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Preventing the pitfalls of public sector marketing

The Charted Institute of Marketing (CIM)’s head of research Mark Blayney Stuart describes the importance of good marketing in times of financial pressure.

As markets across the world continue to Below: Home Office Campaign - Winners languish in uncertainty, and rumours around a triple-dip recession rumble on in the UK, economic turbulence and budget cuts remain an ongoing concern.

Marketers across every discipline are increasingly finding themselves having to ‘do more with less’, and the challenge of making marketing spend stretch further is particularly acute for those marketers working in the public sector. Unlike the marketing of products and services more traditionally aligned to generate sales, public sector marketing addresses wider challenges such as driving social behavioural change, ensuring the future of community resources, communicating important charity work or supporting local authority initiatives.

With public sector organisations being forced to make cuts while at the same time providing more services to the public, who themselves are facing financial pressure, how can marketers in the sector adapt their resources accordingly?

You need simply scan the contents of a national newspaper these days, and the challenges facing the public sector become quickly apparent. The diversity of issues that relate to public services and communities can and must continue to be effectively addressed with marketing. Some of the more mainstream social marketing initiatives we may be familiar with feature campaigns around issues such as educating the population on the dangers of smoking, averting a swine flu epidemic, battling binge drinking or shrinking salt usage levels.

Add to this the pressure of delivering these types of campaigns in a recession, reaching large groups of people in both a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable manner, and it’s enough to send shivers up the spines of public finance directors required to demonstrate good use of public money. This is where marketing is invaluable.

Far from being just a catalyst for business performance, as a core function it is the most effective tool not only in engaging the right messages with the right audiences, but in driving social awareness of important information for the greater good of society to tackle these very topics, while delivering a good return on investment. And it would appear that public sector marketers are rising to the challenge.

Recently, CIM held their Marketing Excellence Awards – an annual event recognising and celebrating exceptional marketing campaigns during 2012. Emerging triumphant in one of the two public sector categories was the Olympic Campaign ‘The Perfect Storm’ – an initiative from NHS Blood and Transplant to ensure necessary blood and transplant supplies were in place in advance of the 1 million plus extra visitors expected in the run-up to the Olympic Games.

The other public sector winner on the night was a Home Office campaign on teen rape and sexual coercion, consisting of an effective range of TV adverts complemented by a digital media and website facility which saw around 32 million people across the UK successfully reached through the thought-provoking campaign.

These are both great examples of the true value and effectiveness of public sector marketing. Even in straitened times, unquestionably these types of initiatives are likely to produce significant cost savings in future times; the challenge for marketers in the public sector is to be able to tangibly demonstrate the return on investment, given that many campaigns will see the benefits in years rather than weeks.

Creativity abounds – the power of people

So how can public sector marketers ensure they are making the most of resources available to them, and continue delivering effective results?

Firstly, they must be alive to new developments in marketing as they seek out fresh ways to implement their thinking.

The emergence of social media has certainly brought opportunities, creating platforms beyond the more ‘traditional’ methods of marketing communications. This 24/7 dialogue was previously only achievable through highbudget outreach, and organisations should be investing in adequate training for staff where it’s needed, particularly if their headcount is low – as integrating new skills will help make the most of the people available.

Sadly, too often we see marketing departments as one of the first to see their budgets and headcount reduced, as they are sometimes quick to be undervalued and are perceived by some as being a ‘disposable’ commodity. One thing’s for sure; while there is seemingly no way of escaping the impact of austerity we’re facing, it’ll be those marketers that choose to embrace change and adopt a new approach to delivering their marketing outputs that will emerge ahead of the game.

About the author

Mark Blayney Stuart is head of research at CIM. He writes and researches the majority of the Institute’s papers and regularly chairs panels and debates, speaking on the themes of innovation, ethics, brands and communications.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (FCIM) and a Chartered Marketer.

Top tips for public sector marketers

1. Get your metrics in place; when budgets are tight, being able to define and demonstrate success becomes even more important. 2. Ensure adequate training is in place to make the most of your people.
3. Embrace the cost-effectiveness of social media and digital platforms.
4. Think about the needs of each of your audiences – what works for one may not work for another.
5. Try to use an integrated approach where possible, to maximise your campaign and get the most bang for your buck.