Developing Effective Health Communication Campaigns for Your STD Program

Developing Effective Health Communication Campaigns for Your STD Program: Skill Building & Lessons Learned from the Field 2010 National STD Prevention Conference Pre-Conference Academy March 8, 2010 The findings and conclusions in this presentation are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health Communication (HC)
“ The study & use of communication strategies to inform and influence individual & community decisions that enhance health.”
– National Cancer Institute

Health Communication
Based on an understanding of the needs & perceptions of intended audiences.
4 stages of HC process:
1. Planning & Strategic Dev
2. Concept & Message Dev/Testing
3. Implementation
4. Evaluation & Refinement

Source: NCI. Making Health Communication Programs Work ( 2002)

Strategic Planning The Foundation of HC Programs
Assess health issue & identify all components of possible solutions
Review available data
Identify existing activities (success/failures) & gaps
SWOT analysis
Determine whether communication is appropriate
Define communication objectives
Define & learn about target audiences
Explore settings, channels & activities best suited to reach intended audiences
Identify potential partners
Develop communication strategy for each intended audience

Considerations for HC efforts
Measurable goals
Identified target audience(s)
Strategies developed/refined based on consumer research, continuous assessment, evaluation
Findings from consumer research should be applied strategically & with caution
Efforts should not stigmatize or perpetuate myths, stereotypes.
What works in one community may not work in another.

Social Marketing (SM)
“ The use of commercial marketing * concepts, tools and programs designed to influence individuals’ behavior to improve their well being and that of society.”
– Social Marketing Institute
* Marketing = human activity directed at satisfying needs and wants through exchange process (i.e., transfer between two parties of something that has value to each party).”
- Kotler, 1976

Marketing Tools: The 4 P’s
Product
Price
Promotion
Place
These strategies evolve from consumer research (needs, desires, core values, perceived benefits)
Requires changing the offering to meet audience’s needs & wants; reframing the desired behavior to reinforce core values

Redefining the Public Health Product
“ Good marketers do not seek to persuade target audiences to do what the marketer believes they ought to do…Rather, they recognize that customers only take action when they believe it is in their interests…They recognize that they must often change their social marketing offerings & the way these are presented…”
Andreasen, 1995 (p.14-15)

Branding a marketer’s “emotional tool”
Combines & reinforces the functional & emotional benefits of offering
Facilitates recognition
Makes a promise & delivers satisfaction
Encourages consumption & loyalty (adds value)
Example:
Youthful, empowering social movement
Brand aims to generate buzz, remove taboo & stigma around STD testing
Get youth talking about testing in a way in which they are comfortable
call to action that becomes part of youth’s vernacular

HC & SM: Similarities & Differences
Both are audience-centered , research-based (strategy-driven), & use segmentation for more effective targeting.
By definition, SM efforts target more than awareness/attitude change; focus is on behavior or social change.
In addition to communication strategies, SM applies strategic marketing principles to repackage, reposition & reframe the public health product.
Make it ‘fun, easy, popular” (Smith)

Contact Me
Allison Friedman, MS
Health communication Specialist
Behavioral & Interventions Research Branch
Division of STD Prevention
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
(404) 639-8537
[email_address]

Developing Effective Health Communication Campaigns for Your STD Program

by CDC NPIN

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Developing Effective Health Communication Campaigns for Your STD Program Presentation Transcript