PUBH8475 Common Phenomenon for Advertising

Communication tools must be used strategically. They shouldn’t be used simply because they sound entertaining, but should be employed when they are appropriate for a particular program goal. Appropriateness means not only how well it works but also how ethical it is. Consider the water sanitation program created by Water Missions Belize, which is depicted in the media throughout this course. Think about the type of information the organization is privy to with its close work with schools and community leaders, and the cultural implications of the business they conduct. What might some of the benefits be to this organization for using social media to enlist partnerships or funding? What might some of the ethical ramifications be for disseminating information over the Internet?

Now you are on to the next phase of your SPP, a social marketing plan. After seeing examples of social marketing and how others have publicized their health programs, it is now your turn to develop your own ideas.

For this week’s Assignment, visualize your SPP as having unlimited resources.

By Day 7

Submit a 4- to 5-page paper (not including references) in which you do the following:

Describe your target population.
• Describe your social marketing plan to disseminate information about your public health program. Your marketing plan may include but is not limited to the following tools:
• Communication technology such as social media Focus groups
• Brochures
• Flyers
• PSAs
Explain why these tools are appropriate for your target population.
Explain potential ethical issues you need to consider in disseminating information and communicating a message to your population. 

References

Fertman, C. I., & Allensworth, D. D. (Eds.). (2017). Health promotion programs: From theory to practice (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

• Chapter 8, “Communicating Health Information Effectively” (pp. 193-216)

Answer:

The use of social marketing has become a common phenomenon for advertising the goods and services of an entity. Social media involves the interaction that individuals have on social media platforms. Some of the common social media platforms used for societal marketing comprise of Facebook and Twitter. One of the benefits of using social media to enlist partnerships or funding is that it is fast. People can easily use social media as long as they are connected to the internet. Social media can also reach a large audience since it is used across the globe. As a result, it makes it an effective marketing tool. Social media is also cheap compared to other platforms such as radio and TV. The latter requires a lot of resources which might not be available to many people. Lastly, it is possible to get the response of people through their likes or comments. Client's response is vital because it helps to determine the probability of a person to support an idea.

Ethical Issues

The use of the internet to disseminate information has its ethical ramifications. For instance, the entity must observe confidentiality while using the internet. The company must avoid disclosing specific information without the consent of its owners. Also, the firm must always disseminate accurate and reliable information. The measure will assist in increasing public confidence in the information they receive. False and unverified information might make the public to lose faith in the enterprise. Additionally, the entity must determine the people who should access the data. It should limit those who are not authorized to access the data. The report should only reach the target audience. Also, some of the sensitive information the entity disseminates might be subjected to surveillance.

Target population

My target population for the water sanitation program will comprise of the general public and the schools. It is because they are worst hit by waterborne diseases when an outbreak occurs. I will also use various tools to disseminate my message to the audience. My strategy will also involve identifying my target audience and develop the content they like. As a result, they will generate an interest in the advert thus reaching a broad audience. Gather enough data after the investigation to find out how many people were able to receive your information. The information obtained might be vital for future research.

Social marketing plan

My social marketing plan will first establish my goals and objectives. Development of goals will assist me to measure my success at the end of the program. Also, the goals set must also be SMART. My strategy will also focus on the competitor's strategies. I will study the various strategies they use to create awareness about their products and services. The measure will assist me to come up with measures on how to beat the competition in the market.

Understanding the competitor's strategies is also essential for comparison purposes. Moreover, my marketing strategy will aim at reaching a large target. It is because the purpose of advertising is to reach many people (Dewey, 2016). Therefore, selecting a media that will reach a large audience will achieve this objective. To sum up, my strategy will aim at developing an excellent content for my audience. The content you create for your audience is vital since it will determine if they will develop an interest in your message. It is advisable to develop a message that can easily be understood by your target audience. Also, the message should be short and precise to the point.

Marketing tools

One of the methods is by the use of social media focus groups. The use of social media focus groups will help to disseminate the information to a large audience. Also, the groups can discuss the information in detail thus improving their understanding of the message. Additionally, the approach is appropriate because the audience can access the information within twenty four hours. The second approach is through the use of brochures.

