack of role models in
their community. And some may be actively participating in the desired behaviour
but are at risk of discontinuing their activities because of a lack of sociable, fun
and affordable activities in their community.
So, with this in mind, we can see that different strategies are going to be needed
for people at an early stage of change compared to those at a later stage. These
are known as stage-matched strategies. Strategies focusing on people in Stage
1, for example, may focus on raising awareness of the harms of being physically
inactive and ensuring people understand their level of personal risk. Strategies
focusing on people in Stage 4, on the other hand, may focus on making it easier
for people to participate in sporting events in their community as a way to get
active. And sometimes you can use different strategies within your campaign to
match the needs of certain sub-groups within your target audience who may be
at different stages. In short, knowing where the people you want to reach with
your social marketing strategies are situated in this behaviour change process is
key to designing an effective social marketing campaign. Let's look at some other
features of a social marketing approach.
11
The basics
of social
marketing
Social marketing can be
viewed as both a way of

Change
thinking and a way of doing.
Later we will focus on the
doing; for now, let's look at
five key concepts that define
social marketing.

12
 1. Specific
behavioural
goals
Social marketing is
more than just raising
awareness and increasing
knowledge. It is also
about having an impact on
human behaviour. Social
marketers set specific
behavioural goals; for
example, "to increase the
percentage of women
aged 18-24 in rural areas
being physically active for
at least 150min a week by
15% between 2015-2020".
Specific behavioural goals
Health
ensure an initiative has
meaning and direction,
and that achievements
can be measured.
2. Putting
people and
community
first
Social marketing aims
to promote and support
behaviours that benefit
individuals and the
community. In the health
sector this typically
involves promoting health
and reducing health
inequalities. Importantly,
the 'benefit' should always
reflect the experiences,
needs, motivations and
barriers of the audience
targeted by the initiative.
3. Insight
Social marketing, like
commercial marketing,
focuses on what people
do, why they do it, what
and who influences them,
their needs, and their
motivations and barriers.
With this in mind, social
marketers seek to develop
insight into their target
audience and the various
factors that support
healthy behaviours or
compete with them. This
insight is what makes
social marketing possible
and effective.
4. Audience
segmentation
While it's tempting to
communicate to everyone
all at once, one-size-
fits-all approaches
have shown to be much
less effective than
targeting certain groups
of people who share
particular characteristics,
understanding, lifestyles,
interests, needs,
motivations, and barriers.
This process of identifying
different sub-groups
within a population is
known as audience
segmentation and it is
a central feature of any
social marketing strategy.
We'll learn more about
audience segmentation in
Step 5.
5. Strategic and
evidence-
based
A common mantra among
social marketers is to
"do nothing…make no
posters, no t-shirts, no
pamphlets, no videos, no
caps, no websites" until
you have thought about
and planned exactly what
you are going to do. This
involves clarifying why
your approach is the best
one among other options
based on good research,
what behaviours you want
to influence and support,
who you are reaching
and why, the people and
resources required to
make it all happen, and
how you will measure your
progress and impact. This
is sometimes referred to
as developing a ‘program
logic’, which is really just
another way of explaining
in simple terms why you
believe that what you are
planning to do will be
effective in achieving its
objectives with the target
audience.
Getting to the point at
which you feel confident
you can develop and
implement strategies
and communication
materials that support
and motivate healthy
behaviours can seem a
little overwhelming, until
you realise that it's all
possible by following a
few simple steps.
15
14 steps to
Knowing where to start
when you decide to
'do' social marketing

developing
can be tricky. And
it's likely you are
concerned about your

social
lack of staff, funding,
skills, or resources.
Here's 14 steps to

marketing
give you some ideas,
tips, and prompts to
set you in the right
direction and to give

strategies
you confidence that,
despite the challenges
you face, applying

& materials:
effective social
marketing strategies
is always possible.
Keep in mind that these steps overlap and
do not neatly follow one another. You will
find yourself commencing a few steps
simultaneously and jumping back and forth
between them when necessary. Think of
them as different toolboxes that will need
to be re-opened and shuffled through at
various stages of your project.

