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The Mouse That RoaredA Marketing and Health

Communications Success Story

C A N A D I A N J O U R N A L O F

P U B L I CH E A L T HV O L U M E 9 5 , S U P P L E M E N T 2 " M A Y / J U N E 2 0 0 4

R E V U E C A N A D I E N N E D E

S A N T ÉP U B L I Q U EV O L U M E 9 5 , S U P P L É M E N T 2 " M A I / J U I N 2 0 0 4

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AcknowledgementsThe original articles in this supplement were written by a voluntary group that included researchers, educators, marketing and health pro-motion consultants, and leaders in the field of active living. Their objective was to share the strategies and learnings fromParticipACTION’s experiences in the hope that they will prove useful to future health promotion initiatives in Canada and around theworld. A sincere thank you to:• Adrian Bauman, Sesquicentenary Professor of Health Promotion and Behavioral Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of

Sydney, Australia • Cora Lynn Craig, CEO, Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, Ottawa, ON• Peggy Edwards, Principal, The Alder Group, Ottawa, ON• Christa Costas-Bradstreet, Physical Activity Specialist, City of Hamilton Public Health and Community Services Department,

Hamilton, ON• François Lagarde, Social Marketing and Communications Consultant, Montreal, QC• Judith Madill, Associate Professor, Marketing, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON • Irving Rootman, Professor and Distinguished Scholar Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, University of Victoria, BC• Art Salmon, Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Recreation, Toronto, ON

Special thanks is also accorded to: • Russ Kisby (former President of ParticipACTION) for his wisdom and wit as an advisor to the project• Ebbe Marquardsen (early staff member) for his help with fundraising and his willingness to root through some really old boxes of stuff• Monique Joly for her excellent translation/adaptation from English into French• François Lagarde for his rigour and sensitivity in French editing• The numerous people who described their experiences and insights in interviews and e-mails (see specific articles for their names)• The Canadian Public Health Association for its support and commitment to this partnership project.

This historical supplement was made possible by the financial support of key sponsors, a number of committed suppliers who supportthe ParticipACTION cause and a host of individual friends of ParticipACTION. Thank you one and all!

Key Sponsors• Marilyn Knox • YMCA Canada • AstraZeneca Canada Inc.• Philippe de Gaspé Beaubien • Ontario Physical and Health • Power Corporation of Canada• Donald Bailey Education Association • Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada

Committed Suppliers• The Alder Group Inc. • Cormana Group • Kuper Productions Ltd.• Manifest Communications Inc. • Spencer Francey Peters Inc.

Friends of ParticipACTION• Elio Antunes• Sally Armstrong• Claude Bouchard• Brenda Buchanan• Mary Bush• David Carmichael• Charles Caty• Pierre Chartier• Nanci Colbeck• Peter Colbeck• Martin Collis• Cheryl Cooke• Christa Costas-Bradstreet• Cora Craig• Paul Damaso• Nancy Dubois• Robert Duck• Roger Duval

• Peggy Edwards• Catherine Fauquier• Catherine Geoffroy• Norm Gledhill• Joyce Gordon• Steve Grundy• Jo Hauser• Larry Hershfield• Lidia Kemeny• Merle Kisby• Russ Kisby• David Korn • Guy Laflamme• François Lagarde• Grace Lawrence• Tom Love• Parry Lowndes• Tom MacMillan

• Denyse Marion• Ebbe Marquardsen• James Mintz• Martha Murray• Newfoundland and

Labrador Public HealthAssociation

• Richard Oland• Ontario Prevention

Clearinghouse• Laura Palmer-Korn• Greg Petrie• Lavada Pinder• Jane Proudfoot• Art Quinney• David Rae• Brunhild Ramaut• Irv Rootman

• Heather Rowe• John Rowe• Bridget Ryan• Art Salmon• Saskatoon Health Region• Roy Shephard• Donald Smith• J.W. Sporta Limited• Thomas Stephens• Gordon Stewart• Jim Struthers• Laurel Stultz• Marcel Tremblay• TRI FIT Inc.• Sue Vail

Queries and comments can be sent to: For additional copies, contact: Peggy Edwards, Content Editor: [email protected] Canadian Public Health Association, (613) 725-3769, ext. 118

MAY – JUNE 2004 CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH S1

CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

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ParticipACTION: The Mouse That RoaredA Marketing and Health Communications Success Story

FOREWORDS

S4 Philippe de Gaspé BeaubienParticipACTION Founder and Board Chair, 1973-77

S5 Marilyn KnoxPresident Nutrition, Nestlé Canada ParticipACTION Board Member since 1992, Chair, 2000-2001

S5 Gerald DafoeFormer CEO, Canadian Public Health Association

ARTICLES

S6 No Country Mouse: Thirty Years of Effective Marketing and Health Communications Peggy Edwards

S14 ParticipACTION: This Mouse Roared, But Did It Get the Cheese?Adrian Bauman, Judith Madill, Cora Lynn Craig, Art Salmon

S20 The Mouse Under the Microscope: Keys to ParticipACTION’s SuccessFrançois Lagarde

