Social Norms Marketing

College students frequently have exaggerated views of how much their peers use alcohol and other drugs (AOD) and may increase their own use to fit in with what they think is “normal.” Social norms marketing uses commercial advertising techniques to correct misperceptions of social norms, thereby decreasing the perceived pressure to use AOD.

Social norms marketing (SNM) differs from traditional prevention approaches that identify problem behaviors and educate target audiences about their harm. Instead of identifying problems, SNM messages contain statistics about the nonproblem behavior of a majority of people in order to encourage that behavior in others. SNM broadcasts nonjudgmental messages about the behaviors of a majority of a well-identified target audience—for campus campaigns, for example, the audience is students attending a college or university. And, instead of using presentations, articles, and brochures, SNM uses mass media such as ads, posters, and flyers.

Creating Social Norms Marketing Campaigns on Campus

An effective social norms marketing campaign begins with collecting data to find out if students overestimate their peers’ AOD use. One way to collect data is to conduct a campuswide survey asking how much students drink and how much they believe their fellow students drink. If a misperception about AOD use does not exist, then a social norms marketing campaign is not appropriate.

If a misperception of the norm is identified, social norms marketing campaigns, when implemented correctly, can be effective at correcting the perceived norms and in turn reduce AOD use. Social norms marketing campaigns typically address misperceptions about quantity and frequency of AOD use among students.

All campaign materials should be appealing to students and have a strong normative message about the majority of students on campus, such as “Most Vicary College students (64 percent) have three or fewer drinks per week.” The exact message and normative information is unique to each campus. Strong, well-designed social norms campaigns rely on research that tests the normative messages with students to determine what messages will resonate on their campuses.

The normative message should always promote safe and healthy behaviors, correct a misperception, and be a true, nonjudgmental statement of fact based on research of students on campus. It is important to get input from students when developing messages to be sure materials will appeal to them.

Other components of successful campaigns that add credibility and appeal to students include engaging photos of students, the campus logo, and the sources of data cited in the materials.

Even the best conceived campaigns won’t help correct norms on campus if they are not seen by the target audience. Marketing strategies should address where to place ads, including campus media (newspapers, radio shows, Web sites), table tents, posters, newsletters, and press releases. Reinforcement activities, such as prizes for students who remember campaign messages or display campaign posters on their doors, help keep the message out there and fresh in students’ minds.

Evaluating social norms marketing can help determine if, where, and how often students are seeing the message, and whether the marketing strategy needs to be revised. Evaluation can also help determine if the campaign message is having the intended effects of correcting misperceptions and reducing AOD use. Campaigns may need to be revised periodically as student populations and the overall normative environment changes.

Steps Involved in a Social Norms Marketing Campaign

• Conduct a survey to determine the frequency and quantity of AOD use among students on campus and their perception of other students’ use.
• Based on existing data, create a social norms marketing campaign to correct misperceptions about norms on campus.
• Market the campaign through a variety of campus and community media.
• Conduct reinforcement activities, such as awards for posting materials or remembering the message.
• Evaluate the campaign to see if it resonates with students, if it’s correcting norms, or if it needs to be modified.