Social Marketing Campaigns in Australia in Relation to Campaign against Drunk Driving - Case Study Example

First Name Last Name Instructor’s Name Course Number Introduction Due to the fact that drunk driving continues to be one of the most leading cause of road accidents and deaths, social Marketing campaigns have been used to promote health and social issues so as to bring about a remarkable change in the societies habit of drinking alcohol and driving. Most of the non-profit organisations all over the world use social marketing to impact the society positive (Brady & Cronin, 2001). This has been well done by the Australian the drug free partnership. The term social marketing was used over the year in the country as a means of solving societal problems. This is laid on the concept that if marketing can be used to move products, then it can also be used to move human behaviour to a certain desirable direction. This paper looks at the impact of social marketing campaigns in Australia and in particular in relation to campaign against drunk driving.(Lenner, 2011). Analysis of Prior Relevant Campaigns Drunk driving continues to be one of the major concerns in Australia making social groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving come up to implement various social marketing campaigns when it comes to issues around drinking and driving. According to a survey done in Australia it was found that 58% of the respondents reported to ever drinking and driving, 72 percent of those respondents also admitted to having being drunk while driving. Drunk driving continues to be one of the major causes of road accidents and injuries and it is responsible for 30% of fatalities and 9 percent of road accidents in Australia (E. et al., 2014). For this reason, there are many adult and youth led social marketing campaigns that are meant to assess the youth and individual behaviour and attitude with regard to alcoholism changing. In this sense, social marketing against drunk driving is considered as moving to the right direction since it helps to transverse the hurdle of agitation and education (E. et al., 2014). Social marketing is also characterised by its emphasis on the non-tangible products and performance. In Australia alone it is estimated drunk driving causes more trauma and social costs. This is because there are numerous economic and social costs that are associated with road fatalities. The country is reported as spending close to $3 million with each hospitalisation crash estimated at $266,000 (Green, 2014). Most of the marketing campaigns in Australia have focussed by on the introduction of drunkerlysers also known as random breathe testing and stiffer penalties for those who are found to be driving under influence also known as. When all of these issues are combined it is possible that public morality has been affected as being able to create a common understand which dictates that drunk driving is not acceptable anywhere in Australia (CDC, 2013). According to statistics drunken driving campaigns in Australia have been seen to be positive. This is because the proportion of drivers and motorcycle riders who were killed with Blood Alcohol Content greater than the acceptable amount has declined from 38% in 1987 up to 24% by 2013. Below: Statistics indicating the state of drunk driving in Australia (BAC Stands for Blood Alcohol Content) Target Audience The target audience for most drunk driving campaigns in the country vary from the youth, gang groups, social groups and the working class all over the country. The campaigns are usually targeted to reach all drivers while at the same time it recognises the fact that the majority of drivers in the roads are usually involved in fatal road accidents to having consumed an illegal amount of alcohol levels in their body. This paper looks at the Australia’s DrinkWise campaign and ways in which its message of ‘Drink. Do it properly’ campaign has been able to resonate mostly to young drivers of male gender between ages 17-25 that are over represented in all alcohol related crashes. The ‘Drink. Do it properly’ campaign is a social media campaign from a non profit organisation in Australia known as DrinkWise. The organisation was found in the year 2005 by the country’s alcoholic producers and distributors so as to promote a healthier a safer drinking culture in Australia. As part of their education and awareness, the group uses animated videos that show the difference between a ‘classy’ drinker and ‘wasted’ drinker. With regard to this campaigns, professional drinkers usually know their limit and stop when they have reached what is referred by the organisation as the ‘realm of drinking excellence’ however, ‘armatures’ are those that wear beer helmets and become so drunk that they end up losing control of all the bodily functions. The messages here are that there is a lot of unpleasantness in drinking heavily than there is in moderate drinking (Scramsystems, 2014). One of the theories that have been used to describe the DrinkWise social marketing campaigns is the verbal learning theory which encompasses a family of utilitarian oriented persuasion theories that are instrumental learning and hierarchy of the effects of being caught drunk driving (Rostchild, 1999). The DrinkWise social marketing campaign takes the target audience through comprehension, attention; yielding and retention stages that eventually result in the formation and change of beliefs that are associated with drinking (Taylor & Oberman, 2010). One of the major features of the