Population Services International, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Population Services International/Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe.
PLoS One. 2019 Sep 6;14(9):e0221581. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221581. eCollection 2019.
Zimbabwe faces an uncertain future for condom funding and potential condom insecurity as international donors prioritize creating more self-sustaining markets and the government identifies how to best ensure access and uptake. We tested the impact of an intensive intervention on demand and supply after a price increase to the social marketed condom, Protector Plus. The study occurred during a deteriorating economy and pressure to reach sustainability quickly. We highlight where strategic donor investments can impact condom programming and markets.
We randomized ten purposively selected districts in Zimbabwe and assigned them to two study groups to test the impact of an intensive social marketing intervention. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first experimental study conducted within a larger market strengthening context. We tracked sales of Protector Plus and distribution of the public sector condom monthly. We conducted baseline and follow-up surveys among consumers and traders, and used the difference-in-difference method to test the intervention's impact on condom preferences and brand equity.
Protector Plus sales rebounded to previous levels after the price increase. We detected no significant difference in sales between the experimental and control districts. Among traders, there were no significant differences in brand preference for Protector Plus attributed to the intervention. Among consumers, there was a significant increase in emotional attachment and beliefs about condom efficacy in the experimental districts.
Study findings demonstrate where international donor and government investments can impact condom programming and condom markets. Broader findings from the intervention highlight where investments can improve condom coverage, cost recovery, and collaboration between the public, social marketing, and commercial sectors. Strategic investments for strengthening condom markets include: consumer research to segment markets, willingness to pay studies to set price points, distribution system improvements to increase efficiency, intensive demand generation to increase demand and use, market facilitation across sectors, and market intelligence to inform decision making. When a disciplined social marketing approach is used, the market benefits: subsidies can be better targeted, branded products can appeal to the right audiences, and room can be made for the commercial sector to enter the market.
津巴布韦在未来的避孕套资金和潜在的避孕套供应方面都面临着不确定性，因为国际捐助者优先考虑创建更能自我维持的市场，而政府则在确定如何最好地确保获得和使用避孕套。我们测试了在社会营销避孕套 Protector Plus 涨价后，加强干预对需求和供应的影响。这项研究是在经济恶化和需要迅速实现可持续性的压力下进行的。我们强调了战略捐助投资如何影响避孕套规划和市场。
我们在津巴布韦有目的地随机选择了十个地区，并将它们分配到两个研究组，以测试强化社会营销干预的影响。据我们所知，这是在更大的市场强化背景下进行的首次实验研究。我们每月跟踪 Protector Plus 的销售和公共部门避孕套的分配情况。我们对消费者和贸易商进行了基线和后续调查，并使用差异法来测试干预措施对避孕套偏好和品牌资产的影响。
在价格上涨后，Protector Plus 的销售额反弹到了以前的水平。我们没有发现实验组和对照组之间的销售有显著差异。在贸易商中，干预措施对 Protector Plus 的品牌偏好没有显著影响。在消费者中，实验组对避孕套功效的情感依恋和信念显著增加。
研究结果表明，国际捐助者和政府的投资可以影响避孕套规划和避孕套市场。干预措施的更广泛结果强调了投资可以在哪里提高避孕套的覆盖率、成本回收和公共、社会营销和商业部门之间的合作。加强避孕套市场的战略投资包括：消费者研究以细分市场、意愿支付研究以确定价格点、改进分销系统以提高效率、加强需求生成以增加需求和使用、跨部门的市场促进以及市场情报以提供决策依据。当使用有纪律的社会营销方法时，市场会受益：补贴可以更有针对性，品牌产品可以吸引合适的受众，商业部门也可以进入市场。