S25 Spreading the Message Through Community Mobilization, Education and Leadership:A Magnanimouse TaskChrista Costas-Bradstreet

S30 The Challenge of Bilingualism: ParticipACTION Campaigns Succeeded in Two LanguagesFrançois Lagarde

S33 The Mouseketeers®: People Make the DifferencePeggy Edwards

S37 The Best Laid Schemes of Mice and Men… ParticipACTION’s Legacy and the Future of PhysicalActivity Promotion in CanadaIrving Rootman, Peggy Edwards

APPENDIX

S43 Historical Milestones for ParticipACTION

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Forewords

In early 1970, Mr. Pierre Elliott Trudeau, then Prime Minister of Canada, asked me tochair the Canadian Council for Physical Fitness and Amateur Sports. After conductingsome research, the Council was shocked to discover that Canada was ranked one of the

lowest countries in the world in terms of the degree of physical fitness of its citizens. I sug-gested to the Prime Minister that we should create an organization that would be mandat-ed to try to change this unfortunate fact. As I remember it, 85% of our free time asCanadians (after work and sleep) was spent watching TV and riding in automobiles.

Mr. Trudeau naturally asked me how much it would cost to create this organization.I replied that it costs automobile companies a minimum of five million dollars to launch anew model, and that we would need at least the same amount to change Canadians’ fitnessawareness. He thought the amount high but offered to contribute half, over a period oftime, if we could raise the other half.

We started “ParticipACTION” (coining a new word in the process) with a seed grantfrom government and enlisted the contribution of the major media players across Canada.Thanks to this new partnership between the federal government and the media in ourcountry, we managed to raise the necessary funds and set out to change the physical fitnessawareness and involvement of Canadians from coast to coast.

Thanks to ParticipACTION, Canadians became more involved in taking the good oftheir own health in hand. The program provided a model for other countries in terms ofwhat could be done to motivate citizens to become more active. We succeeded in position-ing ourselves in the top 10 leading nations with respect to our physical fitness level.

In so doing, ParticipACTION helped Canadians become fitter and more active in theircommunities, and contributed over the course of 30 years towards saving our governmentmillions of dollars in remedial medical expenditures. To this day, I still find it hard tounderstand why the federal government reduced to such an extent and then terminated itsfinancial support for ParticipACTION, a program with such obvious health benefits forour nation.

Nevertheless, I am forever proud to have been associated with the dedicated individualswho launched and ran ParticipACTION all those years. You helped us become betterbecause of your “being there.”

Philippe de Gaspé BeaubienPresident, La Fondation de Gaspé BeaubienFormer President of TélémédiaParticipACTION Founder and Board Chair, 1973-77


In December 2000, the Board of ParticipACTION decided to close its doors because ofinsufficient resources to continue a national campaign in the highly competitive com-munications and media environment of the 21st century. It was not an easy decision to

make. A subsequent survey showed that even with minimal coverage and no new cam-paigns in the previous year, 85% of Canadians still recognized the ParticipACTION brandand message. This is an accomplishment that many private companies who spend millionsof dollars on advertising would love to achieve.

It is important that we document the ParticipACTION story, and the support of CPHAin helping to share this information is most appreciated. The future is also important. Asthe prevalence of obesity and chronic diseases increases in Canada, the physical activitymessage is even more relevant.

Although ParticipACTION was a small company, its voice and message rang loud andclear. It was the proverbial “mouse that roared.” What will fill the void? A mouse’s shoesmay be small, but when you are as popular as Mickey®, they are pretty hard to fill.

Marilyn KnoxPresident Nutrition, Nestlé CanadaParticipACTION Board Member since 1992, Chair, 2000-2001

In 1991, the Canadian Public Health Association presented ParticipACTION with oneof its highest awards – the Ortho Award for “outstanding contribution to health inCanada.” CPHA and ParticipACTION have been longstanding partners and friends,

having worked together on issues such as physical activity and aging, prenatal fitness, phys-ical activity in schools and workplaces, the CrownLife ParticipACTION Challenge andother initiatives.

Social marketing and health communications have now become a standard part of pub-lic health practice in Canada. We owe much of what we have learned toParticipACTION’s leadership. The year that ParticipACTION began its ground-breakingcampaign was the same year that Philip Kotler and Gerald Zaltman published the first arti-cle suggesting that the marketing techniques used to sell Coca-Cola® could also be used tosell health and social ideas such as physical activity.

This is an important story for public health in Canada and around the world. CPHA,through the Canadian Journal of Public Health, is pleased to help tell it.

Gerald DafoeFormer Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Public Health Association


No Country MouseThirty Years of Effective Marketing and HealthCommunications

Peggy Edwards

ParticipACTION was one of the longest-running communication campaigns to pro-mote physical activity in the world. For over 30 years, the proverbial “mouse thatroared” nudged Canadians of all ages, sizes and shapes to make physical activity a

part of our everyday lives. With a small staff and a small budget, the organization and itsmessage managed to become a uniquely Canadian source of influence, recognition andpride. The story of how this was accomplished is important for practitioners, marketersand planners in communications, public health and health promotion. This article pro-vides an overview of the ParticipACTION story by focussing on the historical context andmarketing highlights. The other articles in the supplement take a more in-depth look atsome of the key people, community mobilization and educational activities, evaluation,communicating in two languages and lessons learned.