These are small books or magazines containing images of the advertised information. The primary reason is to attract the target audience and to increase their understanding on the subject. Brochures are excellent marketing tools to both the literate and the illiterate (Tuten & Solomon, 2013). The literate can read and interpret the information through the pictures. Besides, the illiterate can also interpret the pictures even if they cannot read. Therefore, the information will reach a wide audience. The information in brochures is also short and precise. Short information makes it easy for the reader to understand. It is because the audience can read all the information and comprehend it since it is short and precise.

Another approach is by the use of flyers to disseminate information to the target population. Brochures are paper adverts that are intended to pass information to a large audience. It contains both words and pictures that give information to the audience. They are appropriate advertising tools since they are easy to prepare. Moreover, they have few catchy words that are appealing and catchy to the audience (Zimmerman & Ng, 2017). As a result, the audience can easily understand the message. They are also affordable since they do not require large sums of money to print them. Therefore, the entity can also print many copies for their audience. Flyers are also easy to produce compared to other advertising media like magazines and newspapers. Therefore, information will reach the target population on time. Finally, they do not require any special materials to produce. They only require any paper that can produce visible information and ink. It is contrary to other forms of advertising media like magazines which require specific materials to produce.

Besides, the other advertising tool is the PSA's. Public service announcements do not advertise any good or service. They aim at creating awareness among the members of the public regarding a particular issue. For instance, creating awareness about cancer in the society. It aims at influencing the public to change their behaviors. The public can change their consumption habits after the announcement. They can stop certain habits like smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol to decrease their chances of getting cancer (Pérez, 2011).

The announcements can use road shows and celebrities to attract huge gatherings before announcing their message. They can also convey their message through mass media platforms such as radio and television. The approach is appropriate because the information reaches a wide audience. Also, demonstrations can be done to enable the public to understand certain facts well. In some cases, the public can seek clarification on certain issues. Such clarifications will broaden their knowledge on the subject of discussion (Matson, 2012). It is also easy to frame the content for your target audience. It is because the information being conveyed is clear to the public. Finally, the announcements can be repeated severally on mass media platforms thus allowing the audience to access the information.

Ethical Issues

There are various ethical issues that one must consider before disseminating information to your target audience. One should observe professionalism when disseminating the information to the members of the public (Wood, 2016). For instance, the language used should be desirable. It is also essential to respect the rights of other people and entities. For instance, the right to privacy and confidentiality. One should refrain from disclosing information regarding other entities or individuals without their consent (Fertman, 2017). Also, the participants in this study should do it willingly. Also, Pay attention to some of the sensitive issues in the society. Some of these issues comprise of issues touching on culture and religion. For instance, in some cultures, it is a taboo to discuss certain issues in public. Therefore, the giver of the information should familiarize him with these issues before disseminating information. The measure will help in decreasing conflicts between the organization and the society. As a result, the entire process will be successful in the long-run (Dewey, 2016).

Also, avoid giving information that cannot be supported by facts. It is because the main purpose of these announcements is to educate the public. Therefore, one cannot educate the public by giving them wrong information (Marquardt, 2010). If their advert contains some information that kids should not access, they should advertise it late at night. It is because at this time kids are not active in mass media platforms. The organization should adhere to ethics to ensure that their mission is successful. 

References

Dewey, J. (2016). Ethics. Read Books Ltd.

Fertman, C. I., & Allensworth, D. D. (Eds.). (2017). Health promotion programs: From theory to practice (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Matson, J. (2012). Functional assessment for challenging behaviors. New York, NY: Springer.

Marquardt, N. (2010). Implicit Mental Processes in Ethical Management Behavior. Ethics & Behavior, 20(2), 128-148. doi: 10.1080/10508421003595950

Pe?rez, L. (2011). Marketing Social. Pearson Education de Mexico, SA de CV.

Tuten, T., & Solomon, M. (2013). Social media marketing. Boston: Pearson.

Wood, M. (2016). Social Marketing for Social Change. Social Marketing Quarterly, 22(2), 107-118. doi: 10.1177/1524500416633429

Zimmerman, J., & Ng, D. (2017). Social media marketing all-in-one for dummies. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley.