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Using social marketing to change people’s attitudes and actions

People can be stubborn. So changing the way they think and behave can be tricky. But that’s what many charities are trying to do in order to create a better society.

They need to have the tools to do it well.

The last CharityComms conference on Wednesday 27th January was all about how charities are using social marketing to change people’s attitudes and actions – for the better.

Here we share five things we learned at one of the conference’s seminars: ‘The role of research in social marketing’ led by Tom Pey, Director of Public Policy and Development at The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. Tom talked about Guide Dogs’ ‘No’ to Shared Streets campaign, which opposes the removal of kerbs from urban streets.

1. Research well.

Good social marketing is research-based. “You can damage your reputation by being inexpert in your area,” said Tom. Guide Dogs’ research revealed that local authorities do have a duty to consult vulnerable groups when making changes to urban street designs, but most of the time this doesn’t happen.

2. You will do well if you have right on your side.

In order to get word out about the injustice you have discovered, it’s crucial to recognise your limits. Get others in your sector on board to spread the message. Guide Dogs has worked with Deafblind UK, Leonard Cheshire Disability, Action for Blind People and others. “Be proud of what you are trying to achieve. It is better to have fought and lost than to have never engaged,” said Tom.

3. Be emotive.

Tom admitted that one of the mistakes of the ‘No’ to Shared Streets campaign is that, early on, with all their research, campaigners forgot the power of emotion. “We forgot that emotion would win the day. It is simply dangerous that blind and partially sighted people do not know where kerbs end in town streets.” If you’re outraged, other people are likely to be too. “Moral outrage is a positive outcome,” said Tom.

4. Compromise.

At the beginning of your social marketing campaign, you need to ask the questions: “Can we do it?” and “Is it worth it?”. “It’s important to be realistic,” said Tom. So you may start off wanting to change the way people think or act, but realise halfway through your campaign that this isn’t going to happen. You could give up. Or you could change tack and settle on a new target.

5. Give the people your charity supports the opportunity to speak.

Facts and statistics are vital to social marketing but so are real people’s stories; they help to justify your campaign. Guide Dogs went out and talked to blind and partially sighted people to find out how the removal of kerbs had affected their lives. They discovered that many blind people were not leaving their homes because of the challenges they faced getting out and about; many were depressed. This fact is much more impactful when illustrated with a case study. That’s why Guide Dogs made a video about how people’s lives are affected by the removal of kerbs in urban streets.

CharityComms’ next conference is all about communicating the impact your charity makes.