A model of social marketing or health communications or both?What’s in a title? A lot! After much discussion and debate, the authors of this supplementhave called it ParticipACTION: The Mouse That Roared. A Marketing and HealthCommunications Success Story. In doing so, we suggest that by nature of its inception andevolution, ParticipACTION was a hybrid of both, a kind of experimental mouse thatadopted techniques from both camps along the way. Bauman, Madill, Craig and Salmonexplore the theoretical side of this evolution as well as the results of the agency’s efforts intheir article, “ParticipACTION: This Mouse Roared, But Did It Get the Cheese?”1

In 1971, when ParticipACTION began, the discipline called “health communications”did not exist. While efforts to persuade people to act in a healthy way are as old or olderthan public health itself, “health education” was the primary strategy used in the 1950sand ’60s by most people in the health field. Health education was essentially a one-wayform of communication designed to give people information, not to persuade them to takeaction. Today, the Health Communication Unit at the Centre for Health Promotion,University of Toronto defines comprehensive health communication campaigns as:

“goal-oriented attempts to inform, persuade or motivate personal and social change at theindividual, network, organizational and societal levels. They are aimed at a well-defined,large audience and occur during a given time period, which may range from a few weeks tomany years. They involve an organized set of communication activities and may draw ontechniques from social marketing, media advocacy and community mobilization.” 2

Similarly, in 1971, the theory and discipline of social marketing had just been intro-duced in the academic literature3 and was not in common practice. Thus,ParticipACTION became a leader in the developing fields of social marketing and healthcommunications by both necessity and design.

Health communications and social marketing are important strategies for increasingawareness and knowledge, and for influencing attitudes, beliefs and behaviours. They aremost effective when used in combination with a variety of other interventions at the com-munity level.4 As the subsequent articles will show, ParticipACTION used a unique com-

bination of awareness, education andmotivational techniques, including:• public messaging through a wide variety

and mix of media;• marketing techniques, such as branding,

promotion, positioning, point-of-purchase marketing and identity devel-opment;

• educational information and motiva-tional programs delivered through inter-mediaries;

• partnerships and networking;• community mobilization and events;

and• face-to-face influence and leadership.

To understand how all of these elementswere employed, it is important to set thehistorical context and document thesequence of events, as well as the thinkingbehind some of the major decisions. (SeeAppendix for a listing of the milestonesfrom 1971 to 2000.) It is hard, if notimpossible, to do justice to this rich histo-ry in one article. I was overwhelmed whenI reviewed the ParticipACTION archivesin terms of the quantity and creativity ofits products, messages and shenanigans!This article begins the story by focussingprimarily on ParticipACTION’s publicmessaging and marketing experience. Theother elements are discussed in more detailin subsequent articles.

The early yearsIn the late 1960s, Canadian leaders wereconcerned about declining standards ofhealth and fitness, increasing rates of car-diovascular disease and rapidly risinghealth costs. On an earlier visit to Canada,Prince Philip had admonished Canadiansabout their sedentary lifestyles and suggest-ed that in the event of an emergency,Canada was ill prepared to respond. Thisspurred the creation of Bill C-131 – AnAct to Promote Fitness and AmateurSport, and the creation of Sport Canadaand Recreation Canada (which wasrenamed Fitness Canada in 1980). Duringthe 1970s, national conferences on Fitnessand Health and Employee Fitness wereheld, millions of school children earnedthe Canada Fitness Award, and the firstCanada Fitness Survey was launched.

In 1974, A New Perspective on the Healthof Canadians5 was published and a modernhealth promotion concept was introducedto Canada and the world. This landmarkdocument called on sport programs,

Peggy Edwards is a health promotion consultant with the Alder Group. She is a former head writer forParticipACTION, and served as a Communications Executive at Health Canada and Manager of theFitness Secretariat at the Canadian Public Health Association.


NO COUNTRY MOUSE

employers, unions, municipalities and thewomen’s movement to support physicalactivity opportunities for all Canadians. Asthe fitness movement gained strengthacross the country, ParticipACTION pro-vided leadership through its media cam-paigns and special initiatives.

The Birth of an IdeaIn 1969, a study commissioned by theNational Advisory Council for Fitness andAmateur Sport concluded that Canadianswere in terrible shape, that the future well-being of Canadians was in jeopardy andthat, to all appearances, most Canadianscouldn’t care less. In response, Philippe deGaspé Beaubien, who was Chair of theCouncil, asked then Prime Minister PierreTrudeau and federal government officialsto provide seed money for the creation ofan independent fitness promotion agency,involving both public and private sectorfunding.

The new national, non-profit company– originally called “Sport ParticipationCanada” – held its first official meeting inSeptember 1971. A head-hunting compa-ny approached Keith McKerracher, a suc-cessful marketing consultant, to lead thenew agency. “I’ll never forget that ad,” saysMcKerracher. “It read: ‘Wanted: a ChiefExecutive Officer to whip Canada intoshape. The reward – a generous salary andthe thanks of future generations.’”McKerracher readily admits that he knewnothing about physical education (someprofessionals protested that the govern-ment was hiring a ‘huckster’), but he kneweverything about successful marketing.

