The Freedom from Diseases Campaign - Assignment Example

Social Marketing Assignment 3 Table of Contents Introduction 3 Plan background and purpose 3 Figure 2: Internal analysis of organization 5 Target audience 6 Social marketing theory 7 Objectives and goals 9 Positioning statement 9 Marketing mix strategies 10 Plan for evaluation 11 Budget overview 11 Plan for implementation 12 Conclusion 13 Reference List 15 Introduction The discussion is based on designing the social marketing proposal for the Freedom from Diseases campaign. The underlying motive of the campaign is to alter the behavior of Aboriginal Australians towards different diseases they are facing and their treatments. The campaign is targeted to provide professional medical services to the Aboriginal Australians as well as motivating them to utilize professional healthcare assistance rather than relying on traditional treatments. Further discussion will provide a detailed proposal for the social marketing planning for promoting the awareness related to treatment of diseases and benefit of utilizing professional healthcare institute instead of traditional procedures. The discussion will detail the target audience and objectives and goal of the campaign. The study will also detail various social marketing theories which are essential to evaluate to analyze the effectiveness of the proposal. The next section of this proposal will evaluate the marketing mix strategy, evaluation plan, budgeting and implementation procedure of this campaign. Plan background and purpose Aboriginal Australians are the native community of Australia and surroundings. They are considered to be the original residents of Australia continent. Researchers have illustrated that these community has migrated from different parts of Africa and Asia near about 70,000 years ago. Based on the Census figures of 2011, the Australian Bureau of Statistic has estimated that 2.5% of the total population of Australia (i.e. 548,570 people) is consists of the Indigenous Australian. According to the report of Dart (2008), a large part of the Aboriginal Australian community displays worst health condition which causes death of half of the male population as well as one third of the female population before they turn to 45. The average life expectancy of this community is 59.5 years which remained constant within 1990 to 2000 (Browne-Yung, et al., 2013). Due to the age long negligence and negative treatments this community is facing innumerable challenges ranging from lack of education, social security to different health related issues and diseases (Gubhaju, et al., 2013). Long history of ignorance and ill-treatment towards the community has generated different adverse condition for the population. The major cause of their low life expectancy are poverty, poor living condition, low education level, disposition from the traditional land, high unemployment and hidden racism (Dudgeon and Kelly, 2014). Figure 1: Life expectancy of male and female population of Aboriginal Australians (Source: Dudgeon and Kelly, 2014) The campaign, Freedom from Diseases, is designed for increasing the health related awareness of the population belongs from Aboriginal Australians community. This section of population has been experienced age long negligence of the government and other emerging communities in terms of healthy lifestyle, education, treatments and abolition of crimes (Hotez, 2014). The social marketing campaign is focused on sensitizing the Aboriginal Australian population regarding the importance of professional medical support to treat their health related problems. The campaign is also purposed to provide medical support and health related education to the community as well as other stakeholders who can play major roles in effectively delivering the communication and servicers. Figure 2: Internal analysis of organization (Source: Sav, et al., 2013) Target audience The social marketing procedure for Freedom from Disease campaign needs to include a number of audiences. The major targeted audience of the campaign is the Aboriginal Australians community residing in different parts of Australia and its surroundings. The audience of this campaign also includes different governmental and non-governmental healthcare institutes, social welfare organizations or non-profit organizations and individuals from non-indigenous communities. Aboriginal Australians within Australia as well as surrounding localities of Australia who are socially and economically affected and possess low mortality. A major part of these communities are uneducated and unemployed. The population depends in different traditional and superstitious activities to treat different diseases. Poor health issues have generated cardiovascular diseases, hearing and sight problems of sexual transmitted diseases within the population. Most of the population within these communities is seeking change and assistance from government regulators as well as different other communities. The major barrier to reach is communities are the improper communicational access and their poor capacity to afford the medical facilities (Bennett and Babbage, 2014). Government and non-government medical institutes within Australia can also be considered as an important audience. The indulgence of different medical practitioners and hospitals in their campaign is very essential for the proper delivery of the medical facilities. The opportunities to improve the brand image and brand awareness can influence a number of medical institutes and practitioners to indulge in this campaign. The initiatives and funding of government also influences the governmental