23 pages., via online journal., This article presents a case study of two effective interventions promoting 1% low-fat milk consumption. Developed after extensive formative research and use of the 4Ps marketing mix, the first intervention in 2012, 1% Low-Fat Milk Has Perks!, was a multilevel intervention implemented in the Oklahoma City media market (OKCMM), which covers most of the western portion of the state of Oklahoma. The program evaluation was based on a quasi-experimental comparison-group design that compared milk sales in the OKCMM with the Tulsa media market (TMM) supplemented by a pre- and post-intervention telephone survey of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients. The program evaluation revealed that 1% milk sales significantly increased 15% from before to after the intervention ended in the OKCMM compared to a smaller increase in the TMM. In 2014, the second intervention, Choose 1% Milk: A Healthy Family Choice, was implemented statewide using three experimental conditions. The intervention resulted in a 42.9% statewide increase in 1% milk sales from before to after the intervention ended. In this article, we describe the use of the marketing mix in the planning, implementation, and summative evaluation of both interventions, including strategic decisions that provide insight into efforts to influence behavior at the population level.
20 pages., via online journal., For over 70 years the use of opinion leaders in a two-step communication process has been employed and validated. However, despite the accepted importance of communicating with opinion leaders as a means to cascade information to opinion leaders’ networks of influence there have been few empirical studies specifically examining agricultural and natural resource opinion leader communication channel preferences, particularly from an audience segmentation perspective. The results reported in the study capitalize on previous research data examined from a unique perspective. Specifically, communication channel preferences were analyzed according to opinion leader self-reported demographic categories serving as audience segments. Associations between sex, age, level of employment, level of education and geographical region and communication channel preference were analyzed. The results of the study are descriptive and foundational in nature. Overall, the results indicate a dedicated web page or blog is the most preferred communication channel across all audience segments and conference calls are the least preferred communication channel across the majority of audience segments. The Facebook group communication channel had the most variability between audience segments and the LinkedIn group communicational channel had the largest observed effect sizes among audience segments.
