Detour, Roadwork Ahead! -The Road to Change Through Social Marketing!

Come on, not another construction project! Yes, that's how we feel when we see an upcoming project and a roadblock due to construction. Imagine changing that perception!

Caroline Berryman attempts to change that perception daily through Social Marketing. In this week's Seminar class by Prof. Wendy Greenwood , we met Caroline A. Berryman, CMMP (Acting Manager, Communications, Engagement and Marketing, Public Works -The Regional Municipality of York). After having an experience of 13 years in retail marketing, she transitioned to public sector marketing with a focus on social marketing.

The question that comes to our mind is, what is Social Marketing?

Now, the term social marketing is often confused with social media marketing. "Social marketing is an approach used to develop activities aimed at changing or maintaining people's behaviour for the benefit of individuals and society as a whole." (National Social Marketing Centre, 2016). Example- The R.I.D.E Campaign to prevent drunk driving during the festive season.

Caroline is the lead strategic development, management and implementation of integrated marketing and communications for the York Region. Hence, Caroline discussed the challenges and opportunities for social marketers when they attempt to change the attitudes and behaviours of their audience.

Some of the challenges were:

Resistance to Change: Convincing an audience to adjust their behaviours or attitudes can be difficult, especially when the change requires a shift from long-established habits. Like the R.I.D.E Campaign, it's difficult to change people's perception that even a single drink can be dangerous if you drive home after the Christmas party.

Communication Barriers: Effectively communicating the benefits and reasons for change to a diverse audience, like why the construction is important despite its many traffic problems and commute delays.

Measurement: Understanding the success of social marketing campaigns can be complex, as changes in behaviour or attitudes may take time.

Opportunities:

Educational Impact: Social marketing campaigns offer the chance to educate the public on important issues, leading to informed communities.

Community Engagement: These campaigns can foster a sense of community and collective action, as they often require communal effort and support.

Partnership Potential: Partnering with various retailers and vendors, including local businesses and law enforcement, to amplify messages is possible.

Which is better? Selling an Idea vs Selling a Product:

Social marketing is about helping people change their habits for their own good and everyone's benefit. It's different from regular marketing because it's not just about making money—it's about improving people's lives.

As a marketing student, I find the idea of promoting social causes fascinating. It's not just about selling products; it's about engaging, educating, and persuading people for the greater good. It's much more challenging to change a person's and society's perception to show a negatively perceived idea in a positive light. It's not about making a product's packaging attractive but rather making the idea attractive!?

Case Study:

One such case study we got to work on that day was the York region's campaign to educate and create awareness of road construction in Newmarket. Since it is an ongoing project and a real case study, we were really invested in it. We devised certain solutions and tactics to create awareness of the construction project in March.

Going to the root of the problem that construction causes a lot of frustrations in the minds of the public and the retailers in that area, we jotted down a few points on how to approach the situation.

·????? We discussed maintaining transparency in the project by posting real-time updates on the website and social media postings.

·????? Suggesting geo-targeting and emergency alerts being set up so that people can be aware of any closures or detours.

·????? We also considered using visuals on digital billboards showing how the road would look after the completion of the project.

·????? We discussed the importance of engaging local businesses and residents, ensuring they understood the timeline, disruptions, and long-term benefits.

·????? Partnering with local businesses to spread the message on their websites and through pamphlet distribution with QR codes would lead to the website with the information on this project.

One of the major perspectives that surprised me, as we hadn't considered it, was the monetary aspect of the campaign. As Caroline mentioned, this project won't be able to advertise on Television due to budget constraints as it is the taxpayers' money, and they need to be very conscious of the spending.

Career in the Public Sector:

This case study opened my eyes to looking into career options in the public sector and social marketing. This is because social marketing gives me a purpose to work for in life. It's challenging as it is not a tangible sale; it's about changing perceptions of people for the greater good. In social marketing, there's the potential to create campaigns on health, safety, and quality of life for the public. Hence, it is an exciting journey that will always keep me on my toes, and since I love learning, it would allow me to learn each day. Lastly, I would like to thank Prof. Wendy Greenwood and George Brown College for giving us a platform to interact with such esteemed industry professionals and enrich our learning experience through practical insights and real-world case studies.

Reference:

?NSMC. (2016). What is social marketing? | The NSMC. Thensmc.com. https://www.thensmc.com/content/what-social-marketing-1