MARKETING PLAN

I.

Executive Overview
A. Smoke-Free Living is a health communication strategy promoting smoking
prevention targeting students at AFNorth International School.
1. Health Promotions at Geilenkirchen NATO AB, Germany, is the
organization that will introduce this strategy.
2. This strategy will be led by the Health Promotions Coordinator who has a
background in nursing and public health.
B. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about 80% of
tobacco use begins in adolescence.
1. Each day more than 3,800 youth aged 18 years or younger smoke their
first cigarette, and an additional 2,100 youth and young adults become
daily cigarette smokers in the United States.
2. If smoking continues at the current rate among youth in this country, 5.6
million of todays Americans younger than 18 will die early from a
smoking-related illness.
C. Smoke-Free Living is an age-appropriate web-based program for adolescents
and teenagers to use as a resource to learn about smoking prevention. This will
ultimately decrease the initiation of smoking among this population.
1. Goals and objectives:
a. Children participating in this intervention will learn about the
dangers of smoking and the benefits of not smoking, learn how to
resist peer pressure and not be influenced by what they see in the
media. They will accomplish this through visiting the Web page
and participating in the Smoking Prevention poster competition.
b. By the end of this semester, 90% of Mrs. Crows 6th - 12th grade
Health Education students will learn about smoking prevention,
and will promote this message to their peers by taking part in the
Smoking Prevention Awareness campaign through their poster
submissions in the advertisement competition.
2. Overview the project: The intervention will include a Web page called
Smoke-Free Living that provides educational information about the
benefits of not smoking and the health risks associated with smoking;
includes a Public Service Announcement; downloadable brochure; and an
opportunity for participants to enter in a Smoking Prevention poster
competition. The intervention will also include a visit from the Health
Promotions coordinator to the Health Education classes at AFNorth
International School to explain the Web page, discuss the poster
campaign, encourage the children to not smoke, or to encourage those
who do smoke to quit. Lastly it offers a seminar at the school to
demonstrate the consequences of smoking using inflatable health and
unhealthy swine lungs.

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Project Outcome:
a. Short term This intervention will be implemented each school
term when the classes rotate to allow new students to participate
and benefit from the intervention.
b. Long term Within 2 years, the public health issue of children
initiating smoking at AFNorth International School will be reduced
by 75%.
The Customers (Market Review)
A. The intended primary target audience is the adolescent and teenage population, 612th graders in Ms. Crows Health Education class. Adolescence is an important
stage in childrens lives because are going through many developmental changes
and are more susceptible to environmental influences.
1. Behavioral the media plays an important role in influencing adolescent
behavior because they are frequent users of the media. Smoking is
advertised in movies and magazines which promote a positive attitude
about smoking, and children are more vulnerable to the influences of the
media.
2. Cultural children who have troubled relationships with their parents are
more likely to smoke. They can use smoking as a means of rebelling
towards their parents. On the other hand, having an open and comfortable
relationship promotes a positive influence on smoking abstinence.
3. Demographic children living in a household with both parents are
significantly less likely to smoke than living with a single parent or with
someone other than parents.
4. Physical adolescent brains are not fully developed so this may affect
their decision-making skills and allow for more exposure to risky
behavior. This helps to explain why children would choose to initiate
smoking despite the known hazards to health.
5. Psychographic female adolescents who started smoking were found to
be concerned about body weight, and used smoking as a diet strategy
when depression symptoms were also present.
B. The intended secondary target audience is parents of the children because they are
influential in their childrens behavior as well as role models.
The Product (Product Review)
A. Living Smoke-Free Web page:
1. An interactive web-based program designed for children in the 6-12th
grades
2. It offers education, prevention from a lifetime of health problems,
encouragement, and support.
3. It may be similar to other services, but it is local so the community has
access to in-person visits for more counseling.
B. The Web page is kid-friendly, so it is easy for children to access and navigate
through the different pages.
3.

II.

III.

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IV.

V.

Strategies
A. Position
1. Two different Images:
a. Smoke-free image -with clean air and healthy and happy children
b. Unhealthy image sick child; skulls indicating the deadly habit
2. Distinctiveness: Fun Web site that children will enjoy visiting.
B. Product
1. Features: kid-friendly, it allows more anonymity, and it has been proven to
influence healthy behaviors. Using a web-based program will be
beneficial because the younger population prefers the Internet as a source
for education about smoking. It also offers participants a chance to win a
prize by entering in the Smoking Prevention poster competition.
2. Necessity: Adolescents and teenagers are susceptible to peer pressure and
curiosity. It addresses how to handle peer pressure and dispels the myths
about smoking
C. Price
1. No charge because it is a free community service; only cost is the time
spent visiting the Web site.
2. The price of your time to check out the Web page is invaluable!
D. Promotion
1. Selling points: Children love free giveaways, and the intervention will
provide vital information in a fun way that includes a chance to create a
poster and win a prize. Winners poster will be displayed at the Medical
Clinic and submitted in the local newspaper.
2. Promotional places: Tri-Border Tribune newspaper-distributed to 3 local
military bases and AFNorth International School, AFN (Armed Forces
Network Radio Station).
Budget
A. One-year projection on costs associated with advertising and promotion:
1. Itemized unit costs
a. I Promise Not to Smoke Wristbands
$51.96/100
b. Too Bright to Smoke glow in the dark dog tags
$112.00/100
c. Too Bright to Smoke glow in the dark pencils
$ 41.95/100
d. Weebly Domain Usage Cost
$86.40/year
2. Total costs
a. Promotional items $205.90
b. Web site cost/year $ 86.40
c. Misc. costs
$100.00
d. Total costs
$392.30
B. The budget of $392.30 will cover the low overhead of using the Web site and
Smoking Prevention promotional items given to children during the classroom
visits and for giveaways at the seminar.

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