Customer Reviews

Marketing in the Public Sector: A Roadmap for Improved Performance

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For dyed-in-the-wool marketers like myself, Philip Kotler, international marketing professor at Northwestern's Kellogg School, has been a distinguished guru for nearly four decades, and his textbook of fundamentals, "Marketing Management", was required reading for me in graduate school. Now teamed with consultant Nancy Lee, a long-time specialist in social marketing, he has finally translated his tried-and-true marketing principles into the public sector, a challenging application given how results from such efforts can be extremely long-term and far less tangible than what can be more easily measured in the private sector. What's more, going head-to-head with private enterprises, public agencies have been at a great disadvantage because they have not proactively sought this discipline in targeting citizen needs. Previously unused initiatives like customer-driven strategies, outsourcing and performance metrics are now bought to life in a new milieu.

Kotler and Lee do a fine job discerning the distinctions and commonalities between consumer and citizen value and how a strong marketing platform can really elucidate the latter. The book's first two chapters go to the heart of identifying citizen needs and the marketing mindset required to address them. The next eight chapters each tackle an accepted private marketing tenet and how to apply each toward an agency marketing effort. Organized into a toolbox, these principles include developing and enhancing popular programs and services; establishing incentives and motivating prices; optimizing distribution channels; creating a brand identity; communicating effectively; improving service and satisfaction; influencing positive public behaviors through social marketing; and forming strategic partnerships. The book ends with vital information on how to manage the marketing process primarily through data collection, performance measurement and the creation of a compelling marketing plan.

What makes the co-authors' points resonate are the real-life examples they provide at the beginning of each chapter to prove the effectiveness of such tactics in practice. For instance, we read how in Nepal, optimizing distribution channels by selling condoms in convenience stores has dramatically improved access for the groups most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Another example is how the Finnish government tackled the country's high levels of heart disease by following the twelve principles of social marketing, which include steps like removing barriers to behavior change, highlighting the costs of competing behaviors and using prompts for sustainability. One of the more fascinating stories is how the city of New York has developed its own marketing plan in the wake of its recovery from 9/11. Rewards from the marketing plan have come in the forms of having a commercial tie-in with the History Channel, relocating of the headquarters for Virgin Airlines to New York, and bringing the Country Music Awards to Radio City Music Hall. Through these anecdotal accounts, Kotler and Lee are able to show how public agencies truly benefit from private sector learning and marketing practices.

One of the biggest misconceptions people have about marketing is that it is synonymous with advertising or selling. That is like saying cooking is synonymous with plating your dish. Yes, it is a part of the subject, an important part, but it is only a small portion of the entire matter of the subject. Marketing, as all business students soon learn, is the whole of deciding what products to make (taking into consideration all factors related to the marketplace success of those products), how to position them, how to sell them, their "life", brand, communications, programs, and so much more. It is a big and complex subject than many happily devote a life to practicing and others a lifetime to researching.

Philip Kotler is himself a brand name in the book publishing world on this subject. A quick search of Amazon finds more books than you can easily count. They are usually done with co-authors, as is this one (Nancy Lee), and I am sure having his name on your book enhances its sales.

This is an enjoyable and informative book that is focused on helping those working in the public sector enhance their effectiveness through the use of marketing principles. I think it is a terrific idea because it will mean that these well meaning folks will be freed to re-think their organization, its purpose, its means of fulfilling that purpose, how it uses it revenues, how it raises revenues, re-evaluate the services (or products) it now offers and what it COULD offer, how it communicates to its "customers", what it is their customers prefer that they do, and everything else. In marketing, everything us up for grabs because a failure means extinction. In the public sector the extinction too often comes in the form of an ongoing bureaucratic and budgetary limbo. And that isn't fulfilling for those working in the organization or for those they were commissioned to serve.

The book comes in three parts:

Part I is the introduction. It provides chapters on "improving public sector performance by seizing opportunities to meet citizen needs" and "understanding the market mindset". Think of this as a crash course on the purposes of marketing as applies to the public sector.

Part II applies marketing tools to the public sector. This is an interesting crash course in marketing principles and techniques. It covers developing and enhancing popular programs and services, setting motivating prices, incentives, and disincentives, optimizing distribution channels, creating and maintaining a desired brand identity, communicating effectively with key publics, improving customer service and satisfaction, influencing positive public behavior (social marketing), and forming strategic partnerships (benefits, challenges, and risks).

Part III discusses managing the marketing process. It covers the challenging topic of managing and evaluating performance (almost a religious topic), and developing a compelling marketing plan.

I like the way the authors use mini-case studies to illustrate the principles they discuss as well as the pictures and graphics included in the text. This text will almost certainly be used in focused courses geared towards public sector workers and I think it will be a good text for that purpose. It can also be a good read for those outside the public sector who would like a crash course in marketing (maybe not-for-profits?).

Good book.

This book leaves me conflicted.

Part of me wonders why it is necessary for two distinguished marketing specialists to team up to write a book like this.

The other part, a consumer of government services, understands the need, Philip Kotler, a Northwestern University marketing professor and Nancy Lee, an adjunct faculty member in Washington state and president of a social marketing agency, performed in this their third book.

Using real-life examples to showcase tried-and-true marketing principles effectively deployed in the public sector the heart of this book, eight chapters, tackles an accepted private marketing tenet and applies it to an agency marketing effort. Using a toolbox, the authors show illustrate how; establishing incentives and motivating prices; optimizing distribution channels; creating a brand identity; communicating effectively; improving service and satisfaction; influencing positive public behaviors through social marketing; and forming partnerships can develop and enhance popular programs and services.

The book ends with vital information on how to manage the marketing process primarily through data collection, performance measurement and the creation of a compelling marketing plan.

