Application of Social Marketing
Communication for Healthy Living (CHL)
Study Description: a seven-year integrated health communication program in Egypt, started in 2002.
Focus on Behavior: contraceptive use is the primary behavioral goal
- Contraceptive use is positioned within a larger array of family health behaviors â€" marriage is the entry point for the communication strategy.
- CHL publicizes the availability of health services and promotes the purchase and use health products â€" oral contraceptives, hand soap, feminine hygiene products and disposable syringes.
Focus on Consumer Benefit: choosing to achieve and maintain one's own health and that of one's family: "Sahetak Sarwetak" (Your Health is Your Wealth).
- Longer spacing between births = better maternal and child health
- Immunization and breast feeding = improved mental and physical development of infants
- Avoidance of second-hand smoke = reduced risk of cardiovascular disease
Maintain a Market Perspective:
- Isaal Istashir (Ask-Consult) initiative, a national network of 16,000 private sector pharmacists
- Consumers are invited to "ask and consult" for family health information and products (where Ask-Consult logo is shown).
- Marketing through TV ads, public relations activities, point-of-sale promotions, direct mail and contests.
- CHL has also leveraged support from Proctor & Gamble, Shering, Organon, Vodafone, and Durex to participate in and fund activities.
Focus on the Four Ps:
- Product: life stage appropriate
- Price
- Increased access to quality health information and products at conveniently located local pharmacies.
- A focus on the negative costs associated with inaction.
- Place
- Community events, home visits, contests, and birth preparedness and infant feeding classes at public health clinics.
- Print materials and product sampling packs distributed nationally to 5,000+ public sector clinics, private sector pharmacies, NGOs, and birthing hospitals.
- Promotion: extremely varied messaging tailored to different audience segments and different topics.
- Channels include national and regional TV, radio, the press, telephone hotlines, Internet, performing arts, publicity events, community meetings, home visits, and clinic-based counseling.
Audience Segmentation:
- Life Stage
- Urban-rural differences
- Gender
Use of Theory and Research:
- Egyptian Demographic and Health Survey data, as well as commercially available pharmaceutical marketing and media data, was used during the design phase for in-depth audience segmentation and trend analysis.
- Commissioned national surveys in 2005 and 2006 measured exposure and response to specific CHL messages among adult audience segments.
- Media ratings and pharmaceutical sales data helped track the reach of CHL’s mass media offerings and the impact of the Ask-aConsult promotions.
- NGOs collected monitoring data on maternal and child health (birth weighs, immunizations, malnutrition).
- CHL TV spots reached an estimated 32 million adults between the ages of 15 and 49 in 2004.
- Recognition and recall was 67% for Sahetak Sarwetak and 70% for Ask-Consult.
- The use of contraception after the birth of the first child increased from 35% or married women in 2000 to 50% in 2005.
- The percentage of malnourished infants in local villages had declined from 26% to 16% in 2005.