www.strategic-social-marketing.

org

Characteristics of
Effective
Behavioural Change
Programmes

Professor Jeff French

PhD, MBA, MSc, Dip HE, BA, Cert.Ed
Strategic Social Marketing Ltd
www.strategic-social-marketing.org
jeff.French@strategic-social –marketing.org
 www.strategic-social-marketing.org

What we know about developing effective and

efficient intervention processes
Quality assuring social marketing planning
It is not possible to develop, an exact formula that can be universally applied
for delivering population-focused behaviour programmes that will result in
success every time. However there is an emerging set of principles that can
aid us in the development and application of interventions (French et al, 2009;
Klassen, 2010; Suter, 2009). These features are summarised in the following
quality assurance list that can be used to test the utility and strength of social
marketing plans.

Social Marketing Quality Assurance Planning Checklist

• Clear aims and measurable behavioural objectives should be

set out in the programme plan together with the target
audience(s) and segments that will be the focus of the
intervention should be explicit.

• Programmes should set out how funding and other resources

will be applied and over what time period. A clear expected
return on investment case should be set out to justify the
level of planned investment.

• The programme should be endorsed by policy makers,

commissioners and managers, deliverers of the programme.
The programme plan should set out the political, policy,
managerial and institutional commitment to the programme.

• The programme team should capture what evidence about

effective practice from reviews and case studies,
observational data and target audience psychographic data
is being used to formulae insight and interventions.

• The programme plan should set out a clear rationale for the
programme and why particular interventions have been
selected. The programme plan should also indicates the
theoretical perspectives and models that have been used to
inform planning that is congruent with the form, focus and
context of the intervention.
 www.strategic-social-marketing.org

• The programme plan should demonstrate that target

group(s), stakeholders and partners have been involved in
needs assessment, target setting, delivery and evaluation.

• The programme plan should set out how prototype

interventions or pilots will be tested and used to develop full-
scale programmes.

• The plan should sets out how the programme will be funded
to the level required to achieve impact and how it will be
sustained over the recommended time scale for delivery.
Plans should also set out key milestones, in developing and
delivering the programme. These milestones should cover
process, impact and outcome milestones.

• Programme plans should set out how coalitions,

stakeholders, partners and interest groups will be engaged
over the lifetime of the intervention. The plan should also
sets out the mechanism for coordinated action between
international, national regional and local delivery, and how
decision making, governance and coordination of the
programme will operate.

• Key barriers and enabling factors and other risks should be

identified in the programme plan together with what actions
will be taken to address these factors.

• Evaluation, performance management, learning and

feedback mechanisms are clear in the programme plan.
Evaluation should encompass short-term impact measures
for tracking purposes, process measures of efficiency and
outcome evaluation related to the specific objectives of the
programme.

• All programme plans should be recorded and published, the

plan should be based on a proven planning template.

These characteristics can be used as a checklist to test the

likely impact of social marketing interventions and
programmes, and as a checklist when developing a social
marketing plan.
 www.strategic-social-marketing.org

Best practice behavioural Change Planning Checklist

Is there a written social marketing plan and is it

based on a recognised planning template? Yes No Unsure

Are clear aims and measurable behavioural

objectives set out? Yes No Unsure

Are target audience(s) and segments are

explicit in the plan? Yes No Unsure

Is there evidence that target group(s) are or will

be involved in needs assessment, target setting,
delivery and evaluation? Yes No Unsure

Does the plan sets out how prototype interventions

or pilots will be tested and used to develop full
scale programmes? Yes No Unsure

Does the plan sets out a clear rationale for the

programme and why the particular interventions
have been selected? Yes No Unsure

Does the plan sets out how the programme will be

funded to the level required to achieve impact and
how it will be sustained over the recommended
time scale for delivery? Yes No Unsure

Does the plan set out how coalitions with other

stakeholders, partners and interest groups will
be developed and coordinated? Yes No Unsure

Does the plan set out the mechanisms for

coordination, decision making, and governance? Yes No Unsure

Does the plan have political, policy, managerial and

institutional commitment? Yes No Unsure

Are barriers and enabling factors and other risks

identified in the plan together with what actions will be
taken to address these factors? Yes No Unsure

Does the plan capture what evidence and data is

being used to formulae interventions? Yes No Unsure

Does the plan indicates what theoretical perspectives

have been used to inform it? Yes No Unsure

Does the plan set out how funding and other resources
will be applied and clear expected return on investment ? Yes No Unsure

Are key milestones for development delivery and

evaluation set out? Yes No Unsure

Are evaluation, performance management, learning and

feedback mechanisms clearly set out ? Yes No Unsure
 www.strategic-social-marketing.org

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Professor Jeff French

PhD, MBA, MSc, Dip HE, BA, Cert.Ed
Strategic Social Marketing Ltd
www.strategic-social-marketing.org
jeff.French@strategic-social –marketing.org