Abstract
In this case, an international group of scholars analyze the role of social marketing in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic: how it was applied, its effectiveness, and its effects on people’s quality of life. To this purpose, authors carried out an exploratory analysis in four countries which share cultural commonalities: Argentina, Colombia, Portugal, and Spain, exploring the institutional campaigns implemented especially in the first months of the pandemic. They were then compared, to find similarities and differences between them.
These campaigns were characterized by applying a health belief model mostly based on simple, clear, short, repetitive, homogeneous, consistent messages, focused on informing about COVID-19 symptoms and how to behave to prevent contagion (e.g. hygiene measures to follow). In addition, there was a call to citizens for a joint action to avoid community transmission of this disease. Another characteristic was the use of different tones, ranging from imperative to purely informational, and with emotional appeals in some cases. And finally, it is worth noting that these campaigns were cross-media, using all types of available media (legacy and interactive ones), and the collaboration of celebrities and influencers.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
“Observing best practices, that name was chosen to avoid inaccuracies and stigmatization; therefore, it does not refer to a geographical location, an animal, a person or a group of people” (WHO 2020).
- 2.
The cases of contagion were more and more numerous, with an exponential growth. Being a new coronavirus, the population had never been exposed to it, so had no immunity.
- 3.
Although initially it was thought that the focus was on a seafood and fish market in the city of Wuhan (China), it has subsequently been discarded, although it has been confirmed that the virus spread through that place (RTVE.es 2020). It is believed that it arose from some type of bat, but at the end of 2020 it was not yet known whether it had subsequently mutated into some other animal before passing to humans (RTVE.es 2020).
- 4.
E.g. In Madrid (Spain), the IFEMA Exhibition Center was adapted as a hospital for COVID-19 patients in the first wave. Later, in the second wave, on December 1, 2020, the Hospital “Nurse Isabel Zendal” was inaugurated, also in Madrid. The hospital was built in only 100 days to assume the bulk of the care burden of hospitalizations in the ward, keeping all patients infected by COVID-19 that require hospitalization, and thus free up public hospitals, avoiding potential infections from other patients and professionals during hospitalization (Becares, 2020; Roces, 2020).
- 5.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are “fever, dry cough, and fatigue”; other less common symptoms are “loss of taste or smell, nasal congestion, conjunctivitis, sore throat, headache, muscle or joint pain, different types of skin rash, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, chills or dizziness”; but symptoms of severe COVID-19 disease include “shortness of breath, loss of appetite, confusion, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, high temperature (above 38 °C), and/or even neurological complications”—WHO (2020). Complications leading to death may include “respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), sepsis and septic shock, thromboembolism, and/or multi-organ failure, including injury of the heart, liver or kidneys” (WHO 2020).
- 6.
In three languages: Spanish, Portuguese, and English.
- 7.
For example, the newspaper El Mundo published on April 22 that a significant percentage of support on social networks for the Central Government campaigns came from false profiles (Ollero, 2020). That media was involved, together with others, in stopping to attend official appearances, claiming that the questions were filtered, then not attending them until that situation was corrected.
The institutional purchases of useless tests and defective masks were also criticized. This provoked a new reaction from the Government, which even went so far as to forbid health personnel from talking about COVID-19 or spreading videos and messages on social networks (where they showed photos with the precarious resources to which they had to go due to the lack of materials and equipment). All this while, now from the highest public authorities, the dissemination of fake news through false profiles was denounced. Even the news about the State security forces and bodies had been asked to carry out reports on hoaxes that could generate disaffection with official campaigns and positions was spread, so giving rise to a new controversy regarding what was identified as attempted control and censorship of the content of social networks.
- 8.
Until the beginning of the pandemic, Spain ranked the second position as a tourist destination worldwide (UNWTO 2019).
- 9.
Whose relative complexity also gave rise to debate and conflicting positions, as well as the deconfinement itself: it was late for some people, adequate for others, and hasty for many, who supported that economic motivations should not take precedence over health.
- 10.
One of whose manifestations was, for example, the low download rate of the “Radar Covid” app, launched by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, available since the beginning of August.
