Page 168 - Social Marketing for Public Health Global Trends and Success Stories

57977_CH06_final.qxd:Cheng 11/5/09 4:39 PM Page 141

Marketing Strategy—Phase 1 141

• Peer popularity. Pack lunches are still seen as “cool,” especially when they
contain popular recognized brands, which can be swapped and traded
among friends.
• Freedom. Pack lunches can be eaten outside in the summer. They can also
be scarfed down quickly so that children can get out to play sooner.

M A R KE TI N G STR ATE GY—P H A S E 1

As mentioned previously, due to the economic slowdown and pressures on local
government funding, it was only possible to continue, in the short term, with in-
terventions aimed predominantly at head teachers. Therefore, the main barriers
addressed by this marketing strategy are those presented mainly by the head
teachers. However, some of the interventions also addressed some of the barriers
identified by parents and children.
After the scoping work was completed, a solution group was set up to help
the steering group decide upon and develop the interventions. This group was
made up of catering managers, school cooks and dinner nannies, head teachers,
and health promotion specialists from the local health authority. The findings
from both secondary and primary research were presented to the solution
group. The group then helped develop the multipronged intervention market-
ing strategy described later.

Product
• The core product, the benefit promised, is one nutritionally balanced
meal and the long-term health benefits attached to eating at least one
nutritious meal a day. However, because in phase 1 we were focusing on
head teachers, due to their strong influence on parents and children, the
core product is also:
• Improved behavior and organization in the dining hall.
• Fewer complaints from parents in regard to the choice of food and
service.
• Improved knowledge of the children regarding the importance of
eating a balanced meal and cooking skills.
• Improved communications between the caterers and head teachers.
• Less food wastage and packaging used.
•The actual product, the desired behavior, is for key stage 2 pupils to eat
school meals. As with the core product, the actual product in phase 1 is also:
• Dinner nannies to manage the dining hall environment and to talk to
pupils about healthy and balanced meal choices.