Hey Readers,
Quite some time has passed since my initial Toronto Carnival
Reflection post and as such I hope everyone’s month of September is off to a
great start. Toronto Carnival 2014 has definitely been a hot topic of debate
and during the months of August and September I have noted excellent dialogue, developments
and initiatives pertaining to improving the festival. Similar to part 1, this reflection post is
intended to touch upon the challenges pertaining to our carnival but also shift
the focus to possible variables and interventions that could be considered when
devising a solution.
A Number’s Game?
Tuning into several post carnival interviews broadcasted on
local radio station CHRY, I was happy to hear commentary from various stakeholders
on the successes and challenges of this year’s carnival. Within the interview on Dr. Jay’s Soca Therapy Show, a
success that was mentioned was the increased number of registered masqueraders
within bands and an example was provided of a band having upward to 4000
masqueraders. Though that is definitely an incredible accomplishment, a point
that also struck me was the comparison made between the number of non-masqueraders
and spectators. The number of masqueraders that participated this year in the
Grand Parade was approximated to be in the range of 10,000 whereas the number
of non-masqueraders and spectators was in the range of 1 million. With the
stark difference in the number of masqueraders to non-masqueraders, my initial
thought was I am not surprised crowd control is an apparent issue. Apart from
storing this as a tidbit of information, the gradient in numbers in my opinion,
warrants the question why? Why do the numbers of non-masqueraders outnumber the
number of masqueraders so drastically? Is there anything that can be done to
convert non-masqueraders or spectators to masqueraders? Or perhaps could it be
seasoned masqueraders are transitioning back to being non-masqueraders and
spectators? And of course, everyone’s favorite question when it comes to
stormers, why is the preference to jump or cross the fence rather than play
mas?
In discussing solutions of how to promote the Grand Parade
as display of cultural celebration and as an event that warrants the adherence of
appropriate behaviors among non-masqueraders and spectators, many have voiced
the need for increased public awareness. As mentioned within my part 1 post, I
believe raising public awareness and education is definitely an important part
of the equation. I also believe,
however, additional interventions and strategies will be needed. In addition to
an awareness/education campaign, one thing comes to mind to incorporate is
social marketing. What is social marketing? Broadly speaking, social
marketing utilizes marketing concepts, such as Product,
Place, Price and Promotion (the 4Ps), to
influence behaviors with the aim of benefiting the greater social good. Let’s
consider the following scenarios and the way the 4Ps and interventions derived from
a social marketing approach could make a difference.
Scenario 1:
Picture a non-masquerader who opted to view the parade along
the Lakeshore as opposed to within a designated VIP area. What does the
environment look like? Well if this individual is standing along the Lakeshore
portion, there is likely tall fences placed along the route. Now consider what
impact could that fence have? On the one hand the fence’s intended purpose is
to deter non-masqueraders from entering the parade route, inadvertently though
the fence is also visual obstruction to those who would like to remain behind
the fence to observe the parade.
Consider what happens to the non-masquerader on the outside as the day
progresses and more non-masqueraders opt to not adhere to the fence and infiltrate
the route. As you could imagine, viewing the parade from behind the fence
becomes more and more difficult. Tired of being unable to see, the abiding non-masquerader
decides to walk along the outside of
the route with the only highlight being the possibility of running into family
or friends. (as I have been told by my non-masquerader friend).
Does this scenario sound appealing? How could social
marketing make the behavior of staying behind the fence appealing?
Reflecting on the scenario above from a social marketing
perspective, I would consider Product. Product
is a tangible object or service that is provided to
support or facilitate behavior change. In trying to make the behavior to stay
behind the fence more appealing to non-masqueraders, perhaps products the
following may have an impact:
·
Placing monitor
screens throughout the route which enable non-masqueraders to see parade from an
unobstructed view from where they are standing. (Imagine going to a Beyonce
concert, and due to your seat being far away it is somewhat challenging to see
the stage. Looking up you think to yourself, thank goodness for these monitors.
They are positioned to project closer images and ensure all attendees can enjoy
the view wherever they are sitting).
·
Placing promotional
vendors and/or interactive entertainment placed along the outside of the route.
(A driving force behind a non-masquerader infiltrating the route maybe due to
feeling like he or she is missing out of the action. If an effort is made to
make staying on the outside more appealing, perhaps more non-masqueraders will
be inclined to stay off the route).
Photo Credit: C.S.
Scenario 2
It’s 3:00pm and the procession of
the bands is underway. As a band is preparing to cross the stage, there is an
impending concern regarding the number of non-masqueraders that are
infiltrating the route. Creating a challenge of congestion and a visual eye
sore for judges and paying patrons in VIP areas, there is a sense of urgency to
secure the “stage”. Although the
anticipation to cross the stage was high, the storming within the stage area
causes many masqueraders to feel disappointed and question whether to play mas
again next year.
Does this scenario sound appealing? Could social marketing be
used to make the stage more appealing for masqueraders and apparent to
non-masqueraders?