- 11.
The previous one had been the subject of strong criticism: Who had emerged stronger from the confinement?
- 12.
However, there were contradictory messages (e.g. about the usage of masks): given the shortage of masks (and the threat of supplies for health personnel), government authorities initially downplayed their use (and even advised against it), despite its effectiveness in preventing infections. Later, when they could already guarantee supplies, they imposed them on a mandatory basis (for example, in Spain).
Politicians such as Donald Trump (in the USA) and Jair Bolsonaro (in Brazil) also created confusion, because they despised the use of masks and quarantine, contrary to what had been advised.
- 13.
In Spain, the police have informed people who were on the street, or who were trying to leave the municipality … Also, in the second wave, groups of young people have approached other young people who were in the street to sensitize them to the need to wear a mask. The army has also collaborated in cleaning and disinfecting residences for the elderly, as well as in tracing the contacts of people who have tested positive for PCR.
References
ADEPA (2020) Los medios y la sociedad civil de Argentina se unen frente al coronavirus. 20/03/2020. https://adepa.org.ar/somosresponsables/
AFP (2020) Un hombre yace muerto en la calle en Wuhan, foco de la epidemia de coronavirus en China. El Mundo, 31/01/2020. https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2020/01/31/5e3415b321efa02b0a8b4591.html
Ahmed O, Brockmeier D, Lee K, Chapman WC, Doyle MB (2020) Donación de órganos durante la pandemia de Covid-19. Rev Estadounidense Trasplantes 0:1–2
Banco Mundial (2020) Colombia: panorama general. https://www.bancomundial.org/es/country/colombia/overview
Becares R (2020) Así es por dentro el Hospital Isabel Zendal: más de mil camas, última tecnología y aire renovado 14 veces a la hora. El Mundo, 1st December. https://www.elmundo.es/madrid/2020/12/01/5fc53eb7fc6c8391388b4661.html
Chaparro C (2020) Tapiar casas para encerrar a las familias en cuarentena por coronavirus y evitar que escapen: está ocurriendo en China. Yahoo Noticias, 27/02/2020. https://es.noticias.yahoo.com
Clarin (2020) Argentina aplaude: convocan hoy a apoyar a los profesionales de salud que trabajan contra el coronavirus. Flyer from Twitter. Clarin, 19th March. https://www.clarin.com/sociedad/argentina-aplaude-convocan-hoy-apoyar-profesionales-salud-trabajan-coronavirus_0_Jd-ZHsIle.html
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (2020) COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en
European Commission (2020) Coronavirus vaccines strategy. https://ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/coronavirus-response/public-health/coronavirus-vaccines-strategy_en. Accessed 19 Dec 2020
Galan-Ladero MA, Galan-Ladero MM (2019) The importance of social marketing in global health emergencies. The case of Zika virus infection. In: Galán-Ladero M, Alves H (eds) Case studies on social marketing. A global perspective. Springer, Cham
Google (2020) Official Website. https://www.google.com
HUA (2020) Hospital Universitario Austral - Hospital Solidario Covid. https://www.hospitalaustral.edu.ar/hospital-solidario-covid/
INFOBAE (2020) El emotivo video de AFA para concientizar sobre el aislamiento obligatorio: “Nadie sale campeón solo”. 29th March. https://www.infobae.com/deportes-2/2020/03/29/el-emotivo-video-de-afa-para-concientizar-sobre-el-aislamiento-obligatorio-nadie-sale-campeon-solo/
Kim KD, Kreps GL (2020) An analysis of government communication in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic: recommendations for effective government health risk. World Med Health Policy 12(4):398–412
Lakoff G (2007) No pienses en un elefante. Complutense, Madrid
Lee NR (2020) Reducing the spread of COVID-19: a social marketing perspective. Soc Mark Q 26(3):259–265
Ollero DJ (2020) Facebook borra las cuentas falsas que elogiaban al Gobierno pero no desvela su autoría. El Mundo, 22/04/2020. https://www.elmundo.es/tecnologia/2020/04/22/5ea0459bfc6c83ed398b45c5.html
