Product evaluation in a social marketing and community development context: a case study, partnerships, proof and practice

We provide a case study of product evaluation for social marketing undertaken specifically within a 'community development' context. Starting Points is a highly differentiated not-for profit development program targeting parents/caregivers of 0-4 year olds. The service 'product' evaluated is essentially the enhancement of 'parental confidence' achieved through participation in community based programs which are both marketed and delivered by peer facilitators. The paper locates such evaluation within the program evaluation and marketing audit literatures, describes the research design, and reports preliminary empirical results. These suggest the Starting Points product is perceived by participant parents and their partners as resulting in significant increases in parental confidence, sustained well past the immediate post participation period. These results provide one critical empirical element of a thorough product evaluation, itself a step towards a thorough-going social marketing auditing process applicable within a community development context.