Let's SWOT

SWOT Analysis is one of the many methods utilised for strategic planning. Apart from SWOT, there is also the Ishikawa Diagram (Fishbone Analysis), PESTEL, EPISTEL, or STEER Analysis. What do they have all in common? They all consider the environment for planning. It shows to us how an effective planning should be done – it is not one way, nor a work of one, nor to consider only one factor. That is not the case. It involves every conceivable and inconceivable force within and outside the environment, it goes beyond the current perspective and explore situations that may arise or may have arisen.  They all provide every strategic planner the window to look in the past and foresee the future to be able to generate a workable decision for the present.

 

Inasmuch as social marketing is different from commercial marketing, social marketing has to position itself strategically to the right audience with the right purpose and focus. Of course, it will be useless if the goal is simply to inform or to raise awareness. Social marketing aims to influence behaviours.

In generating SWOTs, it is important that the social issue is clear and imminent. It is not just because some issue arose, a SWOT has to be immediately generated. We get to ask, is there a need in the first place? How appropriate is the method? How important is it in the first place?

Of course, the campaign purpose is always given to identify the ultimate goal of the campaign which relates to the social issue identified. By asking, what is it in such issue that we want to address? What should be addressed? Should we identify multiple purposes? It can be possible, so long as there is sufficient resources t ensure that every corresponding focus is realised.

Focus of the campaign becomes the “need to do” part. What needs to be done in order to address such campaign purpose? It is important that the focuses are workable and achievable. It becomes a waste of effort if we focus on changing the President of a country just to address the campaign purpose of low production of rice. Focuses should be realistic enough enabling the social marketing professional to generate a rather “tangible” yield from the campaign.

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