hospitals to indulge in this healthcare program. Local unavailability, transportation cost and fees-for-service approach are the major barriers for this audience. Different individuals of non-indigenous community mainly from various parts of Australia and its surroundings. These individuals are mainly situated in the urban locations of the continent. Most of these individuals are unaware about the social condition and required help of the challenged communities. These audiences can serve as volunteers for different medical institutes and NPOs to influence the mobility of this campaign. They can also improve the communication chain to deliver important messages to the victims. The busy life style, lack of knowledge and hidden racist behavior can hamper their participation in this campaign. Communication and language differences can also be considered as potential barrier. Social marketing theory The process of assessing the readiness of the targeted audience to change needs to follow the different stages of Transtheoretical Model of health behavior change. Prochaska, (2013) has developed this model to influence different stages of changes by integrating various principles and processes of psychotherapy and behavior changes. The incorporation of those stages as a theoretical model of social marketing changes has influenced its adoption by different social marketing practitioners. Till date this process can be considered as one of the major model to evaluate and assess the readiness of individual’s towards the adoption of healthier behavior. This model also provides assistance to guide individuals through the stages of changes (Velicer, et al., 2012). After integrating the theories of behavior changes and psychotherapy the transtheoretical Model suggests different types of intervention processes such as raising the consciousness through rigorous education, confrontation and feedback collection. The intervention process also includes self-reevaluation, social-liberation and evaluation of helpful relationship through openness, trust, care and acceptance (Pbert, 2013). These intervention processes are highly appropriate to move individuals through six stages of essential changes such as precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance and termination (Norcross, et al., 2011). Precontemplation: Individuals in this stage are not readily interested to take actions for the foreseeable future. The change readinesses of these audiences need to be measured after each six months. Lack of communication, insufficient or wrong delivery of communications and solutions ate the major reason which causes any individual to remain in this stage. A number of unsuccessful attempts to deliver messages and solution can demoralize the population within this stage. Most of the non-indigenous population can demonstrate this stage of behavior. A section of Aboriginal Australians who are over indulged in the traditional practices may also demonstrate resistance to change. Proper channel of communication need to be establish to educate these communities regarding the benefits of these changes. Face-to-face discussion, meetings and promotional activates are required to avoid the demoralization of these communities. Proper care and instant solutions to various health related issues will provide assistance to generate awareness (Luca and Suggs, 2013). Contemplation: In this stage people demonstrate more readiness towards changes due to proper knowledge regarding the benefits of changes. This changes need to be conducted within the span of six months to build the trust and relationship with the communities. The delay in treatment and solution as well as wrong or ineffective communication can hamper believes of the individuals in this stage. Different sections of indigenous as well as non-indigenous population can be witnessed in this stage. Clear and continuous communication is required to maintain the trust and believes of these people (Lefebvre, 2013). Preparation: People in this stage shown readiness to take action in immediate future which can be measured within a month. Most of the medical institute can be considered in this stage. A number of conscious indigenous populations can also demonstrate changed behavior which will enlist them in this stage. Non-indigenous and indigenous populations of this stage need to be recruited as volunteer for this campaign. Proper education, information and assistance need to be provided to them to ensure the efficient delivery of messages and communication (Lefebvre, 2013). Action: Individual in this stage demonstrates highly changed behavior that is accrued by proper indulgence in different types of healthcare programs. A huge section of this population can be utilized as examples and volunteers to increase the effectiveness of this program. Proper health maintenance education is also needed to reduce the chances of future difficulties (Lefebvre, 2013). Maintenance: This stage lasts for 6 months to 3 years. During these stage people generally maintain their health and well-being through the solutions and education they gain. This process also assists them to prevent any relapses. The volunteers need to conduct time to time counseling to check the mental and physical health of this population (Thaler and Helmig, 2013). Termination: In this stage population shows 100% self-efficacy. Most of these populations have no temptation to go back to the unhelpful behavior. The new helpful and healthy behavior becomes their automatic habits (Thaler and Helmig, 2013). Objectives and goals The major goal of the campaign is to shift the behavior of the Aboriginal Australian