16 17
 1 Research Example

Step 1: Define the issue

A good place to start before developing your strategies Where to start? Questions Research Answers
and materials is to clarify the issue you are hoping to These days, secondary research
address. Some of the following questions might help: often begins on the Internet.
• What is happening? To ensure you only get what you What is Secondary: World Health An increasing number of
happening? Organization report on cause people in the community
• What needs to happen to improve the situation? need, narrow your search to include
of death and disability, national are being affected by NCDs
websites that are well known and census data.
• What will happen if nothing is done? reliable; for example, the World Primary: Interviews and
• What behaviours can we focus on? Health Organization, the United focus group discussions with
• What models or theories are relevant to this issue? Nations, Government departments, health experts.
and respected research institutions.
You won't be able to answer these questions on For more trustworthy sources of
What needs to Secondary: Project evaluations People could make healthy
your own, so you'll need to draw upon a mix of research information, type 'edu' and 'gov' into
happen to improve of successful initiatives, national lifestyle changes to reduce
carried out by others (secondary research) and yourself your internet search or use Google the situation? strategy documents. their risk of developing NCDs
(primary research). Scholar. When unsure, check your Primary:Surveys distributed
findings by looking at multiple to health experts and
Despite their names, secondary research is typically
sources or by seeking advice from opinion leaders.
conducted before primary research. In short, secondary
local experts. And if you can't find
research lays the groundwork while primary research
what you need online, don't forget
fills in the gaps. Secondary research might include What will happen if Secondary: World Health More people will acquire
there is always the old-fashioned
looking at national strategy documents, reports by nothing is done? Organization report, journal a disability or die, the
way of visiting your local library or
international organisations and government agencies, articles, national census data. economy will suffer, and social
requesting printed reports from
census data, text-books, journal articles, and project Primary:Interviews with inequalities will increase.
relevant institutions.
evaluations. Primary research, on the other hand, might health experts.
involve conducting your own surveys, focus groups,
Primary research can seem
interviews, and community observations. Put simply,
daunting. To put you in the right What behaviours Secondary: Project evaluations Increasing physical activity
both secondary and primary research allows you to find can we focus on?
direction, begin by emailing, of successful initiatives, national through sport and other
accurate and reliable answers to each of your questions. strategy documents. active recreational activities.
phoning or dropping by the office
of individuals that share your Primary:Interviews and
focus group discussions
Now is a good time to commence writing interest in the issue. These people
with health experts.
will give you a better idea of who
a summary of your thoughts, research,
to include in interviews, focus
and discussions with others. Your notes groups and surveys. There are What models or Secondary: Journal articles, Ecological model of
should include a list of actions and will expand many free how-to-guides available theories are relevant text-books. factors influencing physical
online to assist you. For example, to this issue? Primary:Emailing and activity; Stages of change
as you progress through the next steps. phoning academics to request model; Theory of learned
Google "health compass, how-to-
guide, formative research" or visit their advice. helplessness.
www.thehealthcompass.org

