by Nedra Weinreich | Nov 21, 2007 | Blog, Personal
Here in the United States, we are about to celebrate Thanksgiving — one of my very favorite holidays, with all of our family traditions. My good friend sent an email that resonated with me, and I wanted to share it here. I don’t know the original attribution.
I am thankful for…
…the mess to clean up after a party
because it means I have been surrounded by friends.
…the taxes I pay
because it means that I’m employed.
…the clothes that fit a little too snug
because it means I have enough to eat.
…the child who is not cleaning his room, but is watching TV
because that means he is at home and not on the streets.
…the spot I find at the far end of the parking lot
because it means I am capable of walking.
…all the complaining I hear about our government
because it means we have freedom of speech.
…that lady behind me in synagogue who sings off key
because it means that I can hear.
…lawns that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.
…my huge heating bill
because it means that I am warm.
…weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day
because it means that I have been productive.
…the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours
because it means that I am alive.
…Finally, for too much email
because it means that I have friends and family who are thinking of me.
Whether or not you are celebrating this holiday, having an attitude of thankfulness is a big factor in the level of happiness you will experience in your life. I, for one, am grateful to have a large number of people who care about what I have to say. Thank you for reading and for giving me your time and attention. (I will try to be more regular about posting!)
Photo Credit: controltheweb
Technorati Tags: thanksgiving
by Nedra Weinreich | Nov 12, 2007 | Blog, Social Marketing
The Marketori Sociali’s PR operations in action.No, I haven’t been on strike in solidarity with the Writers Guild. I’ve been in Sicily undercover to try to learn more after police discovered the secret Mafia code of conduct upon arresting a top mob Godfather. In case you haven’t seen them, the Ten Mafiosi Commandments are:
- No one can present himself directly to another of our friends. There must be a third person to do it.
- Never look at the wives of friends.
- Never be seen with cops.
- Don’t go to pubs and clubs.
- Always be available for Cosa Nostra, even if your wife’s about to give birth.
- Appointments must be respected.
- Wives must be treated with respect.
- When asked for any information, the answer must be the truth.
- Money cannot be appropriated if it belongs to others or to other families.
- People who can’t be part of Cosa Nostra are anyone with a close relative in the police, with a two-timing relative in the family, anyone who behaves badly and doesn’t hold to moral values.
You may not know this, but the Mafia has an extensive (and top secret) social marketing department. And now, after weeks of living under omertà in fear of being exposed (they thought I was just a hitman with poor aim*), I can finally reveal the Marketori Sociali Ten Commandments:
- Do not only promote your product directly to your target audience. A third-party endorsement through word-of-mouth — especially if it is a personal friend — is much more effective.
- Never look at the wives of friends, unless they are the ones who are more influential in the family health and social behavior decisions.
- Never be seen with cops, unless you decide that the behaviors you are promoting are better addressed through policy and enforcement.
- Don’t go to pubs and clubs without market research that demonstrates that those locations are the best places to reach your audience with your message.
- Always be available to create an environment in your casa that will facilitate behaviors like breastfeeding and putting baby to sleep on his back after your wife gives birth.
- Your product must be available in the right time and right place to the right people to get any respect.
- Wives must be treated with respect. The customer is not a moron – she is your wife.
- When asked for any information, the answer must be the truth. Astroturfi and marionetti di calzini are not part of the family business.
- Money cannot always be appropriated in exchange for adopting the product. Sometimes the price will be time, hassle, social disapproval or leaving old habits like offing people.
- People who can’t be part of the Marketori Sociali are anyone who does not understand the audience like a close relative, who does not make an offer they can’t refuse, who does not focus on how they want people to behave, or who assumes that the values of the people they are trying to reach are exactly the same as their own.
Now that I’ve revealed these secrets, I’m going to have to lay low for a while. I’m hoping I won’t find an unexpected surprise on my pillow in the morning.
*Disclaimer: I have not, nor would I ever, take out a contract on another human being nor endorse the whacking thereof.
Photo Credit: liliumjoker
Technorati Tags: social marketing, mafia
by Nedra Weinreich | Nov 6, 2007 | Blog, Entertainment, Policy
My Washington correspondent reports that on Monday evening, the final conference report of the Labor-HHS bill was filed. She said:
I’ve been told that the conferees (the House-Senate negotiators) dropped the Ryan amendment – leaving funding for CDC’s Entertainment Education program intact. We’re pretty excited.
