Skip Navigation
By on January 13, 2011

What if we didn’t have target audiences but co-creators?

Craig Lefebvre put together a wonderful list of “what ifs” for social marketing for his blog On Social Marketing and Social Justice. I think this list also is appropriate to consider in prevention programs.

  1. didn’t have target audiences – but co-creators
  2. didn’t have distribution systems – but places where people could play
  3. didn’t use focus groups – but designed research to fit the puzzle and people
  4. didn’t assess knowledge and attitudes – but sought insight into people’s motivation and values
  5. didn’t start with analyzing people – but first assumed that it was something in their environment
  6. didn’t create messages and stories – but focused on crafting exchanges
  7. didn’t track program output – but what, how often and from where people saw and heard from us
  8. didn’t aim at target audiences – but served people
  9. didn’t focus on changing behaviors – but offered people new ways to solve problems, meet their needs and reach for their dreams
  10. didn’t focus on evaluation as the end of the process – but sustainability as the start of the next one

Wouldn’t this be a good way to think about prevention?

4 responses to “What if we didn’t have target audiences but co-creators?”

  1. I really like this! # 5 is my favorite. I agree this is important to consider in prevention programs because prevention is social justice – social justice is prevention.

  2. Is it possible to use some of this for an article I am working on? How would you like me to cite it, if so?

Leave a Reply