18 19
 2 3
Step 2: Know your audience
Your audience refers to those who you intend to
reach and influence through your strategies and
communication materials. Effective social marketing
involves seeing the world from your audience's point of
view and understanding why they behave the way they
do. Here are some questions to assist you in gaining this
perspective:
• Who does the issue affect most?
• How do these people behave?
• What and who affects their behaviour?
• What are their experiences, beliefs, and needs?
• What motivates them?
• What barriers do they face regarding the behaviour
you are trying to influence?
• What behaviours are they adopting that are
competing with the behaviours you want to
influence?
• What issues relating to minority groups, the
disadvantaged, or persons living with disabilities
need to be considered?
Again, draw upon a mix of secondary and primary
research to guide your investigation and add your
findings to the notes you commenced writing in Step 1.
Ensure key insights are discussed with your team and
incorporated into the planning and development of
materials later on.
TIP
To access a free how-to-guide on audience
analysis, Google "health compass, how-
to-guide, audience analysis" or visit:
www.thehealthcompass.org
At this stage, it's unlikely you will know exactly who you
want to target. Not to worry; this step is simply about
exploring various possible audiences. Narrowing down
on a particular audience will come later.
20
Considering equity
Understanding the experiences,
needs, understandings and opinions
of minority groups, the disadvantaged,
and people living with disabilities from
the outset is vital.
Reaching out to individuals and
organisations representing each of
these groups is the best place to
start. In doing so, you might learn
that persons living with disabilities
have higher rates of NCDs in your
community because their access to
health services is very poor. Or that
individuals who identify as transgender
have not felt welcome to participate
in sporting events because they
have been turned away from both
male and female teams. Or perhaps
people living in remote locations are
often unaware of health promotion
campaigns because they receive most
of their information by radio rather than
TV and print media. Understanding
and responding to the unique
challenges of certain people and
sub-groups within your audience will
help to ensure your project is inclusive.
Step 3: Understand the situation
People never live their lives in isolation from their
environment and the influence of other people. A woman
motivated to get active may be prevented from exercising
because of a fear of being bitten by dogs on her street,
the judgment of others, commitments at work and at
home, or because of a lack of safe footpaths in her area.
Some of these factors may have been revealed when
you sought to understand a range of possible audiences.
Now it's time to look more closely at what influences
behaviour. Consider some of the following factors:
• Political (laws, policies, regulations, taxes)
• Social (family, technology, education, inequalities,
employment, crime, media)
• Cultural (norms, practices, obligations)
• Personal (knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, confidence)
• Physical (infrastructure, facilities, location, transport,
safety, weather)
Again, draw upon a mix of secondary and primary
research to guide your investigation and add your
findings to your notes.
TIP
To access a free how-to-guide on situational
analysis, Google "health compass,
how-to-guide, situational analysis" or
visit: www.thehealthcompass.org
It's worth keeping in mind that social marketing is
effective not only in influencing the behaviours of
individuals but also in changing policies, mobilising
community debate and action, and addressing
structural barriers in the community. So remember to
identify strategies and approaches that look beyond the
individual level that you can integrate into your initiative.
21
 4 Adapting materials in
low-resource settings
Step 4: Work with others Close to zero staff, few training
opportunities, poor and outdated
No single person or organisation has all of the skills and equipment, uncompromising
knowledge to plan, develop, and deliver social marketing deadlines, and little funding can
materials. In fact, by now you might have met some people make the task of developing
with whom you can discuss your research and guide your campaign materials seem
planning, or at least been exposed to the work of others impossible. Fortunately, however,
through secondary research. Through learning from the starting from scratch is rarely
experiences, knowledge, and skills of others and inviting necessary if you can find
relevant people and organisations to collaborate, your project campaign materials (posters,
will become more productive, efficient, and effective. animations, TV spots, scripts)
produced elsewhere that can be
A common risk of not consulting with others is that your adapted to your local setting.
strategies and communication materials may duplicate or
conflict with existing projects. Not only does this waste time, Start by identifying social
funding, and resources, it may confuse and overwhelm your marketing initiatives throughout
target audience, leading them to turn away altogether. the world or in your region that
are relevant to the behaviours
Not consulting with others may also mean you miss you are focusing on. Rank each
opportunities to build upon past achievements and to project according to their impact
collaborate with other organisations doing great work. and the ease in which their
A social marketing strategy to promote bicycle riding, for materials can be adapted to your
example, will be more effective if it works with the local local context by translating text,
council to construct bike paths, with commercial retailers to adding images of local people
import affordable bikes into the community, and with bicycle and settings, and adjusting
clubs to provide insight into your target audience and to other details to make them
organise community events to support the campaign. These more suitable to your campaign
people and organisations are known as your 'stakeholders', objectives.
and by working closely with them throughout your project,
your chances of reaching your goals with your available You should always contact
funding and resources are greatly improved. To clarify who those involved in developing
your stakeholders are, consider the following: the original materials to request
• Who knows most about your audience, their behaviours, their permission for a local
and what influences them? adaption. Most of the time
• Who is involved, or has been involved, in similar initiatives you will find these people
and can share their lessons-learnt or perhaps collaborate and organisations more than
with you to build on their achievements? willing to lend their knowledge,
resources, and skills to ensure
• Whose skills, support and approval do you need to make your adaption is a success. In
the project successful? fact, some organisations actively
• What other individuals or organisations (including private seek to make this process of
sector companies) currently have an influence on the adapting successful campaigns
behaviours of your audience, either positively or in in other countries as easy and
competition with your objectives? affordable as possible, such as
World Lung Foundation’s Mass
• Which representatives from minority or disadvantaged
groups can you consult to ensure your materials reflect Media Resource for tobacco
their needs? control campaigns (http://www.
worldlungfoundation.org)
22
Partnering to reach children
with disabilities through football
Just Play was launched in 2011 across the
islands of Fiji to promote physical activity
through football among primary school children.
Just Play, designed and implemented by
Oceania Football Confederation, aimed to not
only address issues relating to NCDs, poor
nutrition, and gender equity, but also stigma and
discrimination affecting children with disability.
The Just Play team recognised the need to
partner with a range of local, regional, and
international stakeholders that specialised in
disability and that could advise and support
their efforts to make football more inclusive to
all children. The team reached out to special
schools around Fiji and worked closely with
the Fiji Paralympic Committee to ensure their
sporting activities were tailored to the needs of
children with disability and that volunteers were
trained in modifying sports. These partnerships
also allowed Just Play to develop strategic
campaigns that addressed negative perceptions
towards people with disability in the wider
community. Funding and technical support was
provided by the Australian Sports Outreach
Program, UNICEF Pacific, Oceania Football
Confederation, and a range of local sporting
clubs and associations to ensure adequate
training, equipment and resources were provided
to those implementing the campaign on the
ground.
Through partnering up with local, regional and
international stakeholders, the Just Play team
designed and implemented a variety of fun and
effective ways to include children with disability
in football activities and to reduce stigma and
discrimination in the community.
Create a list of your stakeholders, including experts, department heads,
community organisations, service providers, community leaders, media outlets,
private sector companies, minority representatives, and donors. Take note of their
relevance to the project, and consult with them regularly at every stage of your
project. It's also a good idea to revisit your previous steps with your stakeholders
to review, revise, and expand upon your existing research.
23