The House is scheduled to approve the bill on Tuesday with the Senate following suit later this week. Then the bill will be sent to the President. He is expected to veto the bill (unrelated to our issue) because it spends more money than he’d like. Then the House and Senate will have to start all over again on the same bill.
That said… I think we can declare victory. I don’t think Rep. Ryan or Sen. Coburn will try to offer their amendments on a future Labor-HHS bill this year.
Yippee! She also felt that the pressure from the public health community was invaluable. So kudos to all of you who emailed, called or faxed to try to save entertainment education!
Photo Credit: paşanın yeri
Technorati Tags: cdc, hhs, senate, house, public health, entertainment education
by Nedra Weinreich | Nov 5, 2007 | Blog, Entertainment
Outside of LA or New York, the writers’ strike that starts today is unlikely to affect you much (at least until the studios run out of original content they already have in the can). But here in this company town, it’s big news. Not only will writers and producers be affected, but the rest of the production staff — including gaffers, key grips and best boys (and other positions that I have no clue what they do) — will be out of work if production is put on hold.
In a nutshell, the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which represents the people who write for television and movies, is striking primarily over writers not receiving fair residuals for reuse of their work on DVD or on the internet. (Am I wrong to think that should be “Writers’ Guild”? Wouldn’t you think the writers would know the correct punctuation?) As it currently stands, writers now get only 0.3 percent of DVD profits, and receive nothing for online distribution of their shows, such as through the network websites.
What does the strike mean for us social marketers who do outreach to Hollywood writers to promote our issues? It’s not entirely clear yet, but one big change will be an increased emphasis from the networks on reality shows. Another is that web-based entertainment will likely come to the fore as bored viewers seek out new programming. Branching out and learning how to work with new media producers is imperative in any case, strike or no strike.
Lucky for the writers, the strike comes at the beginning of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), and those who have always wanted to write the Great American Novel can come home from the picket line and join the over 100,000 people working to finish their 50,000-word novel by the end of the month.
Hopefully when they come back to work, there will still be people left who want to watch their shows.
Photo Credit: Neville_S
UPDATE: Here is a picture my son took of the strikers as we drove by CBS earlier today (not as many people there as I would have expected):
Photo Credit: A. Weinreich
Technorati Tags: wga, writers, strike
by Nedra Weinreich | Oct 30, 2007 | Blog, Marketing
How is a lovesick penitent like a bad social marketing campaign? Let me count the ways.
Today I received the following text message on my phone:
this cant be the end. An like i said it wuz a mistake (the message) an i apoligize…dats wat i want u 2 understand…i luv u 2 much 2 do that 2 u.
Talk about a wrong number! I picture the sender heartbroken, desperately trying to win his lady back, hoping she’ll change her mind, frantically texting … and sending it to the wrong person. While being moved by the raw human drama embedded in this message, we can also callously extract some social marketing lessons (ah, is there anything in life we cannot somehow tie into this blog’s content? not so far!).
Some thoughts:
- Don’t make the message all about you and what you want. Show the people you are talking to why it’s in their best interest to do what you are asking them to do. (e.g., “If u give me another chance, I’ll treat u like a queen.”)
- Be very careful to make sure your messages are reaching your audience. If you talk in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, do you make a sound?
- If you send out messages that end up backfiring, you may not get another chance to make it right. (I’m intensely curious what the initial offending message was — a message meant for someone else but sent to her? Something he didn’t realize she would be so touchy about? And somehow I’ve decided that it must have been a man sending this, tell me if you think I’m wrong.)
- The most important things in the world to us and our programs — critical, life-changing issues — may be completely irrelevant or unactionable to other people. Don’t assume that what’s top of your agenda means anything to anyone else.
- Use multiple methods of reaching your audience rather than putting all your eggs in one basket. I sure hope this guy tries to reach his lady love by phone or in person too, rather than relying on this one text message to convey his request for forgiveness.
Let’s hope our errant Romeo reads my blog or at least figures out some of these lessons for himself. It sounds like he’s going to need to market himself quickly to his audience of one or be back out in the meet market again.
Photo Credit: Macgidtosh
by Nedra Weinreich | Oct 30, 2007 | Blog, Professional Development
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been saving up resources and info to share but just haven’t had a chance to compile them into a Tip Jar. In the meantime, here is a time-sensitive event sent to me by Craig Lefebvre, who says that this free event has over 150 participants registered, making it the largest gathering of social marketers outside of Clearwater Beach (the USF conference).
