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  • Title: Social marketing of contraceptives in Bangladesh.
    Author: Schellstede WP, Ciszewski RL.
    Journal: Stud Fam Plann; 1984; 15(1):30-9. PubMed ID: 6701953.
    Abstract:
    Since 1975 there has been a family planning program operating in Bangladesh which advertises and commercially distributes contraceptive products in both rural and urban areas throughout the country. The program, known as the Social Marketing Project (SMP) and managed by Population Services International (PSI), now serves almost 1 million acceptors per month at an annual cost per couple of less than US$6.50, including the cost of donated contraceptives. This paper looks at the evolution of the project and its growth through the years, and addresses some primary concerns of planners of social marketing programs. Since 1975 there has been a family planning program operating in Bangladesh which advertises and commercially distributes contraceptive products in both rural and urban areas of the country. The program, known as the Social Marketing Project (SMP) and managed by Population Services International (PSI), now serves almost 1 million acceptors per month at an annual cost per couple of less than US$6.5, including the cost of donated contraceptives. This paper looks at the evolution of the project and its growth through the years. It is argued that the SMP operates well within the parameters accepted for publicly funded population efforts in Bangladesh and that it is the most cost-effective operation in terms of cost per couple-year of protection (CYP). The project's success to date is measured almost entirely by the sales of its brand of condom, Raja. The initial reluctance on the part of retailers to display Raja prominently, has steadily decreased. Marketing strategies and promotion are largely responsible for this increased acceptance. By saturating the media with messages on contraceptives, the awareness of the project's products and their attractiveness to consumers are enhanced. Also, the issue of family planning is thus kept alive in the minds of people. The issue of discrepancy between total condom distribution and the prevalence of condom use as reported in Contraceptive Prevalence Surveys (CPS) is raised and possible explanations offered; actual use may be underreported in the CPS as all respondents are wives. Sales of the project's locally branded and repackaged pills grew quickly at first, reached a plateau and then declined. With the introduction in 1980 of a low-dose brand and a radical change in the project's marketing strategy for orals, pill sales have grown. The project's experience suggests that face-to-face contact with potential ustential users has increased use and acceptance of the pill. The project's new strategy tries to enlist the cooperation of rural medical practitioners for face-to-face promotion and distribution of oral contraceptives.
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