Catalyzing community action within a national campaign: VERB community and national partnerships.
The VERB campaign used a social marketing approach to deliver its message through the mass media, school and community promotions, and partnerships to encourage children aged 9-13 years (tweens) to be physically active every day. This paper presents the VERB campaign's community and national partnership strategy, highlights three successful partnerships, and discusses challenges associated with the efforts. The national advertising generated awareness of and affinity for the product's brand and motivated the primary audience to seek out the product. The campaign's national and community partners were engaged to facilitate a product-distribution channel. The campaign developed a three-pronged partnership strategy to integrate the promotion with the placement of the campaign's product (physical activity): (1) reframe the way physical activity is positioned and delivered; (2) connect the brand to the point-of-purchase; and (3) refer (or drive) the audience to the action outlets, opportunities, places, spaces and programs to purchase the product. The VERB campaign provided partners with marketing training and resources to assist them as they leveraged tweens' brand awareness and supported regular physical activity among tweens. The method of technical assistance and the types of marketing tools were provided in relationship to four characteristics of the partner: (1) partner's network, (2) leaders and champions in the network, (3) partner's financial resources for community campaigns; and (4) partner's understanding of the marketing mindset. Coordinated, collaborative, and strong mass-media and community-based interventions within a national social marketing campaign can sustain the immediate effects of such campaigns.
Bretthauer-Mueller
Rosemary
R
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia 30341, USA. rbretthauer-mueller@cdc.gov
Berkowitz
Judy M
JM
Thomas
Melonie
M
McCarthy
Susan
S
Green
Lula Anna
LA
Melancon
Heidi
H
Courtney
Anita H
AH
Bryant
Carol A
CA
Dodge
Kristin
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000329:Advertising; D002648:Child; D019058:Community Networks; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media; D009043:Motor Activity; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000458:organization & administration*; D040241:Social Marketing; D014481:United States