5 Kau Mai Tonga: Netipolo (Come on Tonga, Let’s Play Netball!) was launched in 2012 to provide fun,
Step 5: Choose who to target
By now you may have a rough idea of who your audience might be. Of course, people
within any population can differ enormously according to their age, gender, ethnicity,
location, income, education, abilities, experiences, attitudes, and beliefs. Also recall
that certain groups of people are located at different stages of readiness for behaviour
change, from 'Don't Know, Don't Care' to 'Concerned and Motivated', and from
'Committed and Planning' to 'Maintaining Change'.
While it's tempting to reach as many people as possible, communicating the same
message to everyone regardless of their differences and hoping for the same result
will likely fail. Research tells us that targeting specific segments of the population with
materials tailored to their unique needs, motivations, and experiences will have the
greatest impact.
Guided by your research so far, and also the insights of your stakeholders, consider
different segments and choose who you will target. The TARPARE method can guide
this process of prioritising different audience segments for your initiative:
T: What is the total number of people that can be targeted?
AR: What proportion of the segment is considered at-risk?
P: To what extent can the segment be persuaded?
A: Can the segment be easily accessed?
R: What resources are needed to reach the segment?
E: Has equity been considered to ensure minority groups or
the disadvantaged are reached?
These questions will allow you to consider various audience segments that might be
more or less likely to change their behaviours following your investment of resources.
Let's say, for example, you decide to focus on five factors: gender, location, age, current
level of physical activity, and commitment to being more active. You might consider the
following segments:
• Gender: Male/Female
• Location: Urban (Good access to services)/ Rural (Poor access to services)
• Age: 18-24/25-34/35-44/45+
• Current level of physical activity: Less than 150min a week (Low) / 150-300min a
week (Medium) / More than 300min a week (High)
• Commitment to being more active: Don't Know, Don't Care (Low) / Concerned and
Motivated (Medium) / Committed and Planning (High)
• Guided by the TARPARE method, you might decide to target:
• Males living in urban areas aged 25-34, active less than 150min a week, concerned
about their health and motivated to be more physically active; or
• Females living in rural areas aged 18-24, active less than 150min a week, committed
and planning to increase their physical activity.
24
Targeting at-risk women through netball in Tonga
social and easy opportunities for women to reduce their risk of developing NCDs through sport.
Adult women were selected as the target audience following research and careful strategic planning
by a team from the Australian and Tongan governments, as well as various partner organisations in
the Tongan community. Through their secondary research, the team learned that obesity affected
more women than men in Tonga, with about 75 per cent being obese compared to 56 per cent of
men. They also found that Tongan women were much less active than men, with the vast majority
failing to meet the recommended 150 minutes a physical activity a week. Based on this research,
the team identified a segment of the female population that could be considered at high risk of
developing NCDs.
To learn more about this audience segment and the issues they faced, the team conducted primary
research to listen to what women had to say themselves. Through these discussions, the team
learned that local women faced a number of cultural, social, and financial barriers to being active.
Many, for example, commented that sporting activities in the community were often tailored for
and dominated by men. Others talked of the lack of sporting events and facilities in their villages,
competing demands at home, and embarrassment relating to exercising in public. The good news,
however, was that the vast majority of the women the team spoke with were highly motivated to be
more active if fun, social, and affordable opportunities were made available in their community.
Following their research and discussions with local women, the team identified their target audience
as adult women at risk of developing NCDs motivated and looking for opportunities to be more
physically active. Mass media campaigning with posters, brochures, TV and radio materials were
used to create excitement about being active through sport among target audiences. This created
additional demand for free netball activities that were being run by the Tonga Netball Association
in villages. The availability of these netball activities ensured the desired behaviour change was
supported.
Guided by the TARPARE method, you might decide to target: Now that you have
• Males living in urban areas aged 25-34, active less than 150min selected your target
a week, concerned about their health and motivated to be more audience, you can tailor
physically active; or
your materials to their
• Females living in rural areas aged 18-24, active less than 150min a
week, committed and planning to increase their physical activity. specific needs,
experiences, motivations,
and barriers. It's a good
idea to revisit Steps
TIP
1–4 to conduct more
To access a free how-to-guide on audience segmentation Google specific research into
“Health Compass, how-to-guide, audience segmentation” or visit
your segmented target
www.thehealthcompass.org
audience and to
invite other relevant
stakeholders to be
involved.
25
 6 7
Step 6: Outline your behavioural goals
It's time to figure out exactly what you want to achieve
by listing some specific behavioural goals. Without
these goals, your project will quickly lose focus and your
materials and strategies are unlikely to be effective. When
developing behavioural
goals make sure they are SMART, that is:
• Specific to your target audience and their setting
• Measurable against key indicators of progress
and impact
• Appropriate to your target audience and the
local setting
• Realistic given your funding, resources, skills,
and timeframe
• Time-bound, with a specific end-date for the
project set
Your SMART goals may look something like the following:
• Increase the percentage of men in rural areas aged
25-34 doing at least 150min of physical activity
a week from 15% to 25% by March 2018; or
• Increase the percentage of female adolescents
12–17 years of age in urban areas doing at least
300min of physical activity a week from 30% to
45% by November 2017.
Of course, you will need to consider how you are going
to know whether or not you have been successful in
reaching your goals. More on this in Step 9.
26
Step 7: Choose your communication channels
It's likely your target audience receives and engages with information in a number of
ways. Also keep in mind that many people do not have access to certain communication
channels because it is not affordable, they live in remote locations, they do not have the
necessary skills or language, or because they live with a disability. For this reason, using
a range of communication channels will greatly enhance the reach and impact of your
campaign. Here are some channels you may want to consider:
• Television • Newspaper • Telephone calls
• Radio advertisements and mobile phone
• Press releases messaging
• Brochures and
posters
 • Newsletters • Loudspeakers
• Face-to-face
• Billboards
 and • Online (websites,
banners YouTube, Facebook, communication
Twitter, Instagram)

