Page 104 - Social Marketing for Public Health Global Trends and Success Stories

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• The in motion brand was appropriate to use and should continue to be
the brand for Saskatchewan’s physical activity strategy.
• Community ownership was critical to community uptake, and
communities with an identifiable leader were the most successful. Three
recurring factors (strong leadership, committed volunteers, and broad-
based community involvement) were key to success.
• In motion received significant media attention focused on obesity and
inactivity. Communities had a heightened degree of interest, but
readiness in terms of necessary skills and competencies was lacking. The
degree of training, mentorship, consultative support and resource
development required was vastly underestimated.
• Interviewees identified a need for professional staff at the regional level.
• Program resources were deemed sufficient for the project. The short-
term funding was, however, insufficient to develop, launch, and
implement a project aimed at achieving a 10% behavior change within
three years.
• The initiative was deemed a success based on the skills sets and
experience of those involved, as well as the involvement of national
experts to help develop strategies.
• The mass media campaign benefited greatly from existing relationships
between partner organizations and media agencies.
• Interviewees generally agreed that a mass media campaign combined
with a community mobilization strategy is a necessary and effective way
to inspire change.
• The timely distribution of communication materials and resources was a
challenge throughout the project.

In terms of outputs as of 2008, SIM has grown in five years to a move-
ment made up of thousands of individuals, 158 community action teams, 400
schools (approximately half), 473 workplaces, and more than 800 champions
and leaders in 252 communities (accounting for approximately 80% of the
population).
Research projects to monitor changes related to the product, price, and
place components of the social marketing mix in the various settings are under
way, and findings are not yet fully available. One such research project con-
ducted by the University of Saskatchewan is measuring the impact of SIM on
community capacity building before and after launching the SIM initiative.
Measures include a range of factors, such as improved organizational structure,
leadership, program management and assessment, resource mobilization,