The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #62589

Carrie Heitzler, MPH, CDC's Youth Media Campaign & Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy, M/S K46, Atlanta, GA 30342, 770-488-5286, cheitzler@cdc.gov and Faye Wong, MPH, CDC's Youth Media Campaign, CDC, 4770 Buford Highway, NE., Mailstop K-40, Atlanta, GA 30341-3717.

Gen-Y is consumed by the need to experience and interact. They rely primarily on word of mouth from friends and relatives when embracing specific brands and adopting certain behaviors. The CDC’s “VERB^TM. It’s what you do!” Youth Media Campaign taps into alternative marketing strategies such as special events and word-of-mouth marketing to leverage this notion. Events deliver the need to interact and experience, both emotionally and intellectually, by providing the opportunity to touch, feel, and discover. The Campaign utilizes Media Events, partnering with Nickelodeon and MTV, existing community and cultural events, and a customized “VERB^TM” event to leverage the energy and curiosity of tweens and build a connection between them and the campaign. Word-of-mouth marketing sometimes referred to as viral or “guerilla” marketing, is used to describe any strategy that encourages individuals to pass on a marketing message to others, creating the potential for vast growth in the message’s exposure and influence. The Campaign uses tactics such as “street teams”, chalk art, “random acts of action,” “spontaneous play,” and outdoor advertising to tap into this unconventional marketing strategy. This presentation will focus on the events and viral marketing strategies implemented during the first year of the Campaign as well as the lessons learned and implications for future planning.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to: describe unconventional marketing strategies targeted at youth, articulate specific examples of the Youth Media Campaign’s event and word-of-mouth tactics, and describe lessons learned and implications for the Campaign and other public health initiatives.

Keywords: Child Health Promotion, Health Education Strategies

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.