Changing places: Marketing health takes more than persuasion

Perhaps because we spend so much of our formative research resources trying to “get the message right,” many of us have come to believe that our work is done when the focus groups say “yes” to a theme line or other communications concepts meant to inform, attract and motivate people to change their health behavior. But now let's look at the real world. Or better put, let's just look around. If the clinics are ten miles away, if riding your bike to work represents a daily survival challenge or if your kids' eyes are bombarded by trans fat temptations on every trip to the supermarket, your well-tested messages may not get you very far in changing the behaviors of your target audience and delivering the better health outcomes you are seeking. Great marketing has always been about shaping peoples' experiences, not just their mindsets. Great social marketing should do the same. Dr. Gould's presentation will describe how the social marketing can take a more “holistic” approach to changing both people and places to achieve greater success.