• Car and bus stickers
Don't rush it
When choosing your channels, ask the following:
Pressure from stakeholders, • To what extent is each • What are the advantages • How can multiple
enthusiasm among staff, and advice channel appropriate, and disadvantages of channels be used
from experts can lead to a situation relevant, accessible, and each channel? to complement
in which people feel impatient to 'do
affordable to your target one another?
something' as soon as possible. In audience, including minority
this environment, the previous steps and disadvantaged groups?
can be rushed or bypassed altogether.
This typically leads to poor quality, ill-
researched, and ineffective strategies
and materials that will only confuse Are your materials appropriate, accessible, and inclusive?
and mislead your audience and waste It's important that your materials reach a range of audiences regardless of
everyone's time and money. their age, gender, sexuality, location, ethnicity or language. You also need
to consider if the materials you produce are accessible to people with
If you find yourself in this situation,
disabilities. Developing partnerships with representatives from minority,
discuss your concerns with your team
disadvantaged, or disabled people's organisations from the outset will put
and stakeholders to clarify what needs
you in contact with people who can guide you in this process. It may be
to be adjusted before the project can
suggested, for example, that you use multiple communication channels,
progress. Make sure all those involved
translate content into other languages, use large and simple fonts, include
in your project are aware of how long
visual prompts to complement written content, or add subtitles to TV
the development of a good social
programs. Each of these adjustments will ensure your materials are more
marketing approach will take, and
appropriate and accessible to all members of your target audience.
what steps you will follow to ensure
your work is effective. Ensuring good Equally important will be to ensure your materials feature positive
communication regarding project representations of people with a range of identities, backgrounds, and
timeframes can help avoid missed abilities to ensure all audience members feel invited and welcome to
deadlines and frustrated program participate in your initiative.
partners.
To access a step-by-step guide to improving the accessibility of your
materials, Google "Federation of Disability Sport, access for all, inclusive
communications" or visit: www.ausport.gov.au/participating/disability or
www.playbytherules.net.au/
 8
Step 8: Develop strategies and communication messages Be highly selective when choosing your communication
messages. Providing too many messages can overwhelm
We can make this step a little easier by dividing it into two parts: (1) developing social or confuse your target audience. Also remember to be
marketing strategies and (2) developing communication messages. very clear about what you are asking people to do. If
your campaign is promoting more than one behaviour
When developing social marketing strategies, begin by asking: change, your audience may not know what to prioritise
• Why is the target audience not currently adopting a certain healthy behaviour? and decide to do nothing at all. Finally, you will need
• How can I work with my stakeholders to reduce barriers affecting this behaviour to to tailor your messages to the specific characteristics,
make it easier and more appealing? understanding, lifestyles, interests, needs, motivations,
and barriers of your target audience. Think about some of
• How can I increase the capacity of my audience to adopt this healthy behaviour? the following questions:
• What changes to the environment are needed to motivate and support this • What is the most important information to
behaviour? communicate?
• What lessons can I learn from previous initiatives that share my behavioural goals? • What attitudes and behaviours need to be promoted
and maintained?
Through asking these questions you might decide to include a low-impact sport in your Never forget your audience
campaign to address concerns among older women of being injured. Or you may work • What kind of messages will appeal most to your
Each of those involved in funding, audience (rational, financial, family-focused,
with village leaders to ensure sports grounds are kept clean and mowed so people
planning or implementing a social emotional, threatening, positive, comical)?
motivated to get active can use them. Or maybe you have learned from organisers
marketing campaign will have their
of a past initiative that running an aerobics session early in the morning rather than • What specific actions are you seeking to trigger
own understandings, opinions,
in the mid-day sun will increase participation. Considering these issues and making through these messages?
and experiences. Some might be
the necessary adjustments means you are thinking and acting strategically, greatly • Can you foresee any negative reactions or confusion
particularly keen to be innovative or
increasing the effectiveness of your project. regarding your messages?
creative, while others may wish to
Now that you've made progress with your social marketing strategy, you can turn to your borrow from other campaigns they • Are your messages short, clear, simple, specific,
communication messages. If you had just a few seconds with your target audience, your like. However, if the experiences, factual, appropriate, relevant, and accessible?
communication messages are what you would share with them. In just a few words, needs and understandings of the
they must grab the attention of your audience and tell them exactly what they should do target audience are not prioritised
and why. Often messages will consist of a short and memorable catch-phrase and, if above all else, your materials will not By the end of this step you should have some strategies
necessary, a slightly longer sub-phase that directs your audience to a specific action. be effective among the very people
the campaign seeks to influence. and messages ready to present to stakeholders for their
• Get active now! Be active at least 30 minutes a day five times a week to stay healthy. Never forget your audience. feedback and to pre-test with target audiences.
• Get Healthy, Get Happy! Sign-up to our free badminton club and have fun while We'll get to this in Step 12.
getting healthy.
• Move for life! It's never too late to get healthy, be active in whatever way you can.
• NCDs are Killing us. Protect yourself against chronic diseases by being active at
least 30 minutes a day five times a week.

