The Ninth World Social Marketing Conference: Catalysts for Change – Andrea Powell’s Key Takeaways

Alicante Castle: Protecting the City 

Stepping off the plane in Alicante, Spain, three weeks ago, I knew that I was in for a treat at the World Social Marketing Conference, but I wasn’t prepared for how inspiring and informative it would be. Three days immersed in the world of social marketing, meeting academics and practitioners who are at the heart of social marketing organisations was fantastic. With people from countries across the world such as Australia, Canada, Jordan and Jamaica, it really was an international affair.

Marketing With a Conscience: Why Was I There?

You may indeed be asking yourself why was I there? What has this to do with Hitched Communities and the work we do in Cheshire and Wirral? The answer, it turns out, is everything. Social Marketing is marketing with a conscience. It’s about behaviour change to help people to adopt a new positive behaviour, such as quitting smoking, safer driving and looking after the environment.  But why did that put me on a plane to Spain? Well, it all comes back to how Hitched Communities operates. As a charity, we are supported by Hitch Marketing, a national behaviour change marketing consultancy based in Wirral, who help us in the creation of new programmes providing both financial support and expert advice on social marketing techniques. I was attending the conference to widen my understanding of social marketing to then use my knowledge when creating new programmes in the future.

Diving Deep: A Whirlwind of Challenging Sessions

My three days in Alicante were all about immersion. Attending this conference wasn’t just about collecting notes; it was about increasing my knowledge of social marketing techniques and being challenged by world-leading experts. I deliberately sought out sessions each day that would push me to grow.

The sheer range of topics was mind-blowing: one minute I was in the session “How Nonprofits Use Impact Evaluation: Lessons for Social Marketers”, then in the next I was diving into “Enhancing Well-being Through Volunteering”. I even attended fascinating sessions such as “Empowering Young Adults to Embrace a Plant-Based Diet through Marketing” and “Insect-based food: what is Brazilians’ perception”; showing just how broad social marketing truly is!

Of all the sessions and conversations there were two main takeaways that truly resonated with me and reinforced the direction we’re taking at Hitched Communities. Firstly, that co-creation is imperative. The importance of working with communities, not just for them. Through co-design you create a relationship built on trust and ownership, which is crucial for long-term buy-in. I attended the workshop “Co-design for Behaviour Change” which highlighted the importance of the 7-step process to co-design which ensures that communities can have their say when programmes are created. Within these steps the community gets to reflect on a selection of ideas that could work as a programme, before then giving them the freedom to put down their own ideas and pitching them. The final stages of the process involve reflection and building for change encouraging the reviewer to see similarities between what everyone has said and using these to build the programme.  As one speaker said, “Only those people really know what they need”.

Secondly, the power of academic partnerships. It’s clear that working with academics to evaluate our pilot projects is truly beneficial for the charity as clear, accessible data helps secure future funding and demonstrates impact to stakeholders. By working alongside academics, although there can be struggles in terms of timings and finances, they can help us understand the communities we are working with better through the quantitative and qualitative data collection they undertake, plus the findings in their evaluations is informative and helpful in looking at the future aims of a project and suggestions of changes needed for future success.

Back Home and Recharged: Applying Global Lessons

Three days of learning, networking, and, of course, having some fun in the Spanish sun has fundamentally deepened my understanding of social marketing. I feel recharged, newly informed, and incredibly driven to apply these world-class techniques to every project that we tackle at Hitched Communities.

A view from the castle: Alicante in the sunset