Rivera R, Bianchi EC (2020) Qué cuarentena es la mejor para la Argentina. Perfil, 28th May. https://www.perfil.com/noticias/coronavirus/opinion-reynaldo-rivera-enrique-carlos-bianchique-cuarentena-es-mejor-argentina-pandemia-coronavirus.phtml
Rocamora J (2020) Comunicación institucional durante la crisis del coronavirus: cómo la han gestionado empresas y políticos. Marketing 4 Ecommerce. https://marketing4ecommerce.net/
Roces P (2020) Isabel Díaz Ayuso inaugura el hospital de Madrid para pandemias Isabel Zendal: “Es un centro abierto a todas la comunidades de España”. El Mundo, 1st December. https://www.elmundo.es/madrid/2020/12/01/5fc6270dfdddff50bf8b45fc.html
Rojo JM, Soler A (2020) Comunicación política en tiempos de alarma. El caso español. Más poder local 41:36–38
RTVE.es (2020) ¿Qué se sabe del Coronavirus? https://www.rtve.es
University of Extremadura (2020) Official Website. Virtual Campus. https://campusvirtual.unex.es/portal/
UNWTO (2019) Panorama del turismo internacional. https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284421237
Wang C, Pan R, Wan X, Tan Y, Xu L, Ho CS et al (2020) Immediate psychological responses and associated factors during the initial stage of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic among the general population in China. Int J Environ Res Public Health 17:1729. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17051729
World Health Organization (2020) Official website. https://www.who.int/home
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Appendices
Appendix 1: Some Examples of Messages
Message aim | Examples |
|---|---|
To report the virus | Argentina: “Nuevo Coronavirus Covid-19. Saber para prevenir” [“New Coronavirus Covid-19. To know is to prevent”] Colombia: “Mito—Realidad del Coronavirus” [“Myth-Reality of the Coronavirus”] |
Call for joint action (unity, responsibility, country) | Argentina: citizens as a soccer team “Al virus lo frenamos entre todos. Viralicemos la responsabilidad” [“We’ll stop the virus together. Let’s Viralize Responsibility”], “#SomosResponsables” [“#WeAreResponsible”], “Todos ante el mismo rival. Este partido lo ganamos juntos” [Only together will we beat this rival], “Al coronavirus le ganamos con el compromiso de todos, jugando en equipo y con responsabilidad” [“We’ll beat the coronavirus with the commitment of all, playing as a team responsibly”], “#UnaSolaHinchada” [“#FootballFansTogether”], “#ArgentinaAplaude” [“ArgentinaIsClapping”]. Colombia: also as a soccer team. “El futuro es de todos” [“The future belongs to everyone”], “#UnidosSomosMasPais” [We are more of a country together], “Colombia está contigo” [“Colombia is with you”], “Colombia sigue adelante” [“Colombia is going ahead”], “Ganar entre todos este partido. #TiempoExtraEnCasa” [“Winning this game together. #ExtraTimeAtHome”]. Portugal: always “on” (internet). “Nao paramos. Estamos ON” [“We won’t stop. We are always on”], “Continuamos ON” [“We’re still on”]. Spain: unity, responsibility, effort. “Este virus lo paramos unidos” [“This virus we will stop it together”], “Salimos más Fuertes [“We’re coming out stronger”]. Gracias a la responsabilidad y al esfuerzo de todos, hemos llegado hasta aquí. Esa es nuestra fuerza” [Thanks to everyone’s responsibility and effort, we have come this far. That is our strength”], “España puede” [(All together) Spain can (come out of this)]. |
Thought/Reflexion | Spain: “Esto no es un juego” [“This is not a game”] “Este curso nos jugamos mucho” [“In this academic year, there is a lot at stake] (University of Extremadura—Spain) |
Behaviors | Argentina, Colombia, Portugal, Spain and many others: “#QuédateEnCasa” [“#StayAtHome”] Argentina: “Argentina Aplaude” [“Argentina is clapping”] Colombia: “Limpia tus manos” [“Wash your hands”] Portugal: “Alerta Cibersegurança COVID-19. Durante o isolamento, proteja-se” [“COVID-19 Cyber Security Alert. During lockdown, protect yourself”] “Proteja-se a si e as outros” [“Protect yourself and others”] Spain: “¡Lávate las manos!” [“Wash your hands!”] |
