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The Social Marketing Process 133

SWOT Analysis
Once the steering group was established, it conducted a SWOT analysis. By
identifying both the internal (strengths and weaknesses) and external (opportu-
nities and threats) factors to the project (see Table 6-1), this analysis helped the
steering group develop a clear plan of action. Due to school meals being high on
the political agenda, the SWOT analysis was updated every three months to en-
sure that the project stayed abreast of the changing political environment.
Based on the SWOT analysis, various actions were put in place to try to
minimize the threats and utilize the strengths. For example, to ensure join-up
with national work, an employee of the School Food Trust was asked to be a
member of the steering committee, and training on social marketing was given
to the steering group and their colleagues.

Stakeholder Engagement
In an early meeting, the steering group created a list of key stakeholders. Many
of the stakeholders identified worked closely with the catering staff in schools
and therefore knew the problems firsthand. Other stakeholders were identified
due to their influence in this area, and the resources they had could be tapped
into for this project. Once the list of key stakeholders was drawn up, they were
plotted by the group onto a power and interest matrix. This helped the group
identify those stakeholders who were most important to engage and those who
required a less proactive approach.
Once the stakeholders were plotted on the matrix (see Figure 6-1), a strategy
for handling each of the matrix quads was developed. For example, representa-
tives from the different groups in the “key players” and “keep satisfied” areas
were invited to attend the Solution Group, which developed the interventions.

Reviewing the Secondary Evidence

Secondary evidence looking at past and current interventions that have ad-
dressed the issue and their target audience was collated and reviewed by a re-
searcher. Local, national, and international interventions were considered. The
interventions were found through a desk search.
Various interventions were reviewed, which have had, or are intended to
have, an impact on school meal uptake and the promotion of healthy eating
among children. These include both local and national initiatives to improve the
school meal offer and increase uptake, and they represent a mixture of top-
down and bottom-up interventions. This information was used to help the
steering group brainstorm and plan their next steps.