campaign is that a responsible drinker is also provided with a reward for going for or against the campaign messages. For example, the social marketing plan will also inform a youth on the threatened punishment as motivation to accept the recommendation proposed in the campaign. Other issues would be the adverse advantages that come with following the marketing campaign to the letter. The campaign provides casualty statistics so as to provide reason for refraining from drunk driving. However the campaign fails to capture other issues, such as the social background of the society. For example, it will be impossible to convince a young man who was raised by alcoholic parents that heavy drinking is bad for his health when he has seen his parent do it all his years. Behaviour change model Behaviour change model has been used in the Drink Wise social marketing campaigns so as to address lifestyle modification for the prevention of drunk driving in the Australian youth by helping an individual to manage the habit of drinking (Lave & March, 2013). The concept of non-compliance usually focuses on the failure by an individual to follow the stages of change. Behaviour change models proves to be helpful in this campaign and also targets other self-affiliated groups like sporting clubs, bikers associations in understanding the readiness by members to make change, appreciate the obstacles to change and also help members of the groups to anticipate a relapse (dosomething, 2014). In doing this, the campaigns have been able to improve the satisfaction from members on the issue of drunk driving and reduce the frustration that is associated with change. Stages of change include the pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation stage, action stage and finally the maintenance or relapse level (Taylor & Oberman, 2010). The Drink Wise campaign makes use of the social norms theory in order to understand the process of change. Social Norms Theory The social Norms theory as described in the above diagram is used in explain the process by which a person undergoes in order to change ones behaviour or habit. This has been useful in understand drunk drivers and ways in which social marketing campaign can be designed to drive them in the right direction. According to the social norms theory thus, the campaign makes use of two approaches that are descriptive and injunctive. Injunctive norms are those that involve perceptions by which behaviour is approved or disapproved. In this way, the person is able to understand what is acceptable in the society and what is not. In this case, drunk driving is not acceptable, so that means the person will work towards avoiding that. Descriptive norms on the other hand is derived from the perceptions by which behaviours are performed; these are usually the way that people view drunk drivers. In this case, the person will avoid the behaviour if the perception is negative or embrace it if the perception is positive (Lave & March, 2013). Some of the constraints that one might undergo during the behaviour change process will include peer influence, social structure and family back ground, the need to belong including other psychosocial issues. It will be important that the individual is trained to learn to cope with these issues so as to fully implement the change process. Other social norms associated with alcoholism lay the need to feel free or the need to belong would also come as a barrier to behaviour change. However when the Drink Wise campaign is able to take the individual through all the stages successfully then change is be realised. Positioning of the Drink Wise Marketing Campaigns Before producing the social media campaign materials, positioning concepts are developed and evaluated by members of the target group. This is important as it shows the way that the marketing campaign will be received and understood by the target group in relation to other campaigns against drunk driving. The key selling point while positioning the social marketing campaign will be that drunk driving is a federal offense and the person found committing the offense will be highly persecuted. The campaign also makes use of the 4ps in explaining the positioning of the social marketing campaign against drunk driving. Product: In designing the product, the campaign should make use of user image, to depict a person who changes his way of life, meaning that the youth would be mobilised to do the same. The marketing campaigns strategy also should be tested among a group of youth to see if the campaign will be reliable enough to convince the youth towards behaviour change. If the product design is reliable then it will be executed to the media. The product element of the marketing mix that can be divided in to 3 levels, the actual, core and augmented product. Actual product in this sense should be the desired behaviour that is being promoted, in this case, ‘Drinking. Do it properly. The core product will be the end benefit of carrying out the desired behaviour like, ‘Retaining one’s driving, license, avoiding, arrest, reducing road accidents and personal development’ The augmented product will be made of intangible products like, ‘ training and support groups against drunk driving. There should be restriction of these substances in the retailing businesses and at the same time an increase of substance surrogate products to sensitize on alcohol consumption. There should also be highlights of the products harm and this will deter people from taking alcohol while driving Price: In the