McKerracher established an office inMontreal. He hired Jacques Gravel, aFrancophone who worked in marketing andadvertising, and Russ Kisby who broughtextensive experience in the fields of physicaleducation and recreation. Philippe de GaspéBeaubien served as the first president. ABoard of Directors was established, made upof prominent Canadians, including theRight Honourable Lester B. Pearson whoserved as Chairman from 1971 to 1972.(See the article on the Mouseketeers® formore details on the people behind the idea.)

The organization’s stated purpose wastwo-fold: to motivate all Canadians to bemore active, and to improve general levels offitness over the long term. What set themapart from others with similar goals was their

The Truth About the 60-Year-Old Swede

Early in the fall of 1972, Russ Kisby showedMcKerracher a book by Dr. Roy Shephard thatdescribed how an active man at age 60 could havethe same level of fitness as a sedentary man at age30. On the same page was a chart comparing fitnesslevels in various countries, with Sweden at the topand Canada way down the list. McKerracher imme-diately seized on the opportunity to meld these twoideas. He created a 15-second television public ser-vice announcement (PSA) showing a 60-year-oldSwede jogging effortlessly beside a puffing 30-year-old Canadian. The voice-over said: “These men areabout evenly matched. That’s because the average30-year-old Canadian is in about the same shape as the average 60-year-old Swede.Run. Walk. Cycle. Let’s get Canada moving again.” The spot was shown only six timesduring Canadian Football League games in 1973. The outcry was immediate and evensparked a debate in parliament. Canadians were alarmed and embarrassed. The ad dra-matized the poor fitness level of Canadians so effectively that it became the cornerstoneof a new fitness movement. The 60-year-old Swede proved to be a powerful communi-cations concept that influenced social norms – in the short term through public debate,and in the long term because it remained a memorable “hot spot” over decades.

Governor General Roland Michener was an active supporter of ParticipACTION.

NO COUNTRY MOUSE


intent to use commercial marketing tech-niques and tools to “sell” their mission.McKerracher was determined to create anadvertising symbol as well-known in Canadaas the Canadian wool mark. McKerrachersays: “The wool symbol said warm, wear for-ever and look great; our brand would sayactivity, health, me, time to get moving.”

An early strategic plan describedParticipACTION’s purpose as:

“the development of a major, ongoing,national campaign to motivate allCanadians to become more physicallyactive. We aim to do this through theuse of modern communication and per-suasion techniques designed to increasepublic awareness and concern aboutphysical fitness. We also aim to makephysical fitness and activity more sociallyacceptable.”

The last sentence is particularly signifi-cant. It speaks to the long-term goal ofchanging social norms, which is a primaryobjective of modern social marketing andhealth communications campaigns.

In the early stages, ParticipACTIONoften talked about a dual mandate – that ofinfluencing individuals to get fit, but also tobuild a fit nation. The team decided thatthe best way to defuse people’s perceptionsof fitness as hard, sweaty and inconvenientwas to serve up the message with humour.Canadians awoke to find signs on theirbuses saying, “Jog to the rear of the bus. Ifyou’re like most Canadians, it’s the only realexercise you’ll get today” and “Canada, thetrue North soft and free” (the “strong” inthe national anthem was crossed out andreplaced by “soft”). It was impossible not tolaugh when ParticipACTION staff arrestedmayors for being unfit, and celebratedSt. Patrick’s Day with a radio announce-ment featuring a very Irish accent thatdescribed how St. Patrick “jogged thesnakes out of Ireland … and that’s why theycall running shoes ‘snakers’.”

Branding an Idea: How to Become asFamous as Mickey® and Minnie®

Most corporations and businesses spend mil-lions, even billions of dollars to achieve brandrecognition. With a small budget and veryfew staff, the mouse that roared managed tobecome almost as familiar to Canadians asMickey® himself. As described in the article

by Bauman et al., brand recognition ofParticipACTION and its message has beenconsistently over 80%, even after the agencystopped producing new ads in 1999.1 This isno accident. As a marketing agency,ParticipACTION understood that creatingan identity that appeals to your audience is asimportant as the message itself.

In his article, “The Challenge ofBilingualism”, Lagarde6 explains how thename ParticipACTION was conceived. Thedecision to go with a new word that no onehad ever heard of was deliberate. “We hadtoyed with names like Get Active, SportParticipation and even Fitness Canada,” saysKisby, “but all our focus tests reported thatCanadians associated the words ‘fitness’ and‘exercise’ with hard work and inconve-nience, ‘sport’ with high performance, and‘Canada’ with a government agency. Wedecided to go with a name that had no bag-gage attached to it, even if it meant over-coming the initial reluctance people have toaccepting a new word.”

