Social Norms Marketing Research Project

 

Project Description

The Social Norms Marketing Research Project (SNMRP) is a national, multi-site study to test the effectiveness of a social norms marketing campaign, "Just the Facts," in reducing high-risk drinking among college students. The study began in September 1999 and will continue through August 2004.

Thirty-two institutions of higher education are participating in the SNMRP over a five-year period, half of which have been randomly assigned to an experimental condition, and half to a control condition. Two cohorts of schools are enrolled in the study, with 18 having started in Year 1, and an additional 14 starting in Year 2. The experimental schools are implementing a "Just the Facts" social marketing campaign in years 2-4 of the study, and the control schools are implementing a revised campaign in year 5.*

This project is being conducted by Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), in Newton, Massachusetts, in conjunction with the Golden Key International Honour Society (Golden Key) in Atlanta, Georgia.

*Note: Since this is a research study, Education Development Center can not release the names of the schools in the study in order to protect their confidentiality. In addition, EDC wishes to minimize contamination between the experimental and control schools to help maintain the validity of the study.

Project Funding Sources

There are two sources of funding for this project:
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
  • U.S. Department of Education

Project Objective

This study will test the "Just The Facts" social marketing campaign's effectiveness in correcting students' misperceptions regarding the number of their peers who engage in high-risk drinking, in decreasing rates of high-risk drinking among college students, and in affecting behavior through shifting normative expectations about drinking.

Baseline Data

A random sample of 300 students on each campus is surveyed annually to assess perceptions of student drinking norms and drinking behavior.

Baseline data from spring 2000 and spring 2001 confirmed that students at all 32 colleges overestimate peer alcohol use. Preliminary results from the spring 2001 survey (administered just one semester after initiation of the campaign at the first cohort of schools) suggest that students are seeing the campaign and remembering the message. In general, students at schools with campaigns have more accurate perceptions of peer alcohol use than they did prior to the inception of the campaign, while students at control schools have less accurate perceptions.

Marketing Methods Employed

An essential component of this study is the development and implementation of highly visible media campaigns on the 16 experimental campuses. Adequate and effective implementation has been ensured using the following methods:

  • An in-person training event for campus-based personnel
  • A guidebook that outlines each step needed to effectively develop, implement and track the campaign
  • Frequent contact with site-based staff via e-mail, phone, mail, and an electronic mailing list, including weekly discussion topics
  • A rigorous checkpoint schedule to ensure the quality of all sites' messages and materials
  • Required progress reports each semester

The various marketing methods used by the 16 experimental schools include:

  • Newspaper display and classified ads
  • Flyers
  • Posters
  • E-mail/Websites/Screen savers
  • Electronic kiosks
  • Television ads
  • Radio ads
  • Voice mail messages
  • Shuttle bus ads
  • Banners
  • Sidewalk chalk
  • Blackboards in classrooms
  • Table Tents/Notices/Palm cards
  • Message printed academic calendars, phone directories, napkins, ticket stubs
  • Giveaways (pens, highlighters, flashlights, tee-shirts, water bottles, ID holders, coffee mugs, keychains, frisbees, coasters, stress balls, mini-footballs, food, back of tip cards, paper holders, mouse pads)
  • Talks/Presentations
  • New Student Orientation
  • Reinforcement Activities
  • Information booths (at health and activity fairs)
  • Newsletters
  • Brochures
  • Press Releases

Evaluation

Throughout the study period, data is being collected at each participating school to determine the effectiveness of the "Just The Facts" campaign:

  • The Survey of College Alcohol Norms and Behavior is administered each spring by EDC with 300 randomly selected students from each campus. This survey allows for comparison of alcohol-related attitudes, norms, perceptions of norms, and behavior over time among experimental and control schools.
  • Contextual data is collected by a research assistant at each school to track events, policies, incidents, promotions, and other activities that may increase or decrease students' alcohol use, and may impact the effectiveness of the "Just The Facts" campaign. This includes interviews with key informants who are familiar with alcohol-related programs, policies, events, and incidents on and around campus, and a content analysis of alcohol-related articles, advertisements, editorials, and other related materials found in campus and local newspapers.

In addition to the above data, school coordinators will track all campaign implementation activities and document all materials used for the "Just The Facts" campaign.

Preliminary results from the spring 2001 survey (administered just one semester after initiation of the campaign at the first cohort of schools) suggest that students are seeing the campaign and remembering the message. In general, students at schools with campaigns have more accurate perceptions of peer alcohol use than they did prior to the inception of the campaign, while students at control schools have less accurate perceptions.

Project Staff

William DeJong, Principal Investigator
Social Norms Marketing Research Project
Education Development Center, Inc.
55 Chapel Street
Newton, MA 02458-1060

Tel: 888-693-6676
Fax: 617-928-1537
Email [email protected]

Laura Gomberg, Project Director
Social Norms Marketing Research Project
Education Development Center, Inc.
55 Chapel Street
Newton, MA 02458-1060
Tel: 888-693-6676 ext. 2289
Email [email protected]

Shari Kessel Schneider, Research Director
Social Norms Marketing Research Project
Education Development Center, Inc.
55 Chapel Street
Newton, MA 02458-1060
Tel: 888-693-6676 ext. 2177
Email [email protected]

Further Information

The Social Norms Marketing Research Project
This is the home page of The Social Norms Marketing Research Project.
Contents of this site include: A complete project description, press releases, a complete listing of project staff with contact information, and relevant links.

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The National Social Norms Resource Center
www.socialnorm.org