Social Marketing Initiative

You are required to submit a paper in which you present a hypothetical social marketing initiative. You are encouraged to use the information from Romas & Sharma Chapter 8 as a guide for successful social marketing concepts. Your paper should be 3–4 pages in length (not including the title page and reference page).

Each section should begin with the heading that is provided below in bold type:

Part 1

Clearly describe the population you wish to reach, the need you are attempting to target, and the product or resource you are attempting to sell.

·        Identify your priority population. (Make sure to be very specific in your description of the demographics. Remember, it is much more feasible to target a smaller, measurable audience than a generalized population.)

·         Identify the specific need you are trying to address and overcome. (You will need to provide data and information necessary to prove the urgency and/or importance of the health need you identify.)

·         Describe the product, resource or service you are hypothetically planning to sell.

·        Provide 1 peer-reviewed journal that supports your perception of the need. (You must describe how this article supports the need for the product you are hypothetically attempting to sell).

Please Note:

1. You are trying to “sell” this idea, so make sure to convince the reader of the urgency, importance and impact potential behind your idea.
2. 50 points will be deducted off a student’s paper if they write about a service, resource or product which already exists.  (The idea here is to come up with a concept which is new and innovative.  So, look at the health needs around you and get creative.) 

Part 2

Using the graph from p. 215 in your text, outline the 8 P’s of your health-related promotional effort. Make sure to provide adequate detail for each marketing item as outlined in Figure 8.2.

Part 3

Explain how you would use the Diffusion of Innovation concept to promote your idea.

·         Identify and describe the people that you believe would be your early adopters.  (These are the people in your priority population or corresponding community who would be the first to embrace your new concept.)

·      Describe how you would reach laggards and encourage them to adopt the innovation. (Remember laggards are hesistant to embrace change.  So, telling them they need to change or simply providing information about needed change is not typically an adequate means by which to foster change among this population.)