University of Wisconsin Oshkosh - Social Norms Marketing
Campaign as part of a Comprehensive Tobacco Use Reduction
Plan
Public university located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Enrollment: 11,245 students
Fraternity/sorority membership: Approximately
2-3% of students (6 sororities, 6 fraternities)
Gender breakdown: Male: 40%, Female: 60%
Racial breakdown: Caucasian: 94%, African
American: 1%, Asian American: 2%, Hispanic: 1%, Alaska Native/American
Indian: 1%, Foreign: 1%
Summary:
Policy/Program Description. In 2001,
the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (UW Oshkosh) launched
a comprehensive tobacco prevention initiative, that included
a social norms marketing campaign (SNMC). The campaign aimed
to correct misperceptions about smoking on campus, increase
awareness of available resources, and support smoke-free policy
initiatives. Background.
In response to the Core Institute Alcohol and Other Drug Survey
results indicating that tobacco use was increasing, the Wellness
Committee applied for grant money for a comprehensive tobacco
prevention initiative. UW Oshkosh was awarded $180,000 to
implement their program, which included a SNMC. Strategy
for Action. The grant team developed normative
messages based on data from a campus survey on tobacco attitudes,
beliefs, knowledge, and use. A poster campaign was the primary
vehicle used to deliver the “You Know You Want To”
campaign. Outcomes.
Misperceptions about smoking decreased significantly after
one year of the SNMC. Smoking rates also decreased by one-third
following the comprehensive tobacco initiatives. UW Oshkosh’s
comprehensive plan is used as a model for other campuses that
are designing their own tobacco SNMCs. Future
Plans. The tobacco SNMC continued in fall 2003
with a new campaign message. Comprehensive programming, including
the SNMC, will continue to be refined at UW Oshkosh.
Lessons Learned
Background:
In 1998-99, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (UW Oshkosh)
Wellness Committee became concerned about increased student
tobacco use. The Core Institute’s Alcohol and Other
Drug Survey indicated that tobacco use had increased by 2.5%
in just two years. As a result, the committee of faculty and
staff identified tobacco use as a top priority and drafted
a comprehensive plan to address the growing problem.
At the same time, monies from the Master Settlement Agreement
were being distributed through grants by the state of Wisconsin.
The Wellness Committee applied for grants to fund tobacco
prevention initiatives on campus. They were initially awarded
a small grant from the University of Wisconsin Center for
Tobacco Research and Intervention to develop and pilot a survey
to measure tobacco attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and use.
The survey was administered in 2000.
In addition, UW Oshkosh submitted a proposal to the Wisconsin
Tobacco Control Board to implement a comprehensive tobacco
prevention program on campus, including plans for education,
policy initiatives, cessation, and community collaboration.
Noting the success of social norms marketing campaigns (SNMCs)
related to alcohol use, the Wellness Committee included a
tobacco SNMC in the proposed strategy. The normative messages
were to serve as a catalyst for all of the other initiatives
of the comprehensive plan. UW Oshkosh was the first campus
in Wisconsin to present the Tobacco Control Board a proposal
for a comprehensive campus approach, and received $180,000
to fund the project.
Back to Summary
Strategy for Action:
Grant team and Campaign Design.
Following receipt of the research grant from the Wisconsin
Tobacco Control Board, a team was formed to design and implement
all components of the comprehensive plan, including the SNMC.
The team included a registered nurse, clinical psychologist,
the Director of the Student Health Center, public relations
expert, Director of the University Counseling Center, a recent
marketing graduate, and a student.
Results of the tobacco survey found major misperceptions
about tobacco use among UW Oshkosh students. For example,
while 96% of UW Oshkosh smokers expressed a desire to quit
smoking by the time they graduated, only 57% of students believed
that quitting smoking was a goal of their peers. While several
misperceptions were apparent, the team decided that the most
compelling normative message to convey was that 96% of students
wanted to quit smoking before graduation. This became the
primary message of the “You Know You Want To”
campaign. Having a marketing expert on the grant team was
a critical component of developing appealing and memorable
campaign messages.
Other normative messages included:
- You Know You Want To…Be Kissed—91% of students
at UW Oshkosh would rather kiss a non-smoker,
- You Know You Want To…Get Some Air—80% of
students at UW Oshkosh think smokers have less energy than
nonsmokers,
- You Know You Want To…Be Strong—71% of students
at UW Oshkosh believe smoking is NOT a good way to keep
your weight down.
