by Nedra Weinreich | Aug 11, 2006 | Blog, Resources
A couple of new resources that I want to share:
CDCynergy-Social Marketing Edition – Version 2.0
The latest version of the interactive multimedia CD-ROM gives step-by-step support for developing, implementing and evaluating a successful social marketing program. The Turning Point Social Marketing Collaborative developed the tool in cooperation with the CDC and the Academy for Educational Development. The enhanced Version 2.0 retains the popular features of the original, and adds a “test your knowledge” feature, more step by step support and user friendly interface, greater interactivity, global search capabilities and updated and streamlined content. Order your copy of the CD-ROM for the cost of shipping & handling. (thanks to Mike Newton-Ward for the tip!)
Audio Conference on Social Marketing for Coalitions
CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) is offering an audio conference on “Social Marketing for Coalitions” on Thursday, August 31st from 3:00-4:30 pm Eastern time.
This audio conference will discuss the key elements in developing a social marketing strategy—from targeting specific audiences and developing of a logic model to creating messages and collateral that resonate with those audiences and motivate action. The discussion also will center on the differences between social and commercial marketing, the importance of research and evaluation in creating a social marketing strategy, and tactics that social marketers use to implement behavior change
Presenter for the call will be Sue Stine, Manager of Dissemination and Coalition Relations for CADCA’s National Coalition Institute. The program will be moderated by Dr. Eduardo Hernández, Deputy Director Dissemination and Coalition Relations for the Institute.
When you register for the conference, you will receive a call-in number for the conference. I am not familiar with either of the speakers, but this sounds like a great introduction to social marketing, whether or not you are working with a coalition.
Technorati Tags: social marketing, resources, CD, conference
by Nedra Weinreich | Aug 10, 2006 | Blog, Entertainment
Am I the only person who thinks that the premise and marketing of Showtime’s series Weeds is incredibly inappropriate? Doing some research on the show online, I found nearly all positive glowing reviews. I have to admit that I have not actually seen the show, since I don’t get cable and rarely watch TV — there’s just not enough hours in the day.
But since Weeds first came out last year, the premise has really irked me. It’s about a suburban mom who becomes a pot dealer to make ends meet after her husband passes away without leaving any life insurance. Yeah, that’s a character we want people to identify with. The preview for the coming season (accessed from the link above) shows the main character Nancy driving through town with everyone smiling at her as she leaves rainbows and flowers in her wake. Who wouldn’t want to be her?
Today I saw that the Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-nominated show, which is starting its second season next week, has a new marketing campaign (via Adrants). The campaign includes the ad pictured above in Rolling Stone magazine, which has an embedded marijuana-scented strip, with the copy “Catch the buzz!” next to it. They will also have ice cream trucks called “Weeds Munchie Mobiles” that will pass out Weeds merchandise and brownies at concerts and other events, and street vendors handing out coffee in Weeds cups.
The only grown-up I could find saying anything negative about the campaign is Tom Riley, the director of public affairs for the US Office of National Drug Control Policy:
In addition to reciting statistics about marijuana use (“There are more teens in treatment for marijuana than for alcohol dependence—is that funny?”), Riley chided the Rolling Stone promotion as all too retro. “Unless they’re going for the over-50 demographic, it sounds like their marketing department might be a little out of touch,” Riley said. “Maybe some baby boomers still find this kind of thing edgy, but young people don’t.”
While I don’t think the marketing department being out of touch would have been my main point, at least someone has spoken out about this.
Why is it okay for Showtime to make a show glamorizing pot smoking and drug dealing, when they would probably never portray smoking tobacco or the tobacco industry as a positive thing? The problem with this type of show — no matter how critically acclaimed it is — is that by creating sympathetic characters who are engaging in these unhealthy and illegal behaviors, they normalize the behaviors and make them seem like something everybody else is doing. Television plays a huge role in how people construct their perceptions of reality and appropriate behavior.
Even if the Showtime execs and others involved in the program can justify it by saying that it’s only on late at night after the kids are asleep, the ubiquitous ads for the program laud a drug dealer as “her highness” and use the tagline “putting the herb into the suburbs.” It could just as well be promoting the use and sale of marijuana as promoting the show.
After this posting and my previous one about Jack in the Box’s stoner commercial (which has incredibly been the most-viewed post since I started the blog), maybe I seem like a square old fuddy-duddy. I’m okay with that. Maybe the Showtime execs don’t mind if their kids smoke pot and deal drugs, but I do.
Technorati Tags: weeds, marijuana, pot, showtime
by Nedra Weinreich | Aug 9, 2006 | Blog, Social Media
If you blog about health issues or have considered starting a blog for your health-related organization, you should check out the first-ever Healthcare Blogging Summit happening on December 11th in Washington, DC. While I’m disappointed not to be able to attend, I am counting on fellow social marketing blogger Craig Lefebvre to report back on his experiences there, since he will be speaking on a panel on strategy and tactics for healthcare blogging.