28 29
 9 10
Step 9: Plan how to track progress and measure impact
Whether you are printing 30 posters for a handful of community centres or launching a
national mass media campaign using TV and radio that will reach thousands, you'll want
to know whether your project is progressing according to plan and if you are reaching
and positively influencing your target audience in line with your objectives.
You might think your project was a total failure because you only had enough funding to
air your TV spots for three days when, in fact, it positively influenced the behaviours of
thousands because it was uploaded and shared on YouTube and Facebook. Or perhaps
you thought your poster campaign was a huge success but, in truth, it reached and
affected few because the posters were left out in the rain and ruined. You'll never know
what happened and what needs to change in the future unless you track your progress
and measure impact. And don't forget those funding your work typically expect to see
results.
A monitoring and evaluation plan is an important part of any project, and will help you
measure and demonstrate the success of your work. Periodic independent evaluations
are also very useful, and an important part of a strong monitoring and evaluation
approach.
TIP:
For smaller projects, a monitoring and evaluation plan can be developed and
implemented in-house with a bit of planning. To access a user-friendly guide
to track your progress and measure impact, Google "step by step guide, M&E
plan, evaluation toolbox" or visit http://evaluationtoolbox.net.au
For sports organisations trying to measure the success of health promotion
efforts, a suggested monitoring approach is attached to this guide, and can be
found at https://secure.ausport.gov.au/clearinghouse/home.
30
Step 10: Prepare an action plan
It's time to figure out how everything you have learned and planned so far can translate
into meaningful action on the ground. Your action plan answers the question: How can I
make this happen? Here are a few questions to get you started:
• Who will need to be involved during each stage of the project?
• When, how, and by whom will strategies be implemented and communication
materials be developed and distributed?
• How much funding is needed and where will it come from?
• How will the campaign complement and build upon other strategies now and
in the future?
• Why is your strategy the most effective, appropriate, and affordable one?
• Who will do the monitoring and evaluation?
• What are the potential risks and barriers and how will they be addressed?
By the end of this step, you should have a clear plan of action to create, implement,
monitor and evaluate your campaign with your available funding, staff, resources, and
timelines. Your action plan should be easily summarised and explained to stakeholders
in the form of a short report, presentation, or verbal pitch. You will need their approval
before you move onto the next phase. If you fail to gain their support, revisit the previous
steps and explore what needs to change before revising your action plan and seeking
approval again.
TIP:
For a simple guide to writing and implementing an action plan,
Google “Ctb, ku, develop action plans” or visit: http://ctb.ku.edu
And to access a guide to assist with learning the basics of budgeting,
Google “C-hub online, budgeting basics” or visit www.c-hubonline.org
31
 11 12
Step 11: Create materials Step 12: Seek feedback, pre-test and adjust
With all of the work you have done so far, it's amazing to think that so many start at this Audience before It's time to invite your stakeholders and some members of your target
step and ignore the rest. But your hard work will pay off considering you are now in an creativity audience to provide their feedback on your work so far. This will allow
excellent position to develop strategies and materials that are well-researched, targeted, you to select the best strategies, materials, and messages among
grounded in audience insight, supported by stakeholders, and linked with other Making adjustments to various options and to make necessary adjustments to ensure they have
strategies being implemented. materials can often be the greatest impact.
difficult if you disagree
The primary goal of this step is to draw upon everything you have come to learn so far with the views and When seeking feedback from stakeholders, present your strategies,
to develop strategies that support and motivate the behaviour you are promoting and to opinions of your materials, and messages without expressing your own opinion and
create materials (branding, posters, brochures, TV and radio spots, billboards, websites, stakeholders or the encourage an open discussion against the benchmark criteria of being
social media pages) that are: target audience. While attractive, comprehensible, accurate, persuasive, appropriate, targeted,
it might be tough, be and accessible. It's also a good time for experts to double-check the
• Attractive to grab the attention of your audience and keep them engaged. prepared to let go of accuracy and appropriateness of your content and for representatives
• Comprehensible enough to be easily understood and remembered. some elements of from minority groups and disabled people's organisations to advise if
• Accurate, based on well-researched evidence and expert advice. the project that, while any further changes are needed to make your strategies and materials
creative, clever and more accessible.
• Persuasive in motivating and supporting positive behaviours.
seemingly important,
• Appropriate to the local context and the issues being addressed. are not supported by Pre-testing involves presenting your messages and materials to
• Targeted to the unique needs of your audience, promoting personal identification. insight into what will members of your target audience to check that your assumptions are
move and motivate appropriate and if changes are required to increase their impact. This
• Accessible to all people within your target audience regardless of their minority
your audience most is a very critical stage in the development of communication materials.
status, disabilities, or disadvantages.
effectively. Health experts have the technical knowledge to confidently write
Again, for large-scale campaigns it's likely you will need to seek assistance from content that is scientifically accurate and to provide recommendations
professional graphic designers, filmmakers, or web developers. This will require you to for actions based on this evidence. However it is only through pre-
write a creative brief to ensure all of the research and strategy development you have testing that you can understand how your target audience reacts to your
done so far guides the materials they produce. materials, what messages are actually being communicated to them,
and if your strategy is likely to influence their behaviour.

