Getting from awareness to use : lessons learned from SOMARC III about marketing hormonal contraceptives

The paper relies on case studies of social marketing campaigns in Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Uganda. Lessons learned are as follows: (1) Mass media messages can be highly effective at alleviating non-health-related concerns about oral contraceptives. Moreover, messages about project products in general can have positive spill-over effects on women"s views about oral contraceptives in particular. By contrast, mass media messages that directly address the health-related concerns held by many women about oral contraceptives appear to have little effect on those concerns. (2) Even substantial reductions in non-health-related concerns about oral contraceptives (e. g., convenience, availability, and price) do not necessarily translate into increased use of this method. Nevertheless, they can play a role in shifting pill consumers away from public sector sources toward private sector sources. (3) Information hotlines, which have the "wide reach" of mass media and the "high touch" of interpersonal counseling, offer a promising approach to improve both consumer and provider knowledge about new methods on the market and ultimately motivate use. (4) Community-based, interpersonal talks can reach large numbers of women of reproductive age. (5) Community talks, with their ability to respond immediately to key questions and concerns about hormonal methods, have a direct impact on motivating behavior change, especially when conducted within areas with reasonable access to trained providers and clinics.