Craig will be joining other bloggers I read regularly and would love to meet, including Steve Rubel of Micropersuasion as the keynoter, Fard Johnmar of HealthCareVox, and Toby Bloomberg of Diva Marketing. The other speakers look quite interesting as well.
And to make me feel even more worse about not being able to attend, the conference is being held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Woodley Park — my very favorite hotel in DC and right near my old ‘hood. I always loved the beauty of the hotel’s interior, and when I had an opportunity to plan a conference in DC I chose that venue myself. A couple of years ago when my family visited DC, the hotel sealed its favorite status for me when they gave the kids each a goody bag with activity books, sunglasses, a watch and other fun stuff, as well as sending a tray with milk and cookies up to the room when we checked in. I wish I could go just to stay in that hotel again!
Oh, but where was I before I got all misty-eyed? Oh yeah, the Healthcare Blogging Summit. If you want to attend, you can purchase tickets on the Transmarx registration site (choose the “Blogging Summit” option).
As a prelude to the conference, the Medical Blog Network and Envision Solutions LLC are conducting the “Taking the Pulse of the Healthcare Blogosphere” survey. The study is the “first systematic attempt to gather comprehensive opinion and demographic data from the global community of healthcare bloggers.” If you are a healthcare blogger, you have until September 29th to complete the survey. Results will be shared at the conference.
And while you are in a survey-taking mood, Eric Mattson of MarketingMonger.com and Professor Nora Barnes of the University of Massachusetts are exploring what makes blogging so unique. They are asking bloggers to fill out their “Thinking like a Blogger” survey to explore the dimensions of blogging including the attitude and behavior behind blogs that draws people to them. They are looking for people to complete the survey by August 23rd.
I have responded to both surveys and can vouch that they did not take very much time to complete, and they got me thinking about why and how I blog in a new way. Make sure your voice is added to the research too.
Technorati Tags: healthcare, blogging, conference, survey
by Nedra Weinreich | Aug 7, 2006 | Blog, Professional Development
No, it’s not the DaVinci Code. It’s the code that will get readers of this blog $50 off of the cost of registration for Social Marketing University. Just enter “SMU50” in the online registration form when it asks for a code and you will get the discount.
If you are planning on registering, keep in mind that the room availability at the UCLA Guest House is guaranteed until August 15th, but after that it is on an as-available basis. So if you are coming in from out of town and want to stay in the same accommodations as most of the other participants, it would be a good idea to register soon.
I hope you will consider joining us for two content-jammed days devoted to building social marketing knowledge and skills. I’m looking forward to it!
Technorati Tags: social marketing, marketing, training, workshop, nonprofit, government
by Nedra Weinreich | Aug 7, 2006 | Blog, Entertainment
What do you do when you want to get out the word about the importance of a mundane (but important) topic like child car seats? You look to recent news and find a hook, especially if the news involves a celebrity.
The American Automobile Association and a minor league baseball team called the Newark Bears hosted a “Britney Spears Baby Safety Night.” Back in February, you couldn’t escape the coverage of Britney zooming away from the paparazzi with her infant on her lap in the driver’s seat. Then again in May, she came under fire for having her baby’s car seat facing forward, rather than the safer backward position. On the plus side, a CHP officer is quoted as saying that “she’s done more for child safety-seat awareness than anyone else in California.”
So the Bears and AAA are using the newsworthy celebrity angle in a fun way, providing information on baby car seat safety and a chance to win a free car seat. Those who dress as a baby, bring a baby toy or bring their baby (under age 4) get in free. They even had a “special guest who sings and dances” (see photo above).
Think about the celebrity hooks you could use for your issue. How about a Mel Gibson Interfaith Sobriety Night? Or a Tom Cruise Mental Health Screening? Or a Paris Hilton Abstinence Party?
Technorati Tags: celebrity, public relations, britney, media
by Nedra Weinreich | Aug 7, 2006 | Blog, Social Media
The very small circle of social marketing bloggers can now welcome a very big player to the field. Jay Bernhardt, the director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Marketing, has started a blog.
While this is the “first-ever blog on the CDC internet site,” the government bureaucracy has ensured that Jay can’t actually publish an RSS feed or use blogging software. As he says, “NCHM and the CDC are working hard to improve our electronic
communications. We are now only a few years behind the innovation curve
and we are getting closer to the every day. [sic]” Despite the technical constraints, Jay and the CDC are to be commended for their attempt to bring the nation’s largest social marketer (I think!) closer to its constituents.
I look forward to Jay weighing in on the issues facing social marketers and providing us with more insight into the social marketing initiatives conducted by the CDC.
Make sure you take a look around NCHM’s website, which is packed with information on health marketing — the CDC’s “brand” of social marketing.
Technorati Tags: cdc, health, marketing, blogging
Nedra helps nonprofits and public agencies create positive change on health and social issues through social marketing and transmedia storytelling strategies at Weinreich Communications since founding the company in 1995. She helps organizations make a difference for the populations they serve by strategically designing programs that draw on state-of-the-art behavior change techniques, digital media approaches and the power of stories. 
