Using Community-Based Social Marketing to Reduce Pet Waste Bacteria in Streams
Authors: Haldeman Tracey , Schmidt Wesley 
Published: May 2022

Background and Situation Analysis

Baltimore County waterways are impaired by pollution from pet waste. Baltimore County engaged in a campaign to reduce bacteria in waterways caused by dog waste. This paper explores modalities to effectuate change in pet owner behavior which will ameliorate the negative effects of dog waste on the environment.

Priority Audience

Dog owners living within Baltimore County who are not picking up dog waste in their backyards.

Behavioral Objective

The behavioral objective was to encourage people who were not currently picking up dog waste in their yards to start doing so.

Strategy/Intervention Planning and Development

The study examined the effectiveness of using a community-based social marketing (CBSM) campaign to reduce bacteria in streams by encouraging dog owners to clean up properly after their pets. Our approach included all elements of the four Ps of marketing (product, price, place, promotion). The study included formative research to understand barriers and motivators of the audience and to test messages. The campaign was implemented in four targeted areas and then bacteria in waterways was measured to evaluate behavior change. Community-based social marketing strategies included interpersonal communication, securing commitments, promoting social norms, using prompts and increasing knowledge of pet waste pollution in waterways.

Evaluation Methods and Results

The pilot compared three different delivery methods: (A) direct to household (HH) using door-to-door outreach, (B) outreach at pet-related location(s) and (C) a combination of (A) and (B) in order to determine the best use of resources for future campaigns. Results from four implementation areas were compared to two non-treatment control areas; over 12,000 HHs combined. We measured the effect of the campaign by analyzing the change in the Most Probable Number (MPN) of fecal indicator bacteria ( E. coli) per 100 mL of stream water in both implementation and control areas before the campaign as compared to post-campaign. We then compared results from our campaign to any changes that may have also occurred in those same time periods in 2018 (the year prior to our campaign). Comparing 2019 changes to any changes in 2018 helped to determine whether variations in measured bacteria may have been due to seasonal fluctuations. Results showed a measured decrease in bacteria levels in 3 out of 4 targeted areas from pre-implementation to post-implementation. Our research findings suggested that CBSM contributed to decreased bacteria levels in streams.

Recommendations for Social Marketing Practice

During this study, we learned the importance of interpersonal communication and partnerships to help promote the product. Partnerships included places where our primary audience trusted information received and places where we could reach a high concentration of our target audience. Results indicate that interpersonal communication at partner locations seemed just as effective as door-to-door outreach. A recommendation for future efforts is that human resources needed for CBSM can be concentrated in partner locations. Door-to-door efforts are still valuable and can be reserved for hot spot areas and potentially supported by volunteers.