McKerracher, who was a perfectionistabout creative, had rejected many logoproposals when he finally asked a designerhe knew to try something new. WolfgangLetzin produced the famous red and bluepinwheel on his first try and gave it to thenew agency gratis. This symbol, whicheffectively suggests motion and spins in

television ads, was just what McKerracherwas looking for. A positioning statement,“The Canadian Movement for PersonalFitness”, which accurately defined the newagency’s mission, was added to the mix.Throughout the first decade, the symbol,name, message and movement rapidlygained momentum. By 1978, 79% ofCanadians knew the ParticipACTIONbrand7 and the positioning statement wasno longer required.

Using Marketing Techniques andSettings to Create a MovementFrom the outset, ParticipACTION used thefive Ps of marketing (product, place, price,promotion and positioning) in a creativemix that hit the mark. The agency alsomade use of two basic types of marketingstrategies.8 The “push” strategy was aimedat intermediaries and influencers such aseducators, employers and politicians whocontrolled the environment for physicalactivity. The “pull” strategy was aimeddirectly at the public through persuasivemessages designed to convince individualsthat they needed ParticipACTION’s prod-uct and that the price was right. A pamphletpublished in the mid ’70s described theParticipACTION philosophy this way:• Fitness is for everyone, not just for ath-

letes and not just for the young.

ParticipACTION’s Marketing Mix

Product: An active, healthy lifestyle; a fit nation.

Place: Be active at home, school, work, while travelling to and from, whileenjoying the outdoors, in your neighbourhood and community.

Price: Being active is easy, fun, accessible and inexpensive. Benefits includehealth, appearance and well-being.

Promotion: Public service advertising, public relations, personal selling, communityevents, educational resources. Channels of distribution included media(mass and targeted), sponsor messages, the Internet, workplaces,schools, universities, communities, events, point of purchase in super-markets and pharmacies, recreation, fitness and sport venues, educa-tional material (films, posters, etc.), health professionals, dietitians andcommunity leaders.

Positioning: The Canadian movement for personal fitness.

• Fitness delivers tremendous benefits.• Getting there is half the fun.• Fitness can become a way of life for the

individual, the family and the country asa whole.While ParticipACTION made effective

use of commercial marketing practices, itsleaders never forgot that behaviour changestarts with an idea, not a product.“Effective social marketing respects itsaudience,” says Kisby. “Communicationcampaigns that condescend or tell peoplewhat they should do inevitably fail. Aneffective campaign shows rather than claimsthat an idea is good, and how and why it isworth acting on.”

At the same time, leaders in the agencywho had roots in the YMCA knew intu-itively that a “settings approach” was a prac-tical way to reach and motivate a variety oftarget audiences. Kisby’s hometown ofSaskatoon became ParticipACTION’s firstpilot community and an enthusiastic guinea

pig for testing a number of innovative ideasat the community level, such as an inter-citychallenge. The article by Costas-Bradstreetin this issue explores this further.9

Partnerships with teachers, school admin-istrators and organizations such as theCanadian Association for Health, PhysicalEducation and Recreation (CAHPER –later CAHPERD) enabled Particip-ACTION to bring their message to chil-dren, educators and parents through schoolsettings. Ironically, many university educa-tors who later became some of Particip-ACTION’s best supporters were at firstskeptical about what the agency was about.The production of a booklet with CAHPERcalled What’s the Matter with Kids Today?cemented the relationship by bringing theresearchers’ concerns about children’s lackof fitness to a broad audience. The engagingbooklet used art and the graphic style fromthe original “Dick and Jane” books thatmany of the baby boomers had used inschool to learn to read.

Fitness in the workplace became a majorfocus for governments and Particip-ACTION in the late 1970s and early ’80s.Canadian National, Téléglobe Canada,MacMillan Bloedel, Wood Gundy, TDBank, Sun Life and others participated inFITNESS: THE FACTS, Particip-ACTION’s information campaign onemployee fitness, which eventually reachedsome 100,000 employees and their families.Supplements in enRoute and the FinancialPost urged busy executives to “find time”for fitness for both themselves and theiremployees. In the early 1980s, Particip-ACTION began distributing health com-munication booklets on a variety of topicsto employees in more than 2,000 compa-nies. This continued until 1999. (See thearticle by Costas-Bradstreet9 for otherexamples of workplace initiatives.)

By the end of the first decade,ParticipACTION had more than met thegoals of awareness and attitude change.The agency had created an identity andmade a major contribution to the growthof the fitness movement. ParticipACTIONand its partners had brought us an engag-ing media campaign, a national televisionspecial, 100 ParticiParks, fitness posterscreated by some of Canada’s most impor-tant artists, plus hundreds of other promo-tions. The agency had won the hearts andminds of many educators and employers.


NO COUNTRY MOUSE

MissionBe a leading catalyst and provide information to positivelyinfluence personal behaviour and social supports thatencourage healthy, active living for all Canadians.

Influence InfluencePersonal Behaviour Social Supports

Individuals Intermediaries SettingsMass and targeted Parents, teachers, peers, Family, school, communications health, physical activity workplace, organizations,

awareness, and community leaders social groupseducation, motivation

Targeted Strategies

Information Mobilization Leverage

Partners

Figure 1. ParticipACTION’s Strategic Framework

Governments Corporatepartners

Healthand fitnessorganiza-

tions

Researchers

CommunityprogramsMedia

Extract from the CAHPER booklet, “What’s theMatter with Kids Today?”

