5. Strategy and Tactics

At this point, you should establish the strategy and tactics to achieve your measurable objectives. This will include adjusting some aspects of your program (behaviour, 'first step', products, services, etc...) before you consider promoting the program. You will then need to determine your positioning. This is followed by the message development and pre-testing phase through the channels you have identified. You may also consider forming partnerships with a number of organizations and individuals to enhance your credibility and increase your influence. Partners can increase your access to audiences and/or gather the resources you need for your social marketing and other health promotion activities.

5.1 Adjustments to Your Program

Some aspects of your program, such as the products, services or the actual behaviours you want to promote may need to be adjusted to make it easier for audiences to take action. This can include identifying 'the first step' people should take to adopt the behaviour. Consider making this first step the cornerstone of your promotion. Decide what you can do to make it easier for audiences to adopt the desired behaviour or action steps by eliminating or showing people how to overcome barriers, changing policies or perceptions, increasing access to programs or reducing the time required.

5.2 Positioning

A positioning statement should have a dual impact on your audience by sending a relevant message, while informing them about your organization.

First of all, you need to determine if the behaviour or your message are complementary with competing ideas in the daily life of your audience. It should be positioned according to your audience analysis (i.e., demographic profile and relevance). If your message is well positioned, the target audience will perceive it as being relevant. Focus on what is unique about the desired behaviour and your organization. Be ready to back up your statements with facts. Then, you can be sure that your message will then be more easily heard, understood and taken to heart.

For example, Health Canada's Vitality program recognized that being active and having a positive self and body image are closely linked to healthy eating. The program targeted adults in the 25-45 age group with 9 to 13 years of education. The audience analysis found that:

• They would like to spend more time with family and friends, which is their number one priority.
• They are hard-working, no-nonsense Canadians who often feel too tired to exercise. Although they know they should eat nutritious meals, they feel that preparation time is too long and/or that nutrition food is too costly.

The Vitality program was developed and positioned with this audience profile in mind. The program demonstrated that it was easier than one would think to introduce special moments into a family setting that involve healthy eating, active living and having fun. Parents were able to see how gratifying it can be to briefly forget their daily concerns and spend some quality time with their child(ren).

In addition to sending a relevant message, you need to inform the target audience about your organization. They should know how you are aligned with the issue at hand, and how you differ from competing organizations. Your approach should be based on the goal of your social marketing plan. For example, you might emphasize your organization's position if you were developing a fund-raising campaign. However, if your health message takes precedence, then you may only use a logo for your organization or for the larger program effort to maintain the focus on the message itself.

The following is an example of Health Canada's in-house positioning statement for the Vitality program:

"To promote and support the ability of Canadians to strengthen and maintain their healthy eating practices by fostering and creating supportive environments and providing leadership in areas of policy, programs, knowledge development, education, and public awareness."

5.3 Delivering Your Message

What is the best method for getting your message across to your target audience? You need to look at their media habits, living environment, and the events they attend. Who or what has the most influence over them? This includes formal and informal networks, such as the media or family and friends. The answer is usually a combination of things, which is why you should choose a mix of communication methods (i.e., the media, interpersonal communication and events) as well as people who are likely to have a lot of influence and credibility with the target audience. See Section 2.2 for a list of potential media outlets, interpersonal communication activities and events.

You may be considering using public service announcements (PSAs) to convey your message. Don't set your expectations too high. Nowadays, an increasing number of broadcasters and publishers require that you pay at least a portion of the advertising time and space. Otherwise, your message is likely to be broadcast during non-peak hours or only used as a filler in print media.

Nevertheless, the following tips could prove useful:

• Use up-to-date, high-quality advertising.
• Humour and a positive tone can be very effective.
• The first audience of PSA material is the media itself.
• Comply with media formats, procedures and specifications.
• Maintaining personal contact with the media is very important.
• Avoid using the "hard sell" approach.
• Let the media know if it works.
• Ask for "no charge" invoices that show donated time or space to evaluate the value of donated time and space.

5.4 Message Development

This is the stage where you develop your messages (advertisements, speeches, scenarios for interpersonal exchanges, and so on) for each of your target audiences. Every message must involve some form of tangible action to answer the inevitable question: "Now what?". For example, it may be something as simple as calling a 1-800 number, ordering a publication, visiting a Web site, or attending an event. Remember to consider possible barriers to adopting action immediately. Solve the problem or show people how to overcome barriers!

More importantly, you need to go beyond a simple list of benefits. Be sure that your messages answer the other question that a number of people in your target audience will be sure to ask: "So what?" Your answer will be crucial for showing the target audience that your message is relevant. Go beyond slogans.

You may want to get "creative" minds (volunteers or suppliers) involved. Another approach would be to have members of the target audience participate in the message development process. Try not to involve people who know too much about your program or the issue. Find people who know the audience. The idea is not to please your committee members, but to reach an audience on its own terms.

After you have developed your messages, ask typical members of the target audience (who don't know you personally) to provide you with feedback. Make sure their reactions are consistent with your objectives. Ask the following questions about your postioning statement:

• Is it attention-getting?
• Is is clear?
• Is it relevant?
• Is it persuasive?
• Is it credible?
• Is it generating the desired behaviour/action?

5.5 Finding Partners and Sponsors

Before completing this section, it is highly recommended that you read the two articles on corporate sponsorship by Gwyneth Wallace and Jim Mintz in Health Promotion in Canada (Spring and Summer 1994, vol. 32 numbers 3 and 4). To find the articles, search for "Wallace and Mintz" on the Health Promotion Online - Main Menu. You may also wish to consult the following publication from the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy: Creating Effective Partnerships with Business - A Guide for Charities and Nonprofits in Canada, 1996.

You are likely to seek the support of partners for one or more of the following reasons:

• Reach - Access to the audience.

Partners can lead you directly to your audience. You can save a lot of time and effort by going to your audience instead of trying to have them come to you.

Example: Your messages are aimed at children aged 5-11, so you form a partnership with the district school board to give you access to elementary schools.

• Credibility - For greater audience impact

For one reason or another, your organization may not be perceived as credible by your target audience. If this is the case, your messages will not be meaningful to them. You need their acceptance and trust before you can successfully convey your messages.

Example: Your organization is a community health clinic, and you are targetting teenagers and their sexual practices. Forming a partnership with a popular television music program would give your messages credibility.

• Resources - Financial, human or material

You may not have all the resources to back the social marketing plan that your health promotion program needs. A partner can provide those resources for you. Of course, you need to present your situation and needs in a manner that will be relevant for a potential partner.

Example: Your budget simply cannot accommodate the printing costs of your new publication. Form a partnership with a publishing company which can take care of that part of the project.

• Support - To alleviate a previously identified weakness or threat (See Section 3 - Context)

There may be weaknesses in your social marketing plan or it could be subject to outside threats. Forming a partnership with an organization that has the resources and know-how to overcome these obstacles will in turn help you overcome your weaknesses and reduce outside threats.

Example: Your organization lacks production expertise - an area in which your competition flourishes. Form a partnership with an advertising agency that is on the cutting edge of production. List the organizations (governments, foundations, private-sector companies, organizations, groups, clubs, institutions, etc...) you will need to contact for support. Specify the nature and the level of support you are seeking. Make sure you are realistic and that you have something to offer that is relevant and meaningful to them - without "selling your soul"!

Example: Asking permission to hold an event in a school in return for having the school logo displayed on materials, and being included in the press release.

Example: Asking an organization to sponsor an event in exchange for visibility and the right to have a special discount for participants from the organization.