Australia: the healthiest country by 2020
National Preventative Health Strategy – the roadmap for action

8.3 - Social marketing

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A successful social marketing program will require sustained, adequate funding and strong collaborative relationships between the NPA and the states and territories, which should both maintain and enhance their own commitments to social marketing and be engaged as partners in national programs. It will also be important to work collaboratively with NGOs (at both national and state levels), and draw on their expertise, as they have significant experience in the area. There will be much potential for extending state-based programs nationally.

Social marketing programs should take account of the principles set out in this Strategy (for example, a commitment to reducing health inequalities), make use of the considerable body of expertise already in place in Australia and ensure good consultation with key stakeholders.
The NPA will be able to provide advice to a range of stakeholders on aspects of social marketing campaigns, including design, scope, implementation, funding, sustainability, tracking impacts and evaluation of outcomes.

A national approach on issues of national significance

Currently, many social marketing campaigns are state developed and run. A national approach to social marketing would necessitate the NPA adapting or developing social marketing material that had national application and significance. However, the model would continue to give states the opportunity to either top up or extend the reach of campaigns or develop state-based campaigns using their current funding commitments on state issues. The best application of this approach would be where legislation differs considerably between states. For example, the regulations regarding smoking in cars in which children are travelling differs between states; individual states might therefore develop and/or fund a social marketing campaign that aims to highlight the effects of environmental tobacco smoke on children and influence social norms around this issue. It would also be vital that states and territories saw the establishment of the NPA as a reason to increase, not reduce their commitments to social marketing and related activity.

A pragmatic approach to use resources wisely

Consistent with the approach of utilising the issue-based and social marketing expertise, wherever it is in the country, is a pragmatic approach to the use of existing resources. Harnessing current knowledge on social marketing practices, as well as the potential to not only develop new campaign material but use existing, proven resources, will enhance our ability to achieve campaign objectives. Hand in hand with effective creative material, and fundamental to comprehensive campaigns, is optimal investment and the efficient buying of media.
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Social marketing and the social and economic determinants of health

Built in to a national approach to social marketing must be a strong and consistent focus on the reduction of health inequalities. This can be achieved if health inequalities are taken into account during the entirety of the social marketing process – in its development, implementation and evaluation.

Register of social marketing resources

An initial task is to review and compile a national compendium of existing social marketing resources and expertise (people) across tobacco, obesity and alcohol. It would also be important to consider the use of existing material for the first national phases of social marketing in these areas. This approach would have two benefits: 1) it would allow time for exploratory research and commissioning specific material; and 2) the time and costs savings would be significant.

Importantly, current state-based funders of social marketing campaigns are key stakeholders, so early consultation and consensus building will be a key to success. In addition, early harnessing of the enthusiasm and commitment of the developers (program managers, advertising agencies, media strategists and evaluators) will be essential to defining the goals and scope of future national approaches to social marketing.

The NPA should be able to provide advice to a range of stakeholders on aspects of social marketing campaigns, including design, scope, implementation, funding, sustainability, tracking impacts and evaluating outcomes.

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