Examples

Get in the Loop - Buy Recycled found that far fewer people were actually buying recycled-content products than had been predicted on the basis of purchasing intentions. A telephone survey identified five main barriers that were preventing people from taking action: price, quality, low consumer awareness of product availability, consumer cynicism about environmental claims, and an unwillingness to put much effort into locating the products.

In 1989 Boulder estimated that only 27 percent of daily trips involved alternative transportation modes while 73 percent involved single-occupant vehicles.

Go Boulder identified potential barriers for specific target audiences. For example, one of the key factors discouraging business people from taking the bus was their concern about how they would get home if they had to work late or were in an emergency situation.

JEEP had seen demand for power increase from 6.3 MW in 1981 to 11.9 MW in 1991.

JEEP wanted people to purchase and install energy saving devices. Research had revealed that in the short run residents were unlikely to make the purchases without some sort of incentive.

Quinte's participation in residential composting was 34 percent in 1992.

Tip: You may need to cut corners if you are limited by time or other resources. Tips are provided to help you do this. However, we strongly advise you to include this critical stage in your planning process, so you can identify the key barriers to change. Otherwise you may find that you are unable to achieve your desired results.

Tip: Use your hunches to help come up with potential areas worth looking into. Then collect objective data.

Tip: Once you have determined your target audience, you may want to re-visit this section and further tighten the focus of your information search. (see Targeting the Audience)

Examples

Get in the Loop - Buy Recycled found that far fewer people were actually buying recycled-content products than past surveys had predicted. They identified approaches that others had tried in the past to make the products easier to find; none seemed to have had much effect on purchases. This information helped them design a survey that got to the root of the issue, probing why people were not buying more of the products. They also obtained detailed information on how people needed to be informed about product availability.

JEEP wanted people to use power saver cords for car block heaters. They learned that a program in the Yukon had been successful in selling the cords but that most of the cords had not been installed or had been installed incorrectly - apparently because customers had been expected to perform the installation themselves.

A literature review conducted by the AIDS Peer Education Program revealed that although 50% to 75% of adolescents in Quebec used condoms during their first sexual encounter, only 13% to 48% used them consistently. Between 2.0% and 6.4% of these teenagers engaged in sexual intercourse with an IV drug user.

Previous to the Marley Station Mall pilot, two studies had shown that a simple low-cost sign could result in statistically significant increases in stair use by adults. However, the effects lasted for only one month after the signs were removed, and returned to baseline levels three months after the signs were removed.

Tip: If you do not have the resources to do an extensive literature search, ask others working in your field to recommend the articles and reports they have found most helpful.

Tip: Once you have assimilated all this information, contact the authors of studies that are of particular interest, to inquire about more current information.

Tip: The Case Studies on this Web site will give you a good start in your literature search.

Tip: Do not forget to draw on the collective experience of your planning group.

An excellent summary of academic articles covering community-based social marketing approaches can be found at: http://www.cbsm.com (Note: go to the Articles section)

Examples

Get in the Loop - Buy Recycled decided that they had enough information to go directly to the telephone survey (step 4). Then, one year later, they ran focus groups to get more detail on the attitudes and concerns underlying people's responses to the telephone survey. At the same time, they were able to gauge reactions to aspects of the program they had been putting in place.

Turn It Off was designed on the basis of previous focus group and telephone research. In addition, it held three focus groups to explore awareness and knowledge levels and to obtain feedback on the proposed strategies and communications materials for the program.

Nortel Networks conducted a comprehensive on-line survey of the employees at its existing Ottawa campus. That survey consisted of about 50 questions on topics such as: home location, distance traveled to work, regular transportation habits, opinions on various alternatives, receptivity to trying alternative commuting methods, potential barriers and motivating factors.

A promotion, a year later, provided employees with a coupon redeemable for a free transit pass and a mini-questionnaire for gauging commuting habits.

Bert the Salmon conducted focus groups after a survey, to explore its target audience in greater detail. The research showed that while the target group was interested in behaving in a responsible way, it was not receptive to learning complex lawn care techniques, nor to doom and gloom messages.

Tip: If resource limitations force you to make a choice between using focus groups or a survey, it is often best to use the survey. Surveys provide less biased results and can help you better determine the relative importance of various barriers and motivators.

Tip: If you don't have the resources to conduct formal focus groups, check the findings of your literature review with several people who work in your field.

Tip: For further information on organizing focus groups, refer to chapter 7 in Promoting a Sustainable Future: An Introduction to Community- Based Social Marketing (Ottawa: NRTEE) by Doug McKenzie- Mohr.

Examples

Get in the Loop - Buy Recycled had a consulting firm call the primary shopper in 800 households. This survey identified five main barriers that were preventing people from taking action: price, quality, consumer awareness of product availability, consumer cynicism about environmental claims, and an unwillingness to put effort into locating the products.

The survey also revealed that most consumers wanted to learn about product availability at the store - not through other methods such as 1-800 numbers and directories.

The Roach Coach Project used thirty-minute (pretest) telephone interviews with participating tenants to assess the relevance of the barriers uncovered by their background research.

Portland used surveys, delivered to random households over the telephone, to ask questions regarding consumer spending habits, use of automobiles and lawnmowers, and awareness of air quality issues in the Portland metro area.

Before implementing its work-based outreach program, Enviros / RIS staff interviewed 25 senior executives at companies across Canada to test the strategy; it was essential that the program have private sector support. The interviews identified a short, 2-hour workshop as the best method to access Canadians and raise awareness on the climate change issue. The endorsement of the employer was considered an important message to give to employees.

Tip: You may only need to phone as few as 40 households if you select a random sample, so this step is not necessarily costly or time-consuming. However, you are strongly advised to involve someone with a strong background in survey design and statistics.

Tip: For further information on designing and carrying out telephone surveys, refer to chapter 7 in Promoting a Sustainable Future: An Introduction to Community- Based Social Marketing (Ottawa: NRTEE) by Doug McKenzie- Mohr.

Tip: If you want descriptive statistics (e.g. 10% of survey participants did xyz in the first year; 30% did it in the third year) and cross tabulations (e.g. did the women respond differently than the men?), and you don't need to know the statistical significance (e.g. p < .05 ), you can easily do the survey yourself using Survey Gold. Easy to learn because it handles like a word processor, it is inexpensive and features web-based data entry, automatic data compilation, and one-click reports with pie charts and/or tables.