184854 Social Branding® Model: How to Reach High-Risk Youth & Young Adults

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Jeff Jordan, MA , Rescue Social Change Group, San Diego, CA
Significance

Personal and social identity may motivate illogical behaviors such as risk behaviors. These behaviors can be justified and changed by identifying the social and cultural reinforcements that maintain their performance. Social Branding® is a social marketing innovation that emphasizes identity to change behavior.

Objective

To present a strategy to effectively apply commercial branding principles to address risk behaviors that are performed and maintained by one's personal or social identity.

Methods

Formative research explores the identity of the focus market to inform intervention development. Evaluation is based on determinants of identification, social authority, comprehension and actual behavior change. Established campaigns survey convenience samples and use CDC risk behavior data to analyze impact. New campaigns use cohort and cross-sectional designs.

Results

Las Vegas, NV teen smoking decreased from 33% in 1999 to 13% in 2007, and young adult smoking has decreased from 44% in 2002 to 16% in 2005. Both occurred investing less than $1 per teen/young adult per year. Indoor air legislation went into effect December 2006, when teen rates were already under 18%. NACCHO named Urban Fuel Social Branding® Campaign a Promising Practice and another Social Branding campaign, Attract in Reno, NV, a Model Practice.

Conclusion

Understanding and addressing the personal and social identity of an individual provides great opportunity to prevent risk behaviors. Social Branding® approach is being effectively applied to address smoking, alcohol use, and after school program participation in over a dozen localities.

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify the salience of commercial branding in the formation, implementation, and management of prevention and health promotion campaigns 2. Understand how to associate a healthy behavior and the desired identity of the focus market to cause behavior change 3. Be able to infiltrate the culture of the focus market to ensure that change comes from within the culture to achieve sustainability

Keywords: Adolescents, Social Marketing

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: The Social Branding model presents psychological and sociological theories infused with commercial branding practices. The model is currently used in innovative statewide programs funded by health agencies, government foundations, and private foundations. The Social Branding strategy has been presented at various conferences nationwide, including most recently the 2007 National Prevention Conference. I am also the author of the Social Branding Dogma, a guidebook to Social Branding intended for a public health audience.
Any relevant financial relationships? Yes

Name of Organization Clinical/Research Area Type of relationship
Rescue Social Change Group Risk Behaviors, Cultural Intervention Employment (includes retainer)

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Strategies in Youth Tobacco Prevention from the Web and Movies to Space Vehicles
See more of: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs