Social Marketing Panorama

Want a Social Marketing Membership Organization? Answer the Survey!

For many years there has been interest expressed in a global social marketing membership organization--and perhaps a US membership organization, too. An organization with the clout and cache to stand up and say THIS is social marketing (not messaging and not social media!), an organization that helps us network and continue feeding our heads ("remember what the door mouse said"), an organization that might credential people as social marketers, and maybe have a really cool logo-ed tee-shirt we can wear!

Well, for over a year now, serious planning has been going on.  Folks donated money; others are drafting organizational by-laws, and people are expressing interest in serving in an organization.

Once again, we need your input!  Please go to http://bit.ly/bcRLsV to take a short survey about what you want out of a social marketing organization.  Help us fine tune it, so the cost/benefit exchange tips in your favor!  The survey is open till the end of the month.

And thanks!

Riding the Social Marketing Wave--Surf's Up!

This is proving to be quite the year for social marketing!  Just today I learned that social marketing is in the preliminary Healthy People 2020 Health Objectives for the nation! While the US Department of Health and Human Services has to approve all of the 2020 objectives, the social marketing objectives were approved by an interagency committee charged with preparing objectives for a specific issue area--a momentous step!  The social marketing objectives are part of the "Health Communication / Health Information Technology Objectives." They read:

HC/HIT HP2020-13:  Increase social marketing in health promotion and disease prevention.

HC/HIT HP2020-13a: Increase the proportion of state health departments that report using social marketing in health promotion and disease prevention programs.

HC/HIT HP2020-13b:  Increase the proportion of Schools of Public Health and accredited MPH programs that offer one or more courses in social marketing.

HC/HIT HP2020-13c:  Increase the proportion of Schools of Public Health and accredited MPH programs that offer workforce development activities in social marketing for public health practitioners.

 

Efforts continue to form a Global Social Marketing organization. The hope is to roll this out at the Social Marketing in Public Health Conference (see below) this summer.  There is a very good communications vehicle for this nascent organization in the Social Marketers Global Network. The site offers a way to communicate with individuals and groups doing social marketing, share articles, conference announcements and other resources, and even post your own blog. (And, of course, there is still the Georgetown University Social Marketing List serve.)

The 20th Annual Social Marketing in Public Health Conference is coming up June 11th & 12th, in Sand Key, Florida!  That is right: the 20th! This is, I believe, the longest running social marketing conference in the world.  And little wonder, it is wonderful!  I have attended for 13 years, and I always find something new and engaging.

The University of South Florida School of Public Health--a leader in social marketing thought and practice--sponsors the event. And this year they are celebrating in style.  Philip Kotler, one of the founders of social marketing will deliver the key note address. There will other long-time social marketers, such as Alan Andreasen and Bill Novelli, talking about the past, present and future of the field, also.  Plus, there is a whole extra set of workshops this year.

Surf's up! Come on in and catch the wave!

Global Social Marketing Association--Interested? Want to Learn More?!

Efforts to create a global social marketing membership association received a major boast at the recent Social Marketing in Public Health Conference!  Attendees variously heard reports from interest surveys, agreed that intensive planning activities go forward, and signed up to participate in the process.  

However, one member of the social marketing community expressed concern that many potential interested practitioners might be left out of discussions if they did not attend the conference.  So, Lea Pounds, from the Center for Biopreparedness Education, in Omaha, Nebraska, has set out to broaden the circle with a discussion on July 29th, at 2:00 pm US Central Daylight Time!  I'll let her give you the scoop!

"There's been a lot of buzz the last several months about establishing a global association for those involved in social marketing. Most of the substantive discussions appear to be happening at conferences and other gatherings. I've not been able to attend those conferences and have, quite frankly, felt a little left out! 

"I'm a big believer in 'where's there's a will, there's a way' so I reached out to Craig Lefebvre after reading yet another blog post about these efforts. 

"To make it possible for more folks to join in these discussions in more immediate format, we're hosting a conference call on July 29th at 2:00 pm US Central Time.  Bob Marshall (RI DoH), Bill Smith (AED), and Craig Lefebvre (GWU) have agreed to be on the call to share what's happened with this effort so far. Then we'll kick things around a bit. 

"If you haven't been able to attend the conferences where this effort has been discussed, this is your opportunity to join in the conversation. 

"RSVP to Lea Pounds at lpounds@unmc or 402.552.3112 to receive the conference call phone number and call in code. The call is limited to 120 slots. 

If you've been feeling left out, too, now's your chance. Don't miss out!" 

Thanks, Lea, for creating this excellent opportunity. Like she says, "Don't miss out!"