In Search of a Value Proposition for COVID-19 Testing in the Work Environment: A Social Marketing Analysis

Claudia Parvanta; Alberto J Caban-Martinez; Naciely Cabral; Cynthia K Ball; Kevin G Moore; Adrienne Eastlake; Jeffrey L Levin; Dalia E Nessim; Matthew S Thiese; Paul A Schulte

doi:10.3390/ijerph191912496

In Search of a Value Proposition for COVID-19 Testing in the Work Environment: A Social Marketing Analysis

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Sep 30;19(19):12496. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191912496.

Affiliations

¹ College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
² Department of Public Health Sciences, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA.
³ Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX 75708, USA.
⁴ Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Ferguson College of Agriculture and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA.
⁵ National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA.
⁶ Department of Family & Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA.
⁷ Advance Technologies and Laboratories International, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA.

Abstract

Background: This study examined employer experience with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) asymptomatic testing through a social marketing lens. Social marketing uses commercial marketing principles to achieve socially beneficial ends including improved health and safety behavior.

Method: Twenty employers across 11 occupational sectors were interviewed about implementation of COVID-19 testing from January through April 2021. Recorded transcripts were coded and analyzed using marketing's "Four P's": "product," "price," "place," "promotion."

Results: COVID-19 tests (product) were uncomfortable, were easily confused, and didn't solve problems articulated by employers. Testing was not widely available or didn't line up with shifts or locations (place). The perceived price, which included direct and associated costs (e.g., laboratory fees, productivity loss, logistical challenges) was high. Most crucially, the time to receive (PCR) results negated the major benefit of less time spent in quarantine and challenged employer trust. A potential audience segmentation strategy based on perceptions of exposure risk also emerged.

Conclusions: This social marketing analysis suggests ways to improve the value proposition for asymptomatic testing through changes in product, price, and placement features in line with employers' expressed needs. Study findings can also inform creation of employee communication materials that balance perceived rewards of testing against perceived risks of exposure.

Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-19 testing; National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) sector; SARS-CoV-2; qualitative data analysis; social marketing; worksite health promotion.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

COVID-19 Testing
COVID-19* / diagnosis
Health Behavior
Humans
SARS-CoV-2
Social Marketing*

Grants and funding

Financial support for this study is from CDC/NIOSH Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) agreements for the effort of authors C.P., A.J.C.-M., C.K.B., J.L.L., K.G.M., D.E.N., and M.S.T.