TIP:
To access a free how-to-guide on writing a creative brief, Google “Health TIP:
compass, how-to-guide, creative brief” or visit www.thehealthcompass.org Pre-testing for large-scale campaigns will need to be
conducted by an independent and professional research team.
For smaller campaigns, however, pre-testing can be conducted
in-house. Google “health compass, how-to-guide, pre-testing”
If you are implementing a smaller campaign and wish to develop your own materials on or visit the following website to access a user-friendly guide to
a shoestring budget, you can find a list of websites that contain case studies, tutorials, conducting pre-testing sessions: www.thehealthcompass.org
how-to-guides, and tool-kits at the end of this guide.

After summarising and analysing stakeholder feedback and pre-testing

results, make the necessary adjustments to your strategies and select
the final set of communication materials to be distributed to your target
audience. Once the final changes have been made, seek approval
from senior management and, if appropriate an ethics committee,
to commence implementing your strategies and delivering your

32 materials to your target audience according to your action plan.

33
 13
Step 13: Deliver and monitor
Your strategies and communication materials are now reaching your target audience
and, you hope, having a positive influence on their behaviour. But before you can figure
out whether or not your campaign is having an impact, you need to ensure everything is
progressing according to plan. Consider the following:
• Is the delivery of materials on time and within budget?
• Are staff, stakeholders and partners fulfilling their responsibilities according to the
action plan?
• Are strategies being implemented as planned?
• How effectively are communication materials reaching the target audience, how
frequently are they being exposed to campaign messages, and what is the quality of
delivered materials?
• Have any challenges or opportunities arisen?
• What feedback are you receiving from audience members and stakeholders?
• Are the needs of the target audience changing?
Through monitoring the delivery of materials and strategies you can identify issues and
address them as they arise. Let's say, for example, your radio spots are only being
run once a day instead of the planned three times a day. You'll need to call the radio
station to remind them to stick to the agreed-upon broadcast schedule. Or perhaps the
sports hall in which an event you have promoted through posters is being held has been
double-booked. You'll need to work with your stakeholders to find an alternative venue
and to inform your audience of the change.
Monitoring your progress will also allow you to take advantage of opportunities. You
might learn, for example, that your campaign has triggered much discussion and
sharing on Facebook. In response, you can increase your Facebook posts to further
boost interest and engagement. Or perhaps journalists have requested more information
about the campaign and are asking for people to interview. Responding to these
opportunities as they arise will greatly enhance the reach and impact of your campaign.
TIP:
Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter all provide excellent, free, and user-friendly
data packages to track the popularity and engagement of your campaign
among your audiences. For guidance on using Social Media for health
promotion, Google "CDC, health communication, social media toolkit"
or visit: www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication
34
14
Step 14: Measure impact and
make adjustments
You have reached the final stage in which, having
implemented your strategies and delivered your
communication materials according to your action
plan, you learn whether what you did had an impact.
Regardless of whether you contracted a professional
research team or carried out your own evaluation, you will
want answers to the following questions:
• What has your project achieved or not achieved?
• To what extent were your behavioural goals met?
• What worked or didn't work, and why?
• Were there any unintended impacts of the project?
• What lessons can be passed onto others doing
similar work?
• What adjustments need to be made to increase the
impact of future initiatives?
It's vital that you communicate your findings to your
stakeholders and the broader community, whether
through face-to-face meetings, reports, conference
presentations, journal articles, or press releases. Gaining
feedback, both positive and negative, from others will
clarify what adjustments need to be made for future
initiatives. It will also allow you to pass lessons onto
others who wish to build on your achievements.
35
Social Change
Online Social marketing and health communication
• The Health Compass: www.thehealthcompass.org

resources
Social marketing in a low-resource
setting can be challenging.
Fortunately, a number of
how-to-guides, toolkits, tutorials,
Design
and forums can be found online
to assist you. Here are a few.
• C-Hub Online: www.c-hubonline.org
• John Hopkins Center for Communication Programs: http://ccp.jhu.edu/resources
• The Big Pocket Guide to Using Social Marketing for Behaviour Change (National
Social Marketing Center): http://www.thensmc.com/sites/default/files/Big_pocket_
guide_2011.pdf
• Social Marketing Guide for Public Health Programme Managers and Practitioners
(European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control): http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/
publications/Publications/social-marketing-guide-public-health.pdf
Film and radio
• www.behance.com • www.nofilmschool.com
• www.pinterest.com • www.lynda.com
• www.canva.com • www.bbc.co.uk/academy/
• https://designschool.canva.com production/radio