Implementing the Campaign. The grant team collaborated with
student graphic artists to design posters. The posters combined
compelling statistics with appropriate photographs, some taken
by a campus photographer and others purchased from stock photography
companies. Approval for special poster stands to display the
“You Know You Want To” campaign posters was granted
by the Vice Chancellor’s Office. Beginning in the fall
of 2001, new posters were released on campus every two weeks.
Campaign messages were also disseminated through ads in the
student newspaper, promotional items, table tents, and sponsored
campus and community events.
In addition, the SNMC included two unique components:
- A brightly painted “art car” displaying normative
messages and other tobacco information was parked at various
campus locations. Insurance and parking approval for the
art car was granted by the state university system.
- A mannequin named “Jane” was placed in various
locations on campus, accompanied by “tongue in cheek”
anti-smoking messages. “Jane’s” purpose
was to draw student attention to the normative messages
and the cessation information she advertised.
The SNMC team also designed a survey to gather student feedback
about the campaign. The one-page survey measured how many
students recalled seeing the normative messages, as well as
specific information they remembered about the campaign.
SNMC as a Catalyst for Comprehensive Tobacco Initiatives.
The SNMC served as a catalyst for tobacco prevention by making
tobacco issues more visible on campus, correcting misperceptions,
and promoting a smoke-free lifestyle as the norm.
SNMC normative messages provided support for tobacco policy
proposals such as smoke-free residence halls, a smoke-free
student union, and a 25-foot smoke-free zone around all campus
buildings. Students have shared governance and passing these
new policies entailed a lengthy bureaucratic process. Student
residence hall government conducted an opinion poll to be
sure that smoke-free policies had student support before agreeing
to their implementation.
The SNMC helped to increase student awareness of the available
cessation services on campus. The message that 96% of students
want to quit was accompanied by information about campus cessation
services including the availability of quit kits and health
care providers trained in advanced cessation treatment.
Back to Summary
Outcomes:
The UW Oshkosh tobacco SNMC was successful both in correcting
student misperceptions about tobacco use and in reducing actual
tobacco use on campus. After one year, the percent of students
who thought their peers wanted to quit smoking rose from 57%
to 75%. Smoking rates decreased by nearly one-third, from
34% to 24%. Assessment of program outcomes is ongoing and
these results are preliminary.
The comprehensive plan for tobacco use reduction at UW Oshkosh
serves as a model for other colleges, especially those in
the Wisconsin state system. Two Wisconsin campuses will replicate
the program this fall.
Back to Summary
Future Plans:
Keeping the SNMC fresh as it enters its third year presents
a major challenge. In an attempt to remain innovative, the
fall 2003 campaign message will change to “you can”
focusing on the fact that students want to be smoke-free.
The art car, which was not part of the campaign in its second
year, will resurface with a new design. The Wisconsin Tobacco
Control Board was recently dissolved, so funding beyond 2003-2004
is uncertain. However, the success of the campaign, in combination
with the policy and program changes at UW Oshkosh will hopefully
have lasting effects on reducing tobacco use on campus, despite
funding cuts that may discontinue the intensive SNMC.
Back to Summary
Lessons Learned:
- Consult a marketing expert when designing a SNMC. Students
are inundated with information from countless sources. Marketing
expertise will help make a campaign noticeable, believable,
creative, and effective.
- A comprehensive approach is critical. SNMCs are most
successful when campuses support the norms expressed in
the campaign through policies and programs that support
a smoke-free lifestyle.
- Look for funding outside of the campus. The administration
and stakeholders at UW Oshkosh were willing to mount such
a large initiative because funding came from outside the
school. Outside funding did not put administration in the
position of compromising other areas to make the tobacco
initiatives happen.
- Involve faculty, staff, and student governing boards
in smoke-free policy initiatives. Soliciting the opinions
of all campus stakeholders will increase buy-in from these
important campus constituents.
- Utilize existing resources. UW Oshkosh used the CDC’s
Best
Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs
and Higher
Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse in
designing their comprehensive plan.
For more information on the UW Oshkosh comprehensive
tobacco use reduction plan, visit their website at:
http://www.socialnorm.org/oshkosh.html
or contact:
Ruth McGinley
Tobacco Grant Coordinator
mcginley@UW Oshkosh.edu
This case study was written in September 2003.
Back to Summary
Back to Table of Contents
|