Reflecting on the scenario above from a social marketing
perspective, I would consider Place. The place component of social marketing takes into
consideration where and when the target audience
would perform the behavior or access the product or service. With place,
consideration is given to what could be done to make the experience more convenient
and pleasant for participating individuals performing the behavior.
Using the scenario above as the
example, let’s consider the stage area within Toronto Carnival from an
environmental context. From the perspective of a non-masquerader or someone who
was unfamiliar with Toronto Carnival, do you think they would know where and
when the stage presentation is occurring? My guess is probably not, because visually
the stage is an open road. A non-masquerader or spectator who is unaware of the
competition aspect of the parade may question, what makes this “stage” portion
of the Lakeshore that much different from the section 50 meters back. In
addition to raising public awareness on Toronto Carnival, we may additionally
want to consider the following:
·
Incorporating
an elevated stage may provide the visual cue to non-masqueraders that the area
is prohibited, in addition to give masqueraders the opportunity to showcase
their costumes with minimal disruption. An elevated stage would make it quite
difficult for a non-masquerader to infiltrate the space, particularly if
security was positioned to secure the area.
·
With respect
to the VIP areas, positioning the cabana and vip areas near the judging stage to
ensure that masqueraders are in their sections and that the view is visually
appealing.
Toronto Revellers did a great job
in my opinion by factoring Place with respect to servicing their masqueraders. Being
the first band to hit the Lakeshore, masqueraders were encouraged to meet at
the assembly area at 7am. Taking into account the early meet up time, the band
offered a “J’ourvert Breakfast” to help get masqueraders nourished, and ready
for the road. Although waking up was probably a challenge, offering a breakfast
to masqueraders may have made the behavior easier or more appealing to
masqueraders to fulfil.
Scenario 3:
After attending Toronto Carnival
and observing all the action from the sidelines, a young woman and her friends
decide they want to play mas next year. Doing research into costume prices, and
noting the backline and frontline range from $150 to over $900, they quickly
realize playing mas may pose a financial challenge. Being out-of-town
masquerader having to factor in travel, accommodation fetes, the time to pick
up costumes from the mas camps, the group was hoping an adequate alternative
would be available.
This scenario is of a non-masquerader who wants to play mas,
but may be unable to access or affordability. How could social marketing be
taken into consideration?
Reflecting on the scenario above from a social marketing
perspective, I would consider Price. Within social
marketing the Price component strives to decrease the cost or barriers to
perform the desired behavior. Price is not limited to monetary considerations
but also factor in costs such as time. Referencing
scenario 3, the price of costumes may be a monetary concern for
non-masqueraders, who may be willing to participate formally if an alternative
inexpensive option were available. Alternatively, in terms of the cost of time,
many masqueraders this year voiced challenges of being able to locate an
entrance to meet their band and as such missed the stage. Here are some options of interventions that
incorporate price:
·
Offering a
cost friendly Las Lap t-shirt band which would cross the stage after all the
mas bands and steel pan bands have made their way down the route. Making pre-registration
and on-site registration available, the opportunity is provided to
non-masqueraders to become t-shirt masqueraders on the day of the parade and
deters the overused phrase “You Should Have Bought A Costume”. A Las Lap band may
also promote congregation within a designated area as opposed to along the
route which creates congestion.
·
With many
masqueraders being social media savvy, the use of technology should be
incorporated. The incorporation of an interactive map that illustrates entry
points, in addition to updates as to which band is crossing the stage may be a
great way to reduce the cost of time and keep masqueraders and spectators
informed with up to date information
Last but not least of the 4Ps is Promotion. Let’s consider the following scenario.
Scenario 4:
As part of the communication
strategy, promotional material is disseminated online with the goal to
highlight the upcoming events within the Toronto Carnival Festival. Though the information
is well crafted and shared broadly to an audience interested in the festival, each
year there is concern over non-masqueraders who do not respect the Grand
Parade.
Let’s Face it, Stormers ruin the
parade. What interventions and communication strategies should be used to deter
it?
As mentioned within my part 1
reflection post, it is important to ensure the communication messages and
methods used to disseminate the information, not only reach the target
population (ie. Stormers) but also convey the desired behavior we would like
them to adopt. Knowing who the target audience is and their associated
characteristics is important, and often requires background work such as
retrospective qualitative data collection or surveys. Collectively, I believe there
is benefit in knowing the communication initiatives are being targeted to the
intended audience, especially in situations where behavior change is the goal.
This wraps up Part 2 of my
Toronto Carnival Reflection. Although the scenarios above highlight some of the
challenges within our carnival, they were used to serve as an example of how
social marketing techniques could be incorporated in determining a solution.
Defining solutions is a task that will require collective effort, collaboration
and buy-in from stakeholders. In part 3 of my Toronto Reflection post I plan to
talk about this as well as evaluation. (As
a side note- I promise part 3 won’t take as long to post. I’m nearly done my
final draft :).
Thanks for reading!
Feel free to leave any comments
below. I would love to hear your feedback!
If you want to contact the author
of the post directly, send an email to the.collabo.inc@gmail.com