With a staff of less than ten (who put inmany miles delivering the message acrossCanada), the mouse was racing to makeParticipACTION’s vision a reality.

The middle and later years: Sustaininga movementIn the 1980s and ’90s, physical activity andhealth promotion gained important ground.During the ’80s, the fitness movement con-tinued to both grow and focus – on children,youth, seniors, Canadians with disabilities,women, and fitness leadership. In 1986,CPHA co-hosted the first international con-ference on health promotion, with HealthCanada and the World Health Organization.Delegates developed the Ottawa Charter forHealth Promotion.10 At the same conference,Health Canada released Achieving Health forAll: A Framework for Health Promotion,11

which led to the birth of the active livingconcept. In 1986, the Fitness Summit rein-forced the movement toward the gentler con-cept of “active living”. Ten years later, theSurgeon General’s report on physical activityand health summarized the evidence sup-porting this moderate approach to physicalactivity. During this period, Canada hostedtwo international conferences on PhysicalActivity, Fitness and Health (1988 and1992). Health Canada released nationalguidelines on healthy weights and a series ofPhysical Activity Guides to Healthy ActiveLiving.

ParticipACTION helped sustain theactive living movement and their creativeleadership by leveraging support and build-ing partnerships, producing motivationalmessages and increasing community involve-ment. The agency had a clear mission andmulti-level targeted strategies as shown inFigure 1 (see page S9). But ultimately thechanging media landscape, competing prior-ities, and reduced levels of core governmentfunding for public service announcementsforced the agency to close its doors inJanuary 2001.

Leveraging Support and BuildingPartnershipsFrom its earliest days, ParticipACTIONworked hard to leverage support for its mes-sage. For most of the first twenty years, staffwent across Canada from station to stationand newspaper to newspaper to explain theircause. This personal approach combinedwith high-quality advertising ensured that

the agency never needed to pay one cent formedia coverage. The value of this coveragegrew to some $15 million per year in theearly 1990s (not including in-kind supportand other non-media exposures). The cumu-

lative value of media support over 29 years isestimated to be some $280 million.

Over the years, ParticipACTIONworked with and nurtured a host of masscommunication supporters of their PSAs

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TABLE IIMain Sources of Funding (in constant 1971 dollars)*

Year Fitness/Health Canada Other Sponsors1971-72 $262,000 –1980-81 $302,772 $272,4951990-91 $266,384 $440,3341999-2000 $122,044 $101,371

* Calculated with Bank of Canada’s Inflation Calculator using Consumer Price Indexdata

TABLE IIIExamples of Corporate (Cash $) Support

Amount Company Type of Initiative$3,500,000 Crown Life Insurance (10 years) 500 communities in activity

challenge$1,500,000 Astra Pharma (3 years) Materials for community leaders$1,000,000 Air Canada, CN Rail, Royal Bank Purchase employee education

materials$1,000,000 Crown Life Insurance (5 years) Newsletter to 1,000 worksites$750,000 Astra Pharma (3 years) “Healthier future” media messages$350,000 Sun Life Assurance Community fitness trails and

education$300,000 Hoffmann-La Roche Obesity education campaign$275,000 H.J. Heinz Public education with family

physicians$200,000 Merck Frosst Community leader resources for

seniors

TABLE IVGovernment Contracts for Community Mobilization

$6,500,000 Canada 125 program 50 community animators, (1992) Government of Canada 1.1 million volunteers, 21,000

registered community events

$5,000,000 Trans Canada Trail Relay 2000 30 community animators, over 800 (2000) Millennium Bureau of Canada participating communities, tens of

thousands of volunteer leaders

$1,500,000 1988 Olympic Torch Relay 10 community animators mobilized (1988) Government of Canada 1,600 communities in support of the

Petro-Canada Relay

TABLE ITraditional Mass Communication Supporters of ParticipACTION PSA Messages

350 television and cable stations580 radio stations*110 daily newspapers950 weekly newspapers1,100 commercial/professional magazines1,100 corporate publications and newsletters

* no radio ads produced after 1995 due to reduced core funding

(Table I). “The good will of a variety ofmedia was essential to ParticipACTION’ssuccess,” says François Lagarde, a socialmarketing consultant and former vice-president of the agency.

Successful media exposure helped toattract and involve corporate partners whomatched or exceeded government support(see Tables II and III). It also helped in thecreation of a network of committed com-munity supporters in all walks of life, whoprovided millions of Canadians with accessto physical activity avenues and programs.

The federal government provided corefunding to ParticipACTION over its29 years of operation, although levels ofsupport were significantly reduced through-out the 1990s (see Table II). Several initia-tives were funded by provincial govern-ments. Not-for-profit and professionalpartners such as the Heart and StrokeFoundation and the Canadian PublicHealth Association contributed to manyprojects by providing expertise, access tokey influencers and other in-kind supportwhose value is beyond estimation. The arti-

cle by Costas-Bradstreet describes some ofthe key health communication and com-munity mobilization projects carried out inpartnership with both the private and non-profit sectors.9 In addition, the agency wasable to tap into a number of other federalprograms for special community mobiliza-tion activities (see Table IV).