communities from the dependency of traditional treatment procedure to the professional healthcare services. Another goal of this campaign is to change the neglecting and racial behavior of the non-indigenous communities to the Aboriginal Australian populations. The objectives of this campaign include- Educating the population regarding the adverse effects of alcohols and related drugs as well as the benefits of medical treatments and counseling. Providing rehabilitation and medical support to population with acute diseases and low life expectancy. Generating awareness regarding the usage of protection to restrict sexually transmitted diseases. The campaign needs to be established for eight months. The behavioral changes and adaptability of the population should be after every two months. Reducing the mortality and low life expectancy of the Aboriginal population by 10% within the span of eight months. Positioning statement Freedom from Disease is focused on improving the lives of the Aboriginal Australian communities by assisting them to gather knowledge and medical benefits which can evolve their lifestyle towards a healthier direction. The campaign also provides assistance to the backward population to empower their lives and create a strong position within the society. The campaign will initiate a change in society which will influence healthier living tendency within different communities of the society. The target group will be provided with healthcare assistance, information and knowledge with the assistance of different media and healthcare groups and practitioners. The properly executed method will ensure the efficient communication method with the targeted population as well as proper delivery of services. Marketing mix strategies The proper evaluation of different elements of marketing mix will provide adequate guidance in terms of utilizing the essential product, pricing strategy, promotional strategy and distribution procedure of the campaign (Ferrell and Hartline, 2012). Product: The campaign, Freedom from Disease, is targeted to health related services to the Aboriginal Australian. The major products of the organization will be different health care kits, medicine, rehabilitation and counseling centers and health related information manual and brochures. The services of the campaign include the generation of awareness within the communities regarding the healthy lifestyle. The services also include collaboration of different practitioners and organizations to impart knowledge regarding treatment of diseases and elimination of unhealthy attitudes and practices. The service will ensure the possibility of the treatment of different health related issues through professional medical practitioners and institutes. Price: The campaign will provide free of cost health care services to the Aboriginal Australian populations. This campaign will encourage the population to attend different meetings and counseling processes within various remote locations which can assist the population to improve their lifestyle. The medical practitioners and non-indigenous populations will also be encouraged to att6end different seminars to abolish racist behavior from the society. These seminars will also allow them to efficiently provide healthcare solutions to the challenged communities. All these programs, healthcare help delivery processes and treatments in hospitals will be free of cost for the Aboriginal Australian population. The major portion of funding for this process will be accumulated from the government. The donations from different multinational and local organizations will also be considered as a huge part of the funding of this process. Promotion: The word-of-mouth campaigning and arrangement of different seminars and group meetings will be main promotional methods of this campaign. The Aboriginal Australian communities will be reached and communicated through radio, direct meeting, posters and pamphlets. Different social media and social networking sites and print media will be utilized to encourage the participation of non-indigenous population. A huge portion of the funding needs to be allocated for road shows, advertising and awareness campaigns. Brochure and action plan reports need to be generated and circulated through various national and multinational organizations to increase the indulgence of businesses in this campaign. Place: The campaign need to be organized by generating healthcare service and awareness centres in different remote locations. Sufficient volunteers need to be allocated within each location to ensure proper service delivery to the communities. The service centers also need to possess a team of volunteers who will be responsible to reach to different people to generate awareness regarding to this campaign. Medical practitioners and volunteers also need to be located within the local medical centers and hospital to ensure proper treatment of the targeted population. Plan for evaluation The application of planned procedure needs to be followed by proper evaluation methods to ensure the effectiveness of the plans and programs. A team of government delegates and medical practitioners need to be allocated to evaluate and monitor the effects of the implementation of the campaign. The proper implementation and success of the campaign can be measured by the increase in the number of population who are seeking and utilizing the support of hospital and medical practitioners in terms of treating their diseases and health related problems. The details related to the medical services provided to the Aboriginal Australian population needs to be checked after every two