Social media and Monitoring and

online content evaluation
• www.sm4good.com • www.google.com/forms/about/
• www.cdc.gov/socialmedia • www.surveymonkey.com
• www.wix.com • www.evaluationtoolbox.net.au
• www.squarespace.com

Accessibility
• www.adcet.edu.au/inclusive-teaching/working-with-
students/communication-tips/
• www.efds.co.uk/resources/case_studies/2697_
access_for_all_efds_inclusive_communications_guide

38 39
Resources • Research on the Barriers and Enablers to Physical Activity in the Pacific: https://
secure.ausport.gov.au/clearinghouse/Library/archive/digital_archive/asc_programs/
australian_sports_commission_programs_-_international/Research_on_the_Barriers_

and Guides
and_Enablers_to_Physical_Activity_in_the_Pacific.docx

• Social Marketing Style Guide for Tonga: https://secure.ausport.gov.au/clearinghouse/

Library/archive/digital_archive/asc_programs/australian_sports_commission_
programs_-_international/Social_Marketing_Style_Guides_for_Tonga.pdf

provided
• Social Marketing Style Guide for Samoa: https://secure.ausport.gov.au/clearinghouse/
Library/archive/digital_archive/asc_programs/australian_sports_commission_
programs_-_international/Social_Marketing_Style_Guide_for_Samoa.pdf

• Social Marketing Style Guide for Fiji: https://secure.ausport.gov.au/clearinghouse/

by the
Library/archive/digital_archive/asc_programs/australian_sports_commission_
programs_-_international/Social_Marketing_Style_Guide_for_Fiji.pdf

• Social Marketing Style Guide for Nauru: https://secure.ausport.gov.au/clearinghouse/

Library/archive/digital_archive/asc_programs/australian_sports_commission_

Australian
programs_-_international/Social_Marketing_Style_Guide_for_Nauru.pdf

• Monitoring and Evaluation Guide for Physical Activity Promotion in Sports: https://
secure.ausport.gov.au/clearinghouse/Library/archive/digital_archive/asc_programs/
australian_sports_commission_programs_-_international/Monitoring_and_
Evaluation_Guide_for_Physical_Activity_Promotion_in_Sports.docx

Sports
Commission

40 41
References
Andreasen, A.R. (2006). Social marketing in the 21st century. Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2011). Social marketing made
simple: A guide for creating effective social marketing plans. US department of Health
and Humans Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Atlanta, GA.
http://www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/pdf/cdcynergylite.pdf

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). (2014). Social marketing
guide for public health managers and practitioners. ECDC: Stockholm. http://ecdc.
europa.eu/en/publications/Publications/social-marketing-guide-public-health.pdf

French, J., Blair-Stevens, C., McVey, D. & Merritt, R. (2010). Social marketing and public
health: Theory and practice. Oxford University Press: Oxford.

Goals
Carroll T. (2000). Population health social marketing: A model for comprehensive
social marketing campaign development. Commonwealth Department of Health and
Community Services: Sydney, NSW.

National Centre for Social Marketing. (2011). Big pocket guide to using social marketing
for behaviour change. Department of Health and National Consumer Council: London.
http://www.thensmc.com/sites/default/files/Big_pocket_guide_2011.pdf

O’Sullivan, G.A., Yonkler, J.A., Morgan, W., & Merritt, A.P. (2003). A field guide to
designing a health communication strategy. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of
Public Health/Center for Communication Programs: Baltimore, MD. http://ccp.jhu.edu/
documents/A%20Field%20Guide%20to%20Designing%20Health%20Comm%20
Strategy.pdf

Sport for Development and Peace International Working Group (SDP IWG). (2008).
‘Sport and health: Preventing disease and promoting health’. In harnessing the power
of sport for development and peace: Recommendations to governments. SDP IWG:
Toronto. http://www.un.org/wcm/content/site/sport/home/unplayers/memberstates/
sdpiwg_keydocs

World Health Organization & UNICEF. (2012). Communication for behavioural impact
(COMBI): A toolkit for behavioural and social communication in outbreak response.
World Health Organisation: Geneva. http://www.searo.who.int/entity/emerging_
diseases/ebola/atoolkit_for_behavioural_and_social_communicationin_outbreak_
response.pdf

42
An initiative of the Australian Sports Commission
The views in this publication are those of the author and not necessarily the Australian Government.