Social Branding® is a cultural-level intervention that establishes influential social brands within a culture to foster experiences that associate positive behaviors with desired identities. The approach changes an unwanted behavior by understanding its role within a culture and people's identity. By introducing new behaviors that satisfy the desired outcomes without the risk of the unwanted behavior, the culture changes and begins to adopt the new behavior.

  
 



The Social Branding® approach focuses on identity. Combining multiple psychological and sociological theories, the approach highlights this cycle as the cause of many risk behaviors. By understanding the identity of those who perform risk behaviors, an intervention can segment the population efficiently and develop appropriate social brands to reroute the cycle.

Today, The Social Branding® interventions are occurring nationwide to change behaviors such as smoking, drinking, violence, and after school participation among populations including tweens, teens, and young adults.

 

Step 1: Formative Functional Research - Understand the psychographic factors that predict risk by looking beyond situational or demographic factors.

Step 2: Developing Social Brands - Culturally relevant brands are developed that naturally fit the culture and align with identified needs/desires.

Step 3: Establish Social Authority - Each brand must prove itself first, by earning a following and cool reputation before it attempts to change behavior.

Step 4: Associate New Behaviors - The brands strategically introduce new behaviors using authentic and natural associations that focus on the needs and desires of the population. During this step, events, web, clothing, and other culturally relevant activities are performed.

Step 5: Reinforce Associations - The brands must offer more attractive rewards than the risk behavior. Those rewards reinforce those taking part in the new behaviors to creating new associations between identity, culture and healthy behaviors.

Step 6: Utilize Cultural Partners to Deepen Associations - Youth programs can focus on the new behaviors, while businesses and other community-based organizations can be strategically included to deepen the associations.

Step 7: Natural Cultural Adoption - Brand ambassadors reinforce the new behaviors in natural environments, while individuals begin to perform the new behaviors on their own, without a formal event or program. Natural reinforcement of the healthy behaviors begins and reinforcement for the unhealthy behaviors dwindles.

 
As national young adult smoking prevalence increases, the Las Vegas smoking rates continue to fall. The Urban Fuel Social Branding® Campaign has contributed to reducing young adult smoking prevalence from 44% in 2002 to 16% in 2005. Utilizing the Social Branding® strategy, Urban Fuel is focused exclusively on image, culture, and identity. The campaign proves being smokefree is part of being social and sexy with:


Urban hip hop culture is fueled by rich imagery and a solid identity, making Social Branding® the most ideal strategy to address smoking and violence. 2UPDOWN applies Social Branding® through experiential events, a clothing line, and a socially influential street team. By strategically recruiting DJs, dancers, and other cultural leaders to lead the campaign, 2UP2DOWN has positioned itself as an authentic member of the urban hip hop community. In its first 3 months, 2UP2DOWN has:
 

For more information about RSCG’s current work in culture change and the Social Branding Model®, please contact:

Mayo Djakaria Strategic Initiatives Director
mayo@rescuescg.com 619-231-7555 x119