Conversations on Social Marketing:
A two-part forum on social marketing best practices and approaches.
Monday, November 5 & Tuesday, November 6, 2007
1:00pm – 5:00pm
Jack Morton Auditorium (directions)
805 21st Street, NW
Washington, DC 20052
Foggy Bottom Metro
Offered in collaboration with Population Services International and the George Washington University School of Public, this event is free and attendance is open to anyone interested in social marketing. Each session will conclude with a discussion led by Custom Business Signs Denver Chief Technical Officer, Population Services International. Light refreshments will be served.
Featured Topics and Speakers, November 5:
“Essential Components of Social Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations”
—Katya Andresen, Vice President for Marketing, Network for Good and author, Robin Hood Marketing: Stealing Corporate Savvy to Sell Just Causes
“The Application of Brands to Public Health Behaviors”
—Dr. Doug Evans, Vice President for Public Health and Environment, RTI International
Featured Topics and Speakers, November 6:
“The Total Market Approach”
—Richard Pollard, consultant and specialist in the Total Market Approach to social marketing management and creator of the “Constraints Resolution Model” for behavior change communication program
“High Frequency Stores Strategies”
—Gregory Cowal, founding member of Global Marketing Services and President, Grupo Sur Promociones
Space is limited. Please register by October 26 (I know I’m telling you past the deadline, but it’s worth trying to get in!) by sending an email to nlegrain@psi.org and indicate your affiliation and which day(s) you are registering for.
*******
And speaking of having conversations on social marketing, if you are a Facebook member, I have started a Facebook group called Fun, Easy and Popular Social Marketers, which is an online place for us to hang out together and schmooze about social marketing. We already have about 50 people in the group, so I hope you’ll join us! (The name of the group is an ode to Bill Smith‘s injunction to make our social marketing products seem fun, easy and popular.)
by Nedra Weinreich | Oct 27, 2007 | Blog, Entertainment, Policy
A new dispatch from my very own unnamed Deep Throat in DC:
On Tuesday, the Senate approved its Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill for fiscal year 2008; the bill preserves funding for the CDC’s Entertainment Education program (background here). This victory is due to the staunch support for the program shown by the public health community. Now, our attention turns to the House-Senate conference committee that will negotiate a final bill to send to the President. We need to urge the conference committee to remove the Ryan amendment previously approved by the House, which would eliminate funding for CDC’s Entertainment Education program. We believe the conference committee will wrap up its work and send a bill to the President by November 1st.
We can mobilize one more time to make sure that the funding remains in the final bill. We’ve already seen that by showing our support for the effectiveness and importance of the EE approach, we were able to convince those in the Senate that this funding is not a “boondoggle.” I could see that individuals from the House and Senate visited my blog to read what had been written about the amendment. Let’s make sure that they continue to feel the pressure. We only need to persuade four people this time.
At this point, sending a fax will be most effective. Copy and personalize the suggested letter below, sign and date it, and send one copy to the House and one to the Senate. Here are the fax numbers and letter:
Chairman Harkin and Ranking Member Specter – (202) 224-2100
Chairman Obey and Ranking Member Walsh – (202) 225-9476
Date
Chairman Tom Harkin
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies
Washington, D.C. 20510
Ranking Member Arlen Specter
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies
Washington, D.C. 20510
Chairman David Obey
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
Washington, D.C. 20515
Ranking Member James Walsh
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Chairmen and Ranking Members:
As the House and Senate conference the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2008, I am writing to share my support for the CDC’s Entertainment Education Program. This is an important public health tool which utilizes the power of popular mass media to educate Americans about healthy behaviors.
During House consideration of the Labor-HHS bill, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) successfully offered an amendment to eliminate funding for the program. I urge you to remove this amendment as you develop the conference report.
The CDC’s Entertainment Education Program fosters the use of factual health information in television shows and promotes the incorporation of important and timely public health messages into television programming. Funding for this program allows the CDC to reach out to television writers with written materials and experts on a wide range of public health issues, to respond to requests from television writers, producers, and researchers, and to ultimately connect them with experts who can provide factual information.
