Social Marketing

Social marketing is critical to expand the market for essential nutritional products, such as vitamin A capsules and fortified foods, and optimize their life-saving impacts.  HKI conducts social marketing using public health and promotional messages based on research about target audiences and the evaluation of the success of the messages.  As part of a coherent and comprehensive approach, HKI also helps develop effective product branding and ensures that their use is harmonized among all partners. 

Vitamin-A fortified bread in the Philippines

In the Philippines, HKI worked closely with the government to design and develop a “seal of excellence” logo to indicate that products contained the recommended levels of vitamins and minerals necessary for good health. The logo was first used to help promote vitamin A-fortified bread, dubbed “Pan de Bida” (bread of life), when it was introduced in the late 1990s. Through HKI’s advocacy, the logo became the Sangkap Pinoy Seal, which identifies fortified food products throughout the country. These products are primarily distributed during the Child Health Week campaigns, which creates a positive association with the products and other child health service delivery, including vitamin A capsules, immunizations, deworming and health education.

Vitamin-A fortified Vegetable Oil and Iron fortified Wheat Flour in West Africa

HKI has helped to establish a public-private partnership to ensure mandatory vitamin A fortification of industrially-produced cooking oil by working in closely with the Association of Oil Producing Industries (AIFO) of the Monetary and Economic Union of West Africa (UEMOA) that covers the eight member countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo.

HKI is also working with all countries in the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to catalyze the fortification of cereal wheat flour, another market-penetrating staple food, with folic acid and iron to address birth defects and iron deficiency.  Activities are underway to adopt norms for micronutrient fortification of cereal flours in the UEMOA region that can be expanded to cover all ECOWAS countries.  

As part of HKI’s social marketing strategy for the cooking oil, key messages on the importance of nutrition and vitamin A have been developed and are conveyed through national and rural television, radio and print media in all member countries.  In Mali for example, HKI developed information and education radio campaigns to promote vitamin A fortified vegetable oil.  These were tested on 125 listeners in one village, revised based on listener feedback, then produced as audio tapes. In areas with low media access, other strategies are employed; for example, in Côte d’Ivoire, caravans travel through villages and broadcast awareness of fortified foods.  HKI also distributes materials including banners, posters, and handbills at conferences, workshops and seminars along with branded memorabilia such as pens or folders.

Vitalita Sprinkles® and Iron-Fortified Sweet Soy Sauce in Indonesia

In Indonesia, HKI actively works with local partners to address anemia by marketing Sprinkles® and iron-fortified sweet soy sauce. For both products, HKI conducted formative research that helped inform a social marketing strategy that included developing IEC (Information, Education and Communication) materials to raise awareness and increase demand.

The introduction of Sprinkles ®Vitalita in Indonesia, a completely new product in the country, entailed careful planning and pre-testing.  Packaging was developed that was culturally appropriate, clear and self-explanatory with regard to content, target group, methods and frequency of use.  HKI’s IEC materials, including a training manual, posters, leaflets, stickers, banners, flip charts, feeding schedules, and cooking and feeding demonstration guidelines, were carefully pre-tested. HKI worked with public and private partners to test and successfully roll out different pricing schemes, including price subsidies in the lowest income communities. After the 2004 Tsunami, HKI and partners distributed Sprinkles® among young children in the affected areas as a first line response during the emergency.

HKI developed and pre-tested promotional materials such as flip-charts and flyers to raise awareness and increase demand for iron fortified sweet soy sauce.  PT. Heinz ABC Indonesia partnered with HKI to distribute the fortified sauce among families in the tsunami-affected areas.  The company introduced the fortified sweet soy sauce on the open market with inexpensive sachets (US 10 cents for three) in the Bandung district.

Vitalita Sprinkles® in India

Beginning in September 2007 with funding from the Heinz Foundation, HKI spearheaded an effort with on-the-ground partners, including Heinz-India, local researchers and government health staff, to design and launch Sprinkles® distribution through existing Integrated Child Development Services Scheme in Maharashtra State to combat the problem of anemia in children.  Sprinkles® is a point-of-use home fortificant that family members add to cooked food, which has been shown to reduce anemia in children and women. Based on its experience in Indonesia with Sprinkles®, HKI tested the packaging with group of mothers and discovered that rosy cheeks on children’s faces on the packaging, which would be perceived in the Western world as a sign of good health, is seen as an indication of sickness in India. HKI’s research contributed to the redesign of the packaging.  Other marketing efforts included disseminating information and providing training to educate health workers and mothers about anemia and the proper use of Sprinkles®.

To read more about Sprinkles®, please click here.