Creating Motivational MediaCampaignsParticipACTION’s ongoing media mes-sages were based on a communicationmodel that cycled through awareness (the60-year-old Swede), to education (the 15-minute three-times-a-week campaign),to motivational suggestions (Do It! cam-paign), to solutions (the Walk a block aday campaign), to reinforcement (the Wayto Go, Canada! campaign). Some cam-paigns used clever techniques to showCanadians how easy it is to overcome bar-riers to getting active, such as “not enoughtime”. For example, one ad displayed aseries of dots representing 15-minute seg-ments in the week. Three of them were cir-

cled, showing just how little time it takesto be active each week.

In the later years, there was an increasingemphasis on demonstrating how variousindividuals and groups were getting andstaying active. For example, the Sharing aHealthier Future campaign (made possibleby support from Astra Pharma Inc. – nowAstraZeneca) reinforced the idea that everyCanadian can be empowered to improveher or his own health by being physicallyactive. It showcased individual and com-munity success stories that ranged fromhow a group of women used active livingto cope with osteoporosis, to how a smallcompany implemented an exercise pro-gram that helped employees reduce stress.

“No pain, no gain”, was not theParticipACTION way. Their recommen-dations, such as the “Walk a block a day”theme, were simple and practical, andcould be incorporated easily into an indi-vidual’s daily life. Other popular cam-paigns included:• Fitness is fun. Try some.• Great moments in Canadian sport.• Fitness now. And how.


NO COUNTRY MOUSE

Radio Rules

In the early years, Keith McKerracher and his staff talked with over 50 radio stations todetermine what kind of ads would get the most play. They then devised a strategy tomeet the stations’ needs and hired “Listen Audio” who produced humorous ads yearafter year that station managers and Canadians loved. One of the earliest was titled “TheGodfather”. It went like this:Interviewer: Hey, are you the Godfather?Tough voice: Yeh.Interviewer: Is it true you sit in charge of all the mob’s dealings?Tough voice: No. I used to sit. Now I stand, even walk sometimes.

I’ve been listening to those ParticipACTION ads.

Don’t Just Think About It. Do It!

This campaign aired long before Nike adopted its popular slogan, “Just do it.” And whilethe stages of change theory was unknown at the time, the slogan speaks directly to“contemplators” on the verge of taking action.

• Look who’s into (swimming, etc.)?• Don’t just think about it. Do it!• Way to go, Canada!• Make your move.• Try it!• Moving your way. Every day.

Throughout the 1980s and ’90s, theParticipACTION media campaigns keptpace with new scientific evidence relatingto exercise prescription for health. The lan-guage moved from “fitness” to “physicalactivity” and then to “active living.” WhenHealth Canada released Canada’s PhysicalActivity Guide to Healthy Active Living in1998, ParticipACTION launched a printand television campaign to promote theuse of the guide.

Increasingly, the agency coupled thephysical activity message with other healthmessages, related to heart health, weightmanagement and healthy eating.Defenders of an integrated approach tohealthy living point out the limits andduplication of addressing risk factors anddiseases in isolation. They suggest that tar-geting multiple risk factors (such asunhealthy eating and sedentary living) for

single diseases or disease clusters, has metwith greater success.12 However, the litera-ture is contradictory on the advisability ofmarketing combined messages.

Fridinger and Kirby13 suggest that:“Campaigns and programs attemptingto combine physical activity and healthyeating into one message need to be cog-nizant that many experts in the fieldbel ieve there are di f ferences in thebehavioral and target audience charac-teristics of each. Additionally, the mar-keting mix factors of perceived product,price, place, promotion, and positioningare believed by many experts to be suffi-ciently distinct for physical activity andhealthy eating, and therefore it is ques-tionable whether including both nutri-tion and physical activity together willhave sufficient impact on consumers’behavior.”13

Vitality: A Program and CampaignAhead of Its TimeIn 1988, Health Canada published TheIntegrated Approach: A Blueprint for Action,which provided a framework for promot-ing healthy weights. The objectives of theproposed program were to:• enable Canadians to adopt an integrated

approach to healthy eating, enjoyablephysical activity (later called active liv-ing) and a positive self- and body image;

• create a positive environment for adop-tion of the integrated approach.The initial target audience was adult

Canadians 25 to 44 years old, with 9 to 13years of education. From 1991 to 1995,

Health Canada and Fitness Canada spentan average of $650,000 per year on theprogram: 74% was spent on social market-ing and 26% on community action andprofessional education. Fitness and HealthCanada produced a number of promotion-al materials and ParticipACTION wasgiven the lead on the development of amarketing concept and a comprehensivemedia campaign.

Selecting a name and image for a cam-paign with three complex integrated mes-sages was a challenge. ParticipACTION’srecommended choice of “Vitality” with itsstylized word logo was pure brilliance.People associated the name with “feelinggood”, and by stylizing the “Y” in Vitalityinto a French “é”, the name and logoworked equally well in both English andFrench. The media campaign covered acreative mix of print products and radioand television PSAs that were comple-mented by tools and events related to pro-fessional education and community action.