According to the 2005 HealthStyles (Porter Novelli) study, nearly three out of 10 (28%) regular television viewers took one or more actions as a result of a television health storyline, such as telling someone about the health topic, calling a hotline or visiting a clinic. Under the guidance of the CDC’s Entertainment Education Program, more than 400 television episodes contained public health information, including more than 82 major storylines.
Please support effective approaches to improve public health – remove the Ryan amendment during conference consideration of the Labor-HHS bill. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Please fax your letter by October 31st. I’ll keep you informed of any news I learn. Thanks for your support!
Photo Credit: Daniel Berger
Technorati Tags: cdc, congress, hhs, bill, public health, entertainment education
by Nedra Weinreich | Oct 22, 2007 | Blog, Cause Marketing, Social Marketing
The Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants is in full-swing. Come on into the tent and peep at the best posts of the week related to social marketing and nonprofits.
Craig Lefebvre of On Social Marketing and Social Change addresses the recent New York Times article ripping social marketing efforts selling bed nets for malaria control. He does a thorough job of explaining the many problems with the objections, and even follows up with a summary of the responses to the article. My favorite Senator, Tom Coburn, shows again what an advocate of public health he is with the line in the NYT article, “We knew social marketing doesn’t work.”
Britt Bravo of Have Fun * Do Good offers four steps to start using the social web for social change: consume, join, participate and create. She has great lists of examples and resources for each step.
Beth Kanter of Beth’s Blog demonstrates yet again how effective social media can be for personal fundraising, raising $1,000 in 24 hours to send a young Cambodian woman to college and (as of this writing) at least half more of that to sponsor a young man as well. There’s still time for you to donate!
Paul Jones of Cause-Related Marketing makes the interesting observation that the pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness has become the equivalent of an open-source charity icon. This is a double-edged sword, as not only can breast cancer-related nonprofits use the symbol, but so can for-profit entities (who may not be as protective of its charitable meaning).
Sandy Beckwith of Build Buzz gives her take on how Ellen DeGeneres’ dog adoption story should have played out differently, from a marketing point of view. (And her follow-up on what animal rescue organizations should do to take advantage of this publicity opportunity.)
Nancy Schwartz of Getting Attention makes the case for making search engine optimization part of your marketing strategy. It’s really not that scary.
Katya Andresen of Katya’s Non-Profit Marketing Blog lays out ten steps to finding and winning a corporate partner for your outreach efforts. As an added bonus, Joe Waters of Selfish Giving offers his own riffs on Katya’s points.
And for the host post, I’ll share the beginning of my case study about using a Facebook Group for building a grassroots advocacy campaign for suicide prevention-related legislation. We’re up to 82 members, and if you’re on Facebook, I hope you’ll join us.
Next week the Carnival will be at Donor Power Blog. If you would like to participate, go to BlogCarnival.com to submit your post using the form there or send an email to npc.carnival AT yahoo DOT com with your name, your blog’s name and the URL of the post (not your blog homepage). The deadline is Friday, 8:00 p.m. ET.
Technorati Tags: carnival, nonprofit, consultants, marketing
by Nedra Weinreich | Oct 19, 2007 | Blog, Entertainment, Policy
Thanks to the efforts of many people, Senator Coburn removed the provision to eliminate funding for the CDC’s Entertainment Education program from his proposed amendment before it even made it to the floor for a vote (here’s the background if you are just joining the story now). High fives all around!
So, as it stands now, the Senate version of the HHS appropriations bill leaves the funding intact, while the House version has it eliminated. From my limited policy knowledge, I believe the next step will be for the House and Senate to reconcile the two versions of the bill in conference. I will let you know when and how we can try to influence that process when the time comes.
We made a difference! (And, no, I don’t receive any funding myself from this program. It’s the principle of the thing.)
Technorati Tags: cdc, hhs, senate, coburn, social marketing, hollywood, public health
by Nedra Weinreich | Oct 18, 2007 | Blog, Miscellaneous
On Monday, I will be hosting the Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants, a traveling compilation of the best blog posts of the week. This week the Carnival will focus on social marketing for nonprofits. You can either write something specifically for the Carnival or send in your favorite post that fits the theme.
If you would like to submit a post for consideration, send it to npc.carnival AT yahoo DOT com with your name, your blog’s name and the URL of the post (not your blog homepage). The deadline this week is Sunday, 5:00 pm Pacific Time.
Watch for the big top going up on Monday!
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. 
