Step 5 Promotions

Duration: 4-5 months (alongside Step 4: Business model testing)

By this step, the new products and services have been developed and initial business models and business partners identified. It’s time to develop and test promotional and marketing materials and activities to create new demand and generate new sales. In SanMark, we use commercial and social marketing techniques and consumer insights gathered during market research (Step 2) and product design (Step 3) to address three demand promotion communications objectives:

Objective 1: Mobilizing communities to stop open defecation
Objective 2: Stimulating household desires for a durable improved latrine
Objective 3: Supporting sanitation businesses to market and sell their products/services and educating consumers about them

Which objective should you focus on?

IF…	THEN…
Open defecation is the major risk practice	Focus on objectives 1, 2, and 3 and consider adapting and reinforcing CLTS messages if CLTS is underway
Unhygienic or temporary latrines are the main problem	Focus on objectives 2 and 3
Most households already want an improved durable latrine	Focus on objective 3

Planning (Step 1) and market research (Step 2) should allow you to identify which Objective(s) you need to focus on and the best ways to reach and communicate with target households.
Marketing communications methods include:

Interpersonal communication (IPC)
IPC involves two-way dialogue with small groups or an individual to convey multiple messages, answer questions, and build trust between the target audience and the promoter. Examples include flip-chart stories, role plays, image cards, village sales meetings, triggering events, and images to help local promoters interact with consumers.
Direct consumer contact (DCC)
DCC involves scripted events (theatre, mobile video, product demo) using entertainment-education approaches to raise awareness, introduce products, provoke thinking and reinforce IPC messages. DCC requires large on-going funding to sustain, is limited to large population centers, and best reserved for venues where large target audiences can be found at later stages of implementation.
Mass media (MM)
MM involves one-way communication and is best used to raise awareness, convey limited information, and remind audiences of already communicated IPC messages. Examples include print (billboards, posters, banners, t-shirts, flyers), radio, and TV. Simple, easy to understand visual print materials are important to develop for Objective 3.

SanMark experience shows households are most influenced to invest in a latrine by talking to trusted local sources. They learn most about latrine designs from direct exposure to the products. So of the three methods, IPC is the most important and effective approach to reach and persuade households to invest because it creates opportunities for deeper dialogue with a trusted local promoter. It is also easily scaled and sustained with local resources once IPC tools and materials have been developed.

To develop IPC tools, consider bringing in short-term external consultants to help manage the communications design process. Decide on what you can manage on your own and how much of the work (i.e., design, pre-testing, training of promoters) to contract out to advertising agency or outside trainers. Budgeting should include funds to develop, design, test, and print your IPC tools as well as initial training of promoters. See UNICEF Guidance Note 7 (right) for more tips on designing and testing your tools.

Remember: Good communications tools use strong emotion to change thinking and create ‘buzz’. Consider real photos rather than text or cartoons and keep messages simple. Your IPC tools should be easy and rewarding for frontline promoters to use, and cheap for businesses and local partners to reproduce.