Behavior change through Social Marketing
Borrowing from the commercial marketing sector, the Pilar Government conducted quantitative and qualitative research to deepen their understanding of the local fishing community: their knowledge of the PMMP regulations and benefits of a healthy marine ecosystem, their attitudes and beliefs on protecting the PMMP to conserve their fisheries, and their intent to change their own behaviors to follow all fishing regulations. This research was then translated into a creative, compelling, inspiring, and motivational marketing campaign that encouraged local fishermen to become “star” fishers by following the most pertinent regulations of the PMMP. The campaign included printed materials such as large outdoor billboards, posters, and store awnings; community based events such as festivals and parades; and more intimate activities like fisher meetings and discussions. The goal of the campaign is to catalyze the adoption of the desired fishing behavior among local fishers and to increase the support and peer pressure of following fishing laws among the wider Pilar community.
Trust between the program implementers and community is critical to ensure implementers are given honest and critical feedback about the community’s motivations and feelings, and feedback on draft marketing materials to ensure they represent the viewpoint of the fisher audience. Program implementers must display openness and curiosity during the research phase to ensure they are truly hearing their audience and not inserting biases or preconceived notions into the analysis. This is critical to ensure that marketing campaigns are based on the community
Pre-testing creative concepts with the target audience themselves reveals valuable insight into the positioning and the specific details of the campaign. In one of the early focus group discussions when the mascot design was presented, the implementing organization learned that the local name they used for the Parrotfish Mascot was not the same name the local fishers use, which resulted in changing the nickname for the mascot to one that is much more relevant to the intended audience. It’s important for the organization to have access to material production vendors and creative designers. In order to produce a campaign that has high quality printed materials, visual designs that are captivating and inspiring, and messages that are clear and motivating, it is important to have access to local vendors and artists who can deliver on the marketing goals of the campaign.