“Thinking Like a Marketer”: Training for a Shift in the Mindset of the Public Health Workforce

The marketing mindset focuses a practitioner on systematically thinking through key issues before undertaking a health promotion campaign. The Thinking Like a Marketer training, developed by the National Training Collaborative for Social Marketing is a challenging method for health educators and promoters to apply their skills in innovative ways. Focus groups were conducted with former trainees to assess the impact of the training. Additional data were collected from members of the Association of State and Territorial Promotion Directors of Health Promotion and Public Health Education organization through a 10-item elicitation survey. Findings suggest that although participants gained greater sensitivity and appreciation for the social marketing research process, the major barrier to application in the workplace surrounded upper management. On-site technical assistance, mentoring, and follow-up were important training needs identified through the survey and focus groups.