DrinkWise social media campaign, the price means the cost that the target audience will pay for following the safety practices; this will be reduction of speed with which a person drives his car, reduction or refraining from taking alcohol when one is a designated driver. Price can also be financial, for example, the person is expected to be able to save more money that would be consumed in taking alcohol or having to pay fines for drunk driving. The main role for social marketing campaign here is to demonstrate the value of refraining from drunk driving, so that the price one pays will be work on the measures taken (R.Rusell-Bennett, Previte, & N.Zainuddin, 2009). There should be decrease in the product attractiveness in the campaigns as this contributes to more consumption as it is portrayed to be the most acceptable social behavior when accorded more emphasis while advertising for alcohol consumption. Also, there should be lobbying for the government to increase the taxes on such substances which in return increase the prices and hence reduce alcohol consumption. Promotion: Promotion consists of all the materials that are used to put an emphasis in to the message of drunk driving. This includes training, booklets, hand bins and advertising (Holubowycz & McLean, 1995). There should be decreases in the advertising space for the alcohol companies in the media. Also, promotion of anti – drunk driving themes in the media so that the public to be educated on the consequences of drunk driving (Mauck & Zagummy, 2000). It should be mandatory to have warning labels on the substances against having to dink while driving. Place: The place is about the location that the product is made available and where safety behaviour is carried out. For example the use of a taxi driver or a designated driver when a person is drunk is being advocated for, then locating that product conveniently for use by the target audience will be a serious element of place (R.Rusell-Bennett, Previte, & N.Zainuddin, 2009). The consumption areas should be restricted by legislation as well a reduction in the distribution areas. This will go a long way in decreasing alcohol consumption while driving as the limited area as there will be designated places for alcohol consumption and not distributed in close proximity to discourage more drunk driving as instigated by many drinking places distributed evenly (Connor & Armitage, 1998). Evaluation In relation to social marketing campaigns against drunk driving it can be concluded that in the Australian organisation DrinkWise have successfully conveyed a strong message take –out. In the sense that what sinks in most young people is one rule, Drink Do it properly this is supported universally in almost all parts of the country. Social marketing campaigns also have positive impacts and have been reported as making the youth to think differently on the issue of drinking and driving, in this way many young people consider alternative transport, including being transported by their peer home whenever they are drunk. The campaign is also important in removing barriers to behaviour change since it is directly focussed on a particular group. It also make the youth think differently about drinking and driving, in a way that most of them come to find no fun drunk driving by weighing out the risks. Young people also get the chance to learn more about the law and penalties that are involved in drunk driving, in this way, a penalty such as losing a driving licence would sound so harsh to a young person who has just owned his first car. In this way, they will avoid so much getting in to the wrong side of the law. However the use of law, education and Marketing is sufficient enough to convince people to change their behaviour, in particular when it comes to the issue of drunk driving. The use of law should thus be encouraged, as people fear being penalised. The fact that a person can also be asked to lose his or her driving license if found drunk driving is a major tool that people can use in social marketing campaigns (Rostchild, 1999). Conclusion In Conclusion, the campaign against drunk driving should be encouraged all over the country as its effectiveness has been realised and success is assured in the next coming years. One of the major indicators will be a reduction in the road accidents and deaths as a result of drunk driving. On the other hand the laws of the country should be designed in a way that it restricts people to drink and drive, worse even taste it. Colleges should also be restricted from allowing young people to indulge in to binge driving and motor races that are usually done for fun. One of the way that the laws has been able to support the campaign is by arresting and persecuting people who are found to be drunk drivers, however the law does not provide a chance for people to learn about the dangers of drunk driving. To add on this, the social structure of our country should be re shaped in a way that people are taught at an early age on the disadvantages of drinking and driving, they should be taught and even allowed to witness the dangers of drinking and driving so that when they group up they will be able to account. References Bjorklund, A. D. (2013). Drunk Driving / DUI: A Survival Guide for Motorist. Praetorian Publishers; 2nd edition. Brady, M., & Cronin, J. (2001). Some new thoughts on conceptualising perceived service quality: A hierarchical approach. Journal of Marketing, 34-36. Connor M, Armitage CJ. (1998). 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