Social Marketing and Behaviour Change: Public Awareness Campaign Planning – Barcelona, 26–30 Jul 2027

Programme overview

Introduction:

Many public awareness efforts raise recognition of an issue yet leave smoking, speeding, handwashing, recycling or school attendance unchanged, because they broadcast information instead of targeting a specific behaviour and the barriers behind it. This Core Concept course gives campaign staff a practitioner method for social marketing and behaviour change campaigns: selecting a doable target behaviour, researching and segmenting priority groups, applying behavioural models, pre-testing messages, mobilising community and school channels, and tracking behavioural outcomes. Participants produce an Awareness and Behaviour-Change Campaign Plan for a case public issue.

Course Objectives:

• Distinguish social marketing from commercial marketing and select a single, observable target behaviour for a public issue
• Diagnose the barriers and motivators behind a target behaviour using COM-B, the Health Belief Model and stages of change
• Segment priority groups from formative research and write a behavioural brief for each segment
• Design and pre-test messages, prompts and choice-architecture nudges that lower the cost of the desired behaviour
• Assemble a channel, partner and budget plan that combines community outreach, schools, digital media and trusted messengers
• Set behavioural outcome indicators and an evaluation design that goes beyond reach and recall

Target Audience:

• Staff who plan and run public awareness campaigns for government bodies, municipalities and public services
• Health promotion and prevention officers responsible for lifestyle, screening or vaccination uptake
• Safety and risk-reduction personnel running road, fire, water or home safety outreach
• Education and student affairs staff who deliver awareness and guidance programmes in schools and universities
• Non-profit and community programme officers who mobilise volunteers and local groups around a social issue
• Communication officers who brief creative agencies and community partners on behaviour-change work

Course Outline:

Day 1: Social Marketing Foundations and Behaviour Selection

• Social Marketing Versus Commercial Marketing: Social Good, Voluntary Exchange and Competing Behaviours
• Social Marketing 4Ps: Behaviour as Product, Barriers as Price, Access Points as Place
• Upstream, Midstream and Downstream Targets in the Socio-Ecological Model
• Target Behaviour Prioritisation Matrix: Impact, Probability and Penetration Scores
• Current Awareness Activity Review Using a Behaviour-Focus Checklist

Day 2: Behavioural Models for Diagnosing Barriers and Motivators

• COM-B Diagnosis: Capability, Opportunity and Motivation Barrier Mapping
• Health Belief Model: Perceived Susceptibility, Severity, Benefits, Barriers and Cues to Action
• Transtheoretical Model Stages of Change and Stage-Matched Campaign Tactics
• Theory of Planned Behaviour: Attitudes, Subjective Norms and Perceived Behavioural Control
• Nudge and Choice Architecture: Defaults, Social Proof and Salience at Practitioner Level

Day 3: Formative Research, Segmentation and Message Development

• Formative Research Toolkit: Intercept Interviews, Barrier Surveys and Observation Logs
• Priority Group Segmentation by Behaviour Stage, Readiness and Access Barriers
• Behavioural Brief Template: Desired Action, Key Benefit, Barrier Removal and Call to Action
• Message Pre-Testing Protocol: Comprehension, Relevance, Credibility and Unintended Reactions
• Community-Based Social Marketing Tools: Commitments, Prompts, Norms and Incentives

Day 4: Channels, Partnerships, Budgets and Ethical Risk

• Channel Mix Grid: Community Outreach, School Programmes, Mosques and Clubs, Digital and Out-of-Home
• School-Based Awareness Programme Design: Student Ambassadors, Parent Messaging and Classroom Activities
• Partnership and Trusted Messenger Selection: Clinicians, Teachers, Community Leaders and Content Creators
• Campaign Budget and Resource Plan Using CDCynergy Planning Phases
• Ethics Review: Autonomy, Fear Appeals, Stigma, Equity and Manipulation Risk in Nudging

Day 5: Case Study: Awareness and Behaviour-Change Campaign Plan

• Behaviour-Change Logic Model: Inputs, Activities, Outputs, Behavioural Outcomes and Impact
• Outcome Indicator Set: Self-Reported Behaviour, Observed Behaviour and Service Uptake Data
• Case Public Issue Workshop Using Road Safety, Obesity and Recycling Scenarios
• Awareness and Behaviour-Change Campaign Plan Drafting: Behaviour, Segments, Mix and Budget
• Plan Defence Against a Social Marketing Benchmark Scorecard

Skills You Will Gain:

• Target Behaviour Selection
• Behavioural Barrier Diagnosis
• Formative Audience Research
• Behaviour-Based Segmentation
• Message Pre-Testing
• Community Channel Mobilisation
• Behaviour-Change Budgeting
• Outcome Evaluation Design

Why Attend This Course:

• Leave with an Awareness and Behaviour-Change Campaign Plan for a case public issue that can be adapted to your own programme
• Stop funding awareness activity that raises recall but leaves the behaviour unchanged
• Report to sponsors on what people actually did differently, using uptake and observed behaviour data
• Exchange practice with health, safety, education and non-profit teams working on different social issues

Conclusion:

Social marketing succeeds when a campaign is built around one doable behaviour, the real barriers of a defined priority group, and evidence of whether that behaviour moved. The week moves from the 4Ps and behaviour selection, through COM-B, the Health Belief Model, stages of change and nudges, to formative research, segmentation, message pre-testing, community and school channels, partnerships, budgeting and ethics. The final day assembles a logic model, outcome indicators and an Awareness and Behaviour-Change Campaign Plan ready for sponsor review.