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Social Marketing 101: Constella Employee Teaches University of Massachusetts Students the Fundamentals of Social Marketing

March 6—With more than 15 years of experience in strategic marketing communications, Phyllis Williams-Thompson, Senior Communications Specialist with Constella’s Center for Health Program Advancement, made quite an impression when she presented a workshop on social marketing to students and mentorship program participants at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Phyllis, who has a strong background in social marketing, public relations, and partnership development, designed the “Social Marketing 101” workshop to introduce students to the fundamentals of social marketing including messaging, focus-group testing, media outreach, and evaluating success. She was invited to speak at the university by Associate Professor of Sociology, Todd Crosset.

“I was honored to be invited to present to students at this prestigious university,” said Phyllis. “It presented a unique opportunity to market Constella’s efforts in enhancing human health to future social marketing professionals while showcasing our marketing communications expertise to one of the most well-respected academic institutions in New England.”

In her presentation, Phyllis cited examples of communication tools and social marketing campaigns Constella has developed for such projects as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Choose Respect initiative. One such tool is “Media Access in 10 Easy Steps” — a short instructional guide on effectively engaging the press that Phyllis co-developed to support the Choose Respect campaign.

“We were delighted by the presentation and are anxious to see the impact of what was presented today on our youth-driven social marketing campaign,” said Crosset immediately following Phyllis’ presentation.

Shortly after participating in Phyllis’ workshop, the University of Massachusetts Amherst students wrote a proposal for their social marketing campaign on the importance of mentorship. They secured media placements with Clear Channel Radio — a leading radio communication company in the U.S. — and produced a public service announcement (PSA) that aired more than 350 times on three radio stations in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Phyllis has since been invited back to the university to present additional workshops at their Amherst and Boston campuses on social marketing campaigns and media outreach.