Community-Based Social Marketing

Strategies for Encouraging Sustainable Behavior

 

Figure 1: Environmentally-beneficial behaviors promoted by Community-Based Social Marketing.

Background

Our road to a sustainable future must be paved by programs that effectively alter people's behavior. Traditional tactics such as environmental education and broad-based campaigns have relied on the sharing of information to alter behavior.  Despite their long history, these programs have met with limited success at actually changing people's behavior. The pragmatic approach to sustainability used by Community-Based Social Marketing (CBSM) has proven to be very successful in bringing about behavior change within individuals. 

               Fostering Sustainable Behavior

Figure 2: Dr. Doug McKenzie-Mohr, the founder of CBSM.

The concept of Community-Based Social Marketing was created by Doug McKenzie-Mohr, Ph.D. (Figure 2).  Using his extensive background in environmental psychology and social psychology, Dr. McKenzie-Mohr has crafted a book that teaches the reader how to effectively market sustainable behavior at the community level.  The social marketing techniques outlined in this book can be implemented in virtually any community setting. The book, "Fostering Sustainable Behavior", can be downloaded at no cost from Dr. McKenzie-Mohr’s main website, www.cbsm.com.  A paperback version is also available.

            The Four Steps of CBSM

              Step 1:    Identify the barriers to a behavior.

Barriers should be identified by first reviewing local relevant articles and reports on the issue at hand.  Next, focus groups should be formed to delve into the attitudes and behaviors of community residents regarding the activity. A phone survey should then be conducted with a random sample of residents.

                       Step 2:    Construct a program to overcome these barriers

Once an effective way has been found to overcome each barrier, determine whether people simply need to be informed of the project's existence or whether people require demonstrations or personal assistance to move through the barrier.  Use of noticeable, self-explanatory prompts will help in this regard.   Then, implement a small-scale pilot program within the target area in order to work out the "bugs" before  employing the program on a larger scale. 

                       Step 3:    Implement the program across the community.

Utilizing the knowledge gained from the pilot program, use a discretional amount of local advertising and media sources to inform people about about the program. 

                 Step 4:    Evaluate the effectiveness of the program.

Include the local media, concerned citizens, and a random collection of cooperating companies in the evaluation process. Seek to include feedback that reinforces the changes that people have made. 

Go Boulder Case Study   

The  four steps for implementing CBSM are well illustrated in the "GO Boulder" campaign (Figure 3).  Implemented in 1989 by the Boulder City Council, the campaign was an effort to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution in Boulder, Colorado. The most effective way of achieving this was by causing people to shift from use of single occupant vehicles to alternative forms of transportation such as bicycles, public transit and walking.

 Figure 3: "GO Boulder" campaign logo

        Step 1:    Identify the barriers to a behavior.  

The GO Boulder program found that the primary barrier discouraging business people from taking the bus was their  concern about getting home if they had to work late or were in an emergency situation.

                      Step 2:    Construct a program to overcome these barriers.

The organizers of the GO Boulder program determined that it was both necessary and cost effective to build more bikeways and overpasses and under passes for bikes and pedestrians, gradually over a number of years. Additionally, the ECO Pass program was designed to give employees a guaranteed taxi ride back to their house if they had to work late or in the event of an emergency. 

                      Step 3:    Implement the program across a community.

GO Boulder informed businesses about their Guaranteed Ride Home program.   Additionally, the city has continued to improve its physical infrastructure to be more supportive of alternative transportation methods, with high-profile monthly reminders and opportunities for residents to try these alternative methods.

     Step 4:    Evaluate the effectiveness of the program.

       The project as a whole was an overwhelming success. The following changes were a direct result of the Go Boulder program:

• Between 1990 and 1994, the city realized a six percent decrease in daily trips from single-occupant vehicles.. 

• Pedestrian trips increased by 3.5 percent.

• Bicycle trips increased by 2.2 percent.

• Transit trips increased by 1.7 percent.

• Among individual businesses using the ECO Pass, bus ridership increased from 59 percent to 400 percent. (Ridership was measured prior to participation and again six months later.)

• At the University of Colorado, bus ridership went from 300,000 to over one million in the first year.

• Various corporations seeking a location for their company headquarters have been attracted by Boulder's well planned transit system.  This has the potential to bring in valuable economic resources to the community of Boulder.

Click on the picture above to visit a web page on  environmental psychology. 

Practitioners of environmental psychology examine how human behavior and well-being are affected by the biophysical environment (Stokols and Altman, 1987). CBSM is a field of study within environmental psychology. The term "environment" in this context is defined very broadly.  In addition to the natural world, it includes social settings, built environments, learning environments and informational environments (Deyoung,1999).  

The sub-discipline of conservation behavior (under which CBSM falls) investigates how people's attitudes, perceptions and values affect their daily environmental decisions.  Environmental psychologists work to devise intervention techniques that promote environmentally appropriate behavior (Deyoung,1999).

Related Websites

The following websites provide information on how to foster sustainable behavior within individuals and firms. The web sites  allow visitors to craft programs to meet the  specific needs of their community.  Both websites require an initial registration.  

  Relevant Books

The following books relate to the field of environmental psychology and social marketing. 

Bibliography

Deyoung, R. "Environmental Psychology." In D. E. Alexander and R. W. Fairbridge [Eds.] Hingham, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers. [31 March 2005] [Encyclopedia of Environmental Science.] [6 May 2005]

 <http://www-personal.umich.edu/~rdeyoung/envtpsych.html>.

Stokols, D. and  Altman, I. Handbook of Environmental Psychology. [Eds.] (1987).  New York: Wiley.

McKenzie-Mohr, D.  "Community-Based Social Marketing." [6 May 2005.] <http://www.cbsm.com/Chapters/introduction.htm>.

This web page was created by Zach Mermel    

Page last updated on: 6 May, 2005