To appeal to each individual or to individual responsibility | Argentina, Colombia, Portugal, Spain: “#YoMeQuedoEnCasa” [“I’m staying at home”]. Colombia: “El primer control contra el Coronavirus es usted” [“You are the first line of defense against the Coronavirus”]. “Prevenir el Coronavirus #EmpiezaPorTusManos” [“Preventing Coronavirus #StartsWithYourHands”]. Portugal: “Cabe a cada um de nós fazê-lo parar” [“It’s up to each one of us to stop it”]. “Nao deixes o virus entrar” [“Don’t let the virus in”]. “#MascaraParaTodos. A minha protege-te. A tua protege-me” [“#Mask for everyone. Mine protects you. Yours protects me”]. Spain “Este virus lo paramos unidos” [“This virus we will stop it together”] “Lo paramos si ayudas y haces caso a nuestros profesionales” [“We’ll stop it if you help by listening to our professionals”] “Cumple las recomendaciones” [“Follow the recommendations”] |
Appendix 2: Examples of Different Tones Used in the Campaigns
Tone | Examples |
|---|---|
Affirmative | Argentina: “Nuevo Coronavirus Covid-19. Saber para prevenir” [“New Coronavirus Covid-19. To know is to prevent”] “#SomosResponsables” [“#WeAreResponsible”] “Argentina Aplaude” [“Argentina is clapping”] Colombia: “Colombia está contigo” [“Colombia is with you”] Portugal: “Continuamos ON” [“We’re still ON”] Spain: “España puede” [(All together) “Spain can” (come out of this)] |
Interrogative | Spain: “¿Te has descargado ya Radar Covid?” [“Have you downloaded Covid Radar yet?” “¿Cómo debo lavarme las manos?” [“How should I wash my hands?”] |
Negative | Portugal: “Não paramos. Estamos ON” [“We don’t stop. We’re still ON”]. “Não deixes o vírus entrar” [“Don’t let the virus in”]. “Don’t drop your mask”. “Don’t make things easy: we are all agents of public health”. Spain: “Esto no es un juego” [“This is not a game”]. “Never Stop Dreaming. #SpainWillWait”. |
Imperative | Almost all countries: “Stay (at) Home”. Argentina: “Seguí cuidándote” [“Follow care”]. Colombia: “Limpia tus manos” [“Wash your hands”]. Portugal: “Durante o isolamento, proteja-se!” [“During lockdown, protect yourself!”] “Proteja-se a si e as outros” [“Protect yourself and others”] “Seja um agente de Saúde Pública. Proteja-se a si e aos outros” [“Be an agent of public health. Protect yourself & others”]. Spain: “¡Lávate las manos!” [“Wash your hands!”] [Radar Covid] “Frena la cadena de contagios” [“Stop the chain of infections”], “Protégete y protege a los tuyos” [“Protect yourself and your loved ones”], “Cumple las recomendaciones” [“Follow the recommendations”], “Descubre lo increíble” [“Discover the incredible”] |
Ironic (play on words) | Portugal: “A decisão é tua. Usar mascara ou usar máscara” [comparing two images: the first one, a young person wearing a mask; and the second one, a young person with an oxygen mask in ICU]. |
Positive/encouragement | Argentina: “Al virus lo frenamos entre todos” [“We’ll stop the virus together”] “Todos ante el mismo rival. Este partido lo ganamos juntos” [Only together will we beat this rival] “#UnaSolaHinchada” [“#FootballFansTogether”] Colombia: “#UnidosSomosMasPais” [“#WeAreMoreOfACountryTogether”] “Ganar entre todos este partido. #TiempoExtraEnCasa” [“Winning this game together. #ExtraTimeAtHome”] Portugal: “Somos todos uma só voz” [“We are only one voice: only together will we beat this pandemic”] Spain: Este virus lo paramos entre todos” [“"This Virus We Will Stop It Together”], “Salimos más fuertes” [“We’re coming out stronger”], “Cuidarnos. El mejor regalo de esta Navidad” [“Take care of ourselves. The best gift this Christmas”] |
Explanatory, appealing to each individual or to individual responsibility | Portugal: “Cabe a cada um de nós fazê-lo parar” [“It’s up to each one of us to stop it”]. Spain: “#YoMeQuedoEnCasa” [“I stay at home”]. “Lo paramos si ayudas y haces caso a nuestros profesionales” [“We’ll stop it if you help by listening to our professionals”]. |
Guilt | Spain: “Saltarse la cuarentena = intubar a tu mejor amigo” [“Break quarantine = intubate your best friend”]. “Reunión familiar sin protección = enterrar a tu abuela” [“Unprotected family meeting = burying your grandmother”]. |
Plead | Spain: “Ayúdanos a frenar el coronavirus. Protege a los más vulnerables” [“Help us to stop the coronavirus. Protect the most vulnerable”]. “Ayúdanos a cumplir las recomendaciones sanitarias” [“Help us to comply with health recommendations”]. |
Teaching Notes
-
1.
What do you think the concern about COVID-19 is currently and internationally?
