DoH establishes life stage model for social marketing

by Nikki Sandison, Brand Republic 11-Jul-08, 11:00

LONDON - The Department of Health has created a life stage segmentation model for use in future health promotion and social marketing campaigns.

The model provides a complete picture of the population in terms of individual behaviour across a range of health issues, including obesity, drug and alcohol misuse, smoking, sexual health and poor mental health.

A model was developed by a project team that included the DoH's public health, social marketing, mental health policy and communications teams, along with the National Social Marketing Centre.

Leslie Butterfield, founder of brand consultancy Butterfield Partners, and Sarah Heard, Butterfield's senior brand strategist, were also on the team.

The life stage model aims to reflect the journey that people take through life and includes categories such as childhood, discovery teens, younger settlers, younger jugglers, alone again, and active retirement.

The model also takes into account people's circumstances or environments and their beliefs and attitudes towards health issues.

In autumn/winter this year, the DoH will develop and test the health mapping and segmentation tool for cross-issue approaches.

At the end of the year, it will establish a "one-stop market research" shop, bringing together a range of data in one place, and a national learning archive.

In spring 2009, the DoH will test new cross-issue approaches to health promotion, and in summer 2009 it will launch the life stage segmentation model.

The model is part of the DoH's new framework for action on social marketing and public health, called "ambitions for health".