The book offers a step-by step model for government agencies to deliver more value for each penny they spend. In writing this book, the authors have done both well-intentioned public servants and taxpayers a tremendous service.

At first glance you might think that this is a book on selling to the government. It isn't. This book is basically a primer, or a series of anecdotes or case studies where a governmental agency is attempting to sell their products or services to the public.

While we don't think of the government doing marketing, visit any Post Office and look at the ads plastered all over the place for everything from mailing supplies, to passports, to stamp collecting (where you buy a stamp from them and then don't use it for mailing - a lot of profit in that).

In addition to these actual products, there are a lot of stories about how the government wanted to influence behavior on the part of the citizens from litter campaigns (Don't Mess With Texas) to reducing drunk driving.

The intended audiance for this book seems to be organizations within the government who now need to communicate what they do, how well they do it, and influence behavior among the population. And that's the world population, not just the US.

The conventional wisdom and joke is that organizations in the public sector have no need to improve their profile. After all, the justification has always been that they provide essential services where there is no alternative. In this book, that conventional wisdom is thoroughly debunked. Citing example after example, the authors show that it is in the best interests of everyone if the public agency carries out some form of logical marketing plan.
The advantages are numerous and completely explained:

*) Marketing allows the agency to explain to the public exactly how their services are used. It is always more efficient to learn the answers to your questions before you are at the service window of the agency.
*) Marketing allows for public feedback, both relieving public pressure and giving the agency an opportunity to improve.
*) Employee morale is often improved. Public employees are often the butt of jokes about the inefficiency of government, this gives their agency an opportunity to make their side public.
*) To develop a marketing plan, you need to understand your customer base. By studying the market, it is quite likely that inappropriate assumptions will be discovered.
*) Marketing plans can help build public support for the agency, and put a human, helpful face on what many people think is bureaucratic indifference.

Using a series of case studies, Kotler & Lee demonstrate how classic marketing tools can be modified to reshape public agencies so that they can better serve their constituency. Some of the examples also demonstrate how a successful public awareness campaign can be executed. This book should be mandatory reading for every manager of a public agency.

If you find yourself unorganized or just new in public sector PR or marketing dept this is a handbook for you. Plain modifications of general market guides for a bit less direct-money-making areas.

If you work for government and want to achieve a goal, this book is an essential handbook for your library. Kotler and Lee cover all the ins-and-outs of marketing and taylor them for the public sector. Each chapter provides one or more excellent examples to illustrate the points taught, as well as a helpful chapter-ending summary. From reducing HIV infection, to increasing recycling or use of seat belts, the authors explain in an easily accesible manner how the principles and techniques of marketing can be applied to have a positive impact in your constituent's lives. Marketing, although often perceived as a soft add-on to the task at hand, is actually a key factor that must be introduced from the very beginning if government is to achieve significant goals. Read this book and learn how you can use marketing to achieve your goals.

This book presents you with a step by step marketing plan template and clearly defines and explains what is the concept and the importance of each step in the plan. This is a great book for anyone in the public sector who has no marketing experience or background and is a great review for someone who does.

"Marketing in the Public Sector" by Philip Kotler and Nancy Lee provides ideas and advice on proven techniques for those in the public sector that reach and benefit the common good of the public.

There are three parts and 13 chapters. There are very specific and detailed sub-chapters within the main chapters, and they are listed in the table of contents.

1. Improving Public Sector Performance by Seizing Opportunities....
2. Understanding the Marketing Mindset
3. Developing and Enhancing Popular Programs and Services
4. Setting Motivating Prices, Incentives, and Disincentives
5. Optimizing Distribution Channels
6. Creating and Maintaining Desired Brand Identity
7. Communicating Effectively with Key Public
8. Improving Customer Service and Satisfaction
9. Influencing Positive Public Behaviors: Social Marketing
10 Forming Strategic Partnerships
11 Gathering Citizen Data, Input, and Feedback
12 Monitoring and Evaluating Performance
13 Developing a Compelling Marketing Plan

There are numerous real-life examples presented as case studies, basically.

One example in implementing information messages to the public is the Ad Council. The Ad Council is a private, nonprofit organization that taps volunteers from the communication and advertising industries to deliver governmental agency messages to the American public (p. 232). Not only must these messages be crafted well, but they do need to reach the targeted audience. There also has to be response. Response that can be statistically verified. The message is distinguished and emphasized so the target market audience knows about the campaign, believes they will experience the benefits promised, and thus are inspired to act upon it, or stop deleterious acts (p. 161). Like the private corporate media with its experience and sophistication, the government media is organized, tested, and methodical.

For the most part the term "methodical" is used in a good way. If there is a public message to be conveyed, it needs to be disseminated in the most optimum way. Many public messages are positive and conducive for the collective good of our communities. One example from many are the mascots such as Smokey the Bear for fire awareness, Mr. Yuck for poison labels, McGruff the Crime Dog, and Eddy Eagle for Gun Safety. These ad campaigns of course, are specifically targeted for children, yet also influence and remind parents to educate their kids on such potentially dangerous matters.

One doesn't need to be in the public sector to benefit from the information, case studies, and strategies in this book. The ideas can be used by many. There are dozens of pictures of ad samples and tables, and the index is comprehensive. Very good. Excellent for public administrators and students of Public Policy and Administration (PPA programs).

Philip Kotler and Nancy Lee encourage governments to learn from private sector marketing principles and techniques. It's a great idea, and they make a persuasive case that "social marketing" can change society, or at least certain aspects of it. The book is full of practical tips. Using examples from social marketing campaigns around the world, Kotler and Lee demonstrate how to apply basic marketing ideas in the public sector. Creative approaches have injected new life into many social programs, ranging from environmental awareness to customer service. We recommend this book to public officials and leaders of nonprofit organizations who are looking for new ways to educate their constituents.