Using Social Marketing to Promote Preventive Behaviors Related to COVID-19

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus, a newly discovered coronavirus, the best strategy to deal with the infection is prevention aimed at reducing transmission in the community. This article aimed to using effective behavior change strategies are needed to control COVID-19. Social marketing facilitates the acceptance, rejection, modification, abandonment, or maintenance of particular behaviors by groups of individuals, often referred to as the target audience. The six-benchmark criteria for social marketing interventions include Behavior change, Customer research, Audience segmentation Marketing mix, Exchange, Competition. Social marketing can promote healthy behaviors. Perceived benefits of the preventive behaviors can be considered. Besides, media, advertising, and other methods to reach out to the consumers to inform and encourage them should be considered. For this purpose, a slogan and a logo should be designed and installed in all educational interventions and media such as posters, pamphlets, face-to-face training sessions, group discussion sessions, telephone counseling, and videos. Advertising using celebrities covering their faces with masks can persuade people to wear face mask. To promote health behaviors, professionals should pay attention to the segmentation of the target audience before providing any service. All plans should be piloted before implementation. Besides, information sources should be organized, and media that should be used to inform the target audience should be identified.

Keywords: COVID-19; Preventive behaviors; Social marketing.