months to ensure the increase in the number. The revisit of the population also need to monitors after every two months to ensure their trustworthiness as well as recovery. A different panel of practitioners needs to be allocated in rehabilitation centers to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of different programs within the Aboriginal Australian populations. The population visiting the counseling and rehabilitation centre needs to be monitored after every six months to assess their readiness towards the changes. Along with this data, the panel also needs to measure the changes in changes in death ratio and disease outbreak to ensure the successful implementation of different healthcare programs. Budget overview The campaign will be situated in 6 different locations. The patient strength in the first month is estimated to 100 people. It has also estimated that the proper execution of the campaign will cause 20% increase in the patient strength. The total monthly cost to provide medical support to one patient is estimated at $1150. Each location will consist of 8 medical practitioners who will draw monthly remuneration of $ 1200 respectively. Each location will consist of 15 volunteer who will be paid $300 each month. Finally each centre will possess 10 nurses. They will be paid $400 every month. The advertisement and promotional activities will be organized for the first three months which will cost $15250. The revaluation will be held after every 2 months. This process will conducted by a panel of 5 members. The overall remuneration of the panel will be $3000. The total funding will be accumulated from governmental investment, funding of multinational organizations and donations from high-end individuals and business persons. Figure 3: Estimated budget Plan for implementation The implementation chart has provided detailed view about the execution of the plan. The establishment and proper set up of the medical centre and rehabilitation centre will be conducted within the first two months. The essential equipments and medicines will be arranged and stocked after every 2 months. The rigorous advertising and promotional process will be conducted for the first three months. As per the requirement the advertisement process will be repeated after another two months. Brochures and report will be distributed to multinational companies, non-indigenous population within the first three months. This process will influence the participation of different communities in this campaign. The evaluation and measurement of the campaign success will be held after every two months. The changes in death ratio and disease outbreak will be calculated in the last month of the operation. Figure 4: Implementation plan Plan implementation/time month 1 month 2 month 3 month 4 month 5 month 6 month 7 month 8 Establishment of medical care centres                 Establishment of rehabilitation centre                 Accumulation of medical equipments and medicines                 hiring practitioner, nurses and volunteers                 Advertisement through radio, print media and campaigns                 Distributing brochures and reports                 Measuring and evaluating performance                 Conclusion The overall discussion of this study has elaborated a social marketing plan for generating the awareness of Aboriginal Australian communities regarding different heath related issues. The communities of Aboriginal Australians possess very low life expectancy and high mortality rate due to their poor life style, unemployment, lack of education and negligence of the society. Various governmental initiatives and public awareness has influenced the medical campaigning for the benefit of the challenged community. The main motive of this campaign is to increase the trust of the challenged community towards the medical facilities rather than traditional solutions. The study has evaluated the Transtheoretical social marketing theory to analyze the changing behavior of the targeted community. It has also detailed the marketing mix strategies and evaluation plan for the campaign. Finally it has illustrated the estimated budget and implementation plan for the successful execution of this campaign. Reference List Bennett, S. T. and Babbage, D. R., 2014. Cultural Adaptation of CBT for Aboriginal Australians. Australian Psychologist, 49(1), pp. 19-21. Browne-Yung, K., Ziersch, A., Baum, F. and Gallaher, G., 2013. Aboriginal Australians experience of social capital and its relevance to health and wellbeing in urban settings. Social Science & Medicine, 97, pp. 20-28. Dart, J., 2008. Australias Disturbing Health Disparities Set Aboriginals Apart: The Vast Disparities between the Health of Australias Indigenous Aboriginals and the Rest of the Population Are Disquieting in Such an Affluent Country. Jonathan Dart Reports on How the Government Aims to Improve Aboriginal Health by Tackling the Social Problems Undermining Their Communities. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 86(4), pp. 245. Dudgeon, P. and Kelly, K., 2014. Contextual factors for research on psychological therapies for Aboriginal Australians. Australian Psychologist, 49(1), pp. 8-13. Ferrell, O. C. and Hartline, M., 2012. Marketing Strategy, Text and Cases. Connecticut: Cengage Learning. Gubhaju, L., McNamara, B. J., Banks, E., Joshy, G., Raphael, B., Williamson, A. and Eades, S. J., 2013. The overall health and risk factor profile of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants from the 45 and up study. BMC public health, 13(1), pp. 661. Hotez, P. J., 2014. 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