When students work on this case, surely the situation related to the COVID-19 pandemic will be different from that reflected in this case (which is limited to the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020).
The idea is that students assess the international situation of the pandemic at that moment and, as far as possible, compare it with the situation in 2020.
-
2.
Was any information provided on COVID-19 in your country? What type? What were the sources (e.g. health authorities, the government, the media, …)?
These questions focus on analyzing how information on COVID-19 was provided in the students’ countries.
Following the structure of the chapter, readers/students are also asked to analyze what type of information was provided in their respective countries, and what the main source was (e.g. the Government, health authorities, the media, etc.).
If the students come from different countries, comparisons could be made (e.g. see if the information provided was similar in all of them or, on the contrary, there were significant differences).
-
3.
What social marketing campaigns related to COVID-19 were carried out in your country? During how much time? Are there currently any in force? What impact did they have on the quality of life of the population?
The idea behind these questions is for students to remember and/or look for information about the main social marketing campaigns that were developed in their respective countries, or that could even continue to be developed (everything will depend on the evolution of the pandemic in the coming years).
By carrying out this analysis, students will also be able to draw on their own experiences to assess the impact that these campaigns have had (or continue to have, if applicable) on the quality of life of the population in their country, region and/or city.
They will be able to compare their results with those reflected in the chapter (i.e. see if there are similarities or differences). Or, if the students in the class come from different countries, they can also compare them and discuss which they think were the best/worst social marketing campaigns, or which ones had more/less impact on the people’s quality of life.
-
4.
Assess the main consequences (demographic, economic, social, environmental, cultural, technological, political—legal, …) of COVID-19 since the international health emergency was declared in early 2020. What have been its effects on the people’s quality of life?
When the students work on this case, they will have a more complete perspective of the situation, because more time will have passed and they will not have to focus only on 2020. They could discover new consequences and effects that have not been considered in the case study, depending on the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic in the coming years.
-
5.
Would a quality of life perspective increase the impact of social marketing campaigns in the countries analyzed?
This question focuses on the students thinking and expressing their opinions about the impact of social marketing campaigns since a quality of life perspective.
An alternative activity could be to divide the class into two groups. One in favor that a quality of life perspective increases the impact of social marketing campaigns, and another against this (“quality of life perspective does not increase the impact of social marketing campaigns”). Each group should defend its position with well justified arguments (preferably based on real examples from their respective countries), to discuss this topic properly.
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Galan-Ladero, M.M. et al. (2021). COVID-19 Pandemic and Social Marketing: Enhancing Quality of Life in a Global Health Crisis. In: Galan-Ladero, M.M., Rivera, R.G. (eds) Applied Social Marketing and Quality of Life. Applying Quality of Life Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83286-5_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83286-5_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-83285-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-83286-5
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)