Tools to measure impact
One of the complaints about social marketing programmes is that they do not know who they are serving. PSI has developed some tools to address this concern such as MAP (Measuring access and performance) and TRaC (Tracking results continuously). These tools examine issues such as: equity of access, product coverage, awareness and exposure and self reported risk reducing behaviour. MAP and TRaC appear to be highly effective for measuring results and guiding marketing. The Dashboard tool presents the data in a format that can be easily used by implementers to make marketing and programmatic decisions.
The Futures Group Europe has proposed a Market DHS to measure market characteristics on a regular basis. Just as the DHS is used to measure and evaluate changes in health, a market DHS could examine changes in the market, including prices, availability and other factors. Such a tool would be standardised with a study conducted at periodic intervals. Like the DHS, data would be comparable year on year. The tool itself could build on existing data collection tools such as PSI's MAP, TRaC and market segmentation methodology. Such a tool has potential to help focus donors, governments and implementers on achievement of the objectives of MDAs. However, some worry that a new potentially costly study is not necessary as many of the data already exist that would simply need to be compiled. An example of such a compilation is PSP-One’s Private sector wall chart.
The above list is not exhaustive, but does reflect the relatively few tools available to design, manage and evaluate MDAs. Readers are encouraged to recommend additional tools to be included in this site. More tools need to be developed to better understand who consumers are (and are not) and how markets can be used to deliver reproductive health products. And the tools need to be used. All implementers should be encouraged – and funded - to conduct more consumer research and to share results.
The Futures Group Europe has proposed a Market DHS to measure market characteristics on a regular basis. Just as the DHS is used to measure and evaluate changes in health, a market DHS could examine changes in the market, including prices, availability and other factors. Such a tool would be standardised with a study conducted at periodic intervals. Like the DHS, data would be comparable year on year. The tool itself could build on existing data collection tools such as PSI's MAP, TRaC and market segmentation methodology. Such a tool has potential to help focus donors, governments and implementers on achievement of the objectives of MDAs. However, some worry that a new potentially costly study is not necessary as many of the data already exist that would simply need to be compiled. An example of such a compilation is PSP-One’s Private sector wall chart.
The above list is not exhaustive, but does reflect the relatively few tools available to design, manage and evaluate MDAs. Readers are encouraged to recommend additional tools to be included in this site. More tools need to be developed to better understand who consumers are (and are not) and how markets can be used to deliver reproductive health products. And the tools need to be used. All implementers should be encouraged – and funded - to conduct more consumer research and to share results.
