Health related social marketing is defined as a process that uses a range of marketing techniques, appropriate to target audiences, to deliver a health related ‘social good’ (rather than a commercial benefit) through improving health and wellbeing. Social marketing has been highlighted by the Department of Health (Choosing Health and the Wanless Report) as a key tool for health promotion through encouraging positive health behaviour and behaviour change.  However, in relation to other countries, noticeably Australia and the USA, social marketing has not to date been widely or systematically used in the UK. Options UK have expertise in social marketing developed from international and national programmes.

Core to all social marketing programmes is the need to understand the target ‘customers’ or stakeholders in whom behaviour change is sort. It is also critical that barriers to change are identified and solutions to overcoming those barriers, perceived or real, are developed in partnership with target audiences. This requires extensive ‘market’ and social research that ideally mixes innovative marketing techniques with robust socio-demographic research. Options UK's expertise in both these areas means that our social marketing services can provide you with a clear understanding of your ‘customers’, their lifestyles, behaviour, aspirations and motivations. Options UK will then work with your target audience to develop appropriate and effective marketing messages and delivery techniques, including service branding and sub branding, to help you, and your communities, achieve health improvements.

In combination with traditional social research, market research and design skills Options UK is uniquely placed to offer robust full programme or single project services in social marketing. Options UK can help you with: 

• Social marketing strategies including target identification and engagement
• Design of innovative and appropriate promotional and marketing programmes and materials (with target/user involvement)
• Identification and design of mechanisms to deliver messages and products which are  appropriate to the target audience
• Evaluation and monitoring of new and existing social marketing and outcomes based programmes