Q&A with Jennifer Dooley, Ph.D., Principal Consultant at Dooley Social Change
PHOTO: JENNIFER DOOLEY
I worked on a website project with Jennifer for one of her clients a couple of years ago and was impressed with her in-depth, research-driven approach to creating marketing and communications plans. I really appreciated Jennifer’s process, she researched market positioning, developed target personas, created key messaging and uncovered the best channels to reach each audience through. I caught up with Jennifer a few weeks ago to chat about how her business has evolved over the past 10 years, what her niche is today and uncover what the future holds for Dooley Social Change!
Can you tell me about your background?
I have worked in the fields of advertising, marketing research, health promotion, and social good for over 15 years contributing to climate-conscious sustainable brands, ivy league universities, women’s rights, health and wellness, government initiatives, the arts, and private industries. My client list ranges from local Alberta clients to global change-makers in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. My work has been featured in academic and government publications and I have presented at 11 academic, professional, governmental and global NGO conferences in five countries (seven by invitation) including the Innovation for Leadership Conference (IT University of Copenhagen), Women's Leadership Conference (University of Calgary) and the World Social Marketing Conferences (Brighton, Dublin, and Toronto). I'm also an Adjunct Professor of Health Marketing, where I am developing a curriculum to teach Master's Students in Health Services Management in the summer of 2020.
Where did you go to school? What did you study? What led you to undertake your Ph.D.?
I hold a Ph.D. in Social Good Marketing, specializing in digital media from the University of Wollongong (Australia) and a Master of Science in Health Promotion Studies from the University of Alberta.
I was the only student in my Master’s program to undertake an international internship to learn about behaviour change for social good, a placement at the Queen's Awarded Institute for Social Marketing in Europe. During this internship, I contributed to projects for the European Union, World Health Organization, National Health Services, Scottish Executive, National Prevention Research Initiative, Food Standards Agency, and National Institute for Clinical Excellence. During my placement at the ISM, I also edited the first European text in the groundbreaking field of social marketing authored by the founder and Director of the Institute of Social Marketing.
I first considered undertaking a Ph.D. while employed at Alberta Health Services. From 2008 - 2010, I led three large multi-faceted health marketing campaigns in the areas of breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening involving teams of marketers, health promoters and health care professionals. The products of the campaigns were published academically and many components are still in use today at screeningforlife.ca. It was during this time that I learned about the great promise and potential that marketing for social good could have on the betterment of individuals and societies. I applied to several Ph.D. programs and chose to pursue my studies in Australia after being awarded an International Research Scholarship. My Ph.D. research developed a rigorous evidence base for planning, monitoring, and evaluating digital communication campaigns for social change related to health-behavior.
Who are your typical clients? Tell me about your process? How long does a typical project last?
Here are our 3 steps for planning a social good campaign, most of which are implemented on digital channels.
1. Start by listening.
Our first step is to immerse ourselves into the hearts and minds of priority audiences and understand how they behave as well as connect online and offline. We call on our marketing research expertise to analyze conversations and map key insights. If we need more information, we will go beyond our online or desktop reviews and speak to priority audiences directly. We will ask a lot of questions using a mix of surveys, focus groups, one-on-one interviews, or workshops. These insights help us to develop effective marketing strategies that connect people with the organizations and brands they love. We also believe that research shouldn’t happen in isolation, that’s why we engage our clients in every step of the way.
2. Harness the power of visual assets and storytelling.
Engaging stories have the power to attract and create interest. We are passionate about helping brands and initiatives we believe in determine the best way to get their message across so that it not only connects but also resonates. Whether these brand stories are shared through imagery, videos, blogs, social proof, or thought leadership - our work aims to create content that fuels the market. And, we document our plans in monthly schedules which showcase clear calls to action - anything from online brand engagement to on-the-ground brand interactions.
3. Deliver and refine.
To make sure we are delivering quality content and achieving success, we are always listening, monitoring, and refining along the way. Allowing the data to drive each campaign is an integral and ongoing part of our process. At the end of the day, it’s about understanding and utilizing the metrics and content that matters most.
What type of work does Dooley Social Change specialize in? Do you use external vendors and partners on projects?
We specialize in: marketing research, early strategic planning; segmentation analysis, targeting, social media and digital marketing, social good marketing, user-centered design, and thought leadership.
Dooley Social Change partners with local branding and creative agencies to bring research and strategies to life. We pride ourselves on finding the right creative fit for the client that we are working with to ensure continued success for each and every project we work on. The result is being able to bring research and customer insights to life in a way that is not only attractive but helps improve understanding and engagement.
Some examples of our projects include:
Focus testing and co-creation to inform a healthy living brand experience for an Alberta community hub and active living center.
Persona mapping and design workshops to create a new foster care brand that helps to recruit and retain the best fit foster parents for Alberta children in care.
Devising an integrated social media content marketing strategy and delivering seasonal health information online for a virtual healthcare service geared towards Canadian employees.
Using focus testing with the public and key influencers to recommend digital campaign tactics to prevent hearing loss among Alberta youth.
Undertaking a segmentation analysis of American youth to encourage them to use a mobile application for personal storage to minimize their environmental footprint.
Promoting dialogue and engaging community members in Australia with preventing violence against women through the uptake of current evidence reports and best practice toolkits for gender equality
When should people/companies hire you?
Reach out to us if you have a brand that is innovative and purposeful yet you are having difficulty communicating your unique brand message to end-users. Whether it's raising awareness or changing behaviours through your unique programs, services, or products - we are here to help.
What are the top books have you read lately?
Social Marketing: Behaviour Change for Social Good – Nancy Lee & Philip Kotler
The Fictional Woman - Tara Moss
Advice on minimalism and mindful money on the blog by SugarMamma
The Artist Way at Work - Riding the Dragon - Bryan, Cameron, & Allen
What is your biggest challenge of being a business owner?
Finding a balance between pursuing business passions and extracurricular passions. I have a strong drive to help businesses become more human-centered, so sometimes I become very involved in work and am guilty of not spending as much time on self-care as I would like.
This year, I had to put my volunteer efforts on hold as my free time has been dedicated to developing University curriculum for health marketing. I used to do portrait photography, volunteer in local women's empowerment fashion events, was an Official United Nations (UN) Foundation partner for Girl Up (supporting UN programs promoting the health, safety, education, and leadership of girls globally) and on a board for a mental health mobile app geared towards Canadian youth. I hope to do more of this volunteer work again in the near future!
What do you do for fun?
In my spare time, I enjoy Muay Thai Kickboxing, hiking with my two dogs and husband, and traveling around the world photographing innovative cities. I am an artist at heart and enjoy bringing creativity to any project I work on.
To learn more about Dooley Social Change, get in touch with us here. You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook or sign-up to receive our newsletter.
Jennifer also posts regularly on LinkedIn