The program ended in the late 1990s fora number of reasons, including the deathsof two of its strongest supporters withinHealth and Fitness Canada. Critics claimedthat too much money was being spent onsocial marketing and that the evaluationsdid not show that Canadians were chang-ing their behaviours related to eating, phys-ical activity and body image/self-esteem.

In 2003, Health Canada conducted athorough review of the Vitality programand the lessons learned in the project.14

Some of the reasons for the demise ofVitality and the lessons learned included:

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Campaigns Linking Physical Activity and Healthy Eating

• Vitality• ParticipACTION Makes Perfect• Sharing a Healthier Future• Healthy Active Living for Older Adults

• obtain long-term commitment from stakeholders at senior levels of gov-ernment;

• provide enough resources to undertake activities that create support-ive environments;

• establish an evaluation framework from the beginning that includesmeasurable, appropriate outcomes; and

• sustain marketing activities long enough to establish the identity ofthe program and its messages.Ironically, in 2004, healthy weights is again a key issue, due to

increasing concerns about obesity and the links to diabetes and otherchronic diseases. Leaders in government and the non-profit communitywho are searching for a new marketing concept keep returning to the“integrated approach” of Vitality as the best way to promote healthyweights without exacerbating weight preoccupation or turning off thetarget audiences.

Hickory dickory dockWhen ParticipACTION’s clock struck 2001, the mouse fell down.With greatly diminished core support for the main media program, theagency stopped producing new ads in 1999; in late 2000, the Boarddecided to close the doors. Appeals to government to provide the neces-sary core funding from individuals, groups and media supporters fell ondeaf ears.

The article by Bauman, Madill, Craig and Salmon1 tracks howCanadians’ awareness of ParticipACTION rose from 79% in 1979 to90% in 1992. Ironically, despite ParticipACTION’s closure in 2001,Ekos Research reported in 2002 that 85% of Canadians had heard ofParticipACTION. The final article in this supplement by Rootmanand Edwards15 discusses the legacy the mouse leaves behind as well assome ideas for the future of health communications in general, andphysical activity promotion in particular.

REFERENCES

1. Bauman A, Madill J, Craig CL, Salmon A. ParticipACTION: This mouse roared,but did it get the cheese? Can J Public Health 2004;95(Suppl. 2):S14-S19.

2. This definition is based on Rogers EM, and Storey JD. Communication campaigns.In: Charles R. Berger and Steven H. Chaffee (Eds.), Handbook of CommunicationScience. Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1988, and the work of The Health CommunicationUnit, University of Toronto, Centre for Health Promotion (www.thcu.ca)

3. Kotler P, Zaltman G. Social marketing. J Marketing 1971;35:3-12.4. Kahn E, Ramsey L, Browson R, Heath G, Howze E, Powell K, et al. Task Force on

Community Preventative Services (2002). The effectiveness of interventions to increasephysical activity: A systematic review. Am J Prev Med 2002;22(4S):73-104.

5. Lalonde M. A New Perspective on the Health of Canadians. Ottawa, ON: NationalDepartment of Health and Wellness, 1974.

6. Lagarde F. The challenge of bilingualism: ParticipACTION campaigns succeeded intwo languages. Can J Public Health 2004;95(Suppl. 2):S30-S32.

7. Contemporary Research Centre Survey, 1998.8. Mintz J, Steele M. Marketing health information. Health Promotion Magazine Fall 1992.9. Costas-Bradstreet C. Spreading the message through community mobilization, edu-

cation and leadership: A magnanimouse task. Can J Public Health 2004;95(Suppl.2):S25-S29.

10. World Health Organization. Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, 1986. Availableat www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/phdd/docs

11. National Department of Health and Welfare. Achieving Health for All: A Frameworkfor Health Promotion, 1986. Available at www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/phdd/docs

12. Lyons R, Langille L. Healthy Lifestyle: Strengthening the Effectiveness of LifestyleApproaches to Improve Health. Paper commissioned for Advisory Committee onPopulation Health, 2000.

13. Fridinger F, Kirby S. The ‘doublemint’ factor: Issues and challenges in marketingnutrition and physical activity behaviors in one program. Social Marketing Quarterly2002;8(4):40-52.

14. Martineau C. VITALITY … Where Do We Go From Here? An internal documentprepared for the Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Health Canada, 2003.

15. Rootman I, Edwards P. The best-laid schemes of mice and men…ParticipACTION’s legacy and the future of physical activity promotion in Canada.Can J Public Health 2004;95(Suppl.2):S37-S42.


NO COUNTRY MOUSE


ParticipACTIONThis Mouse Roared, But Did It Get the Cheese?

Adrian Bauman1,2

Judith Madill3

Cora L. Craig4

Art Salmon5,6

ParticipACTION is a health message still recognized by most adult Canadians and isassociated with being physically active, even though the organization has not specifi-cally supported the brand since the fall of 2000.1,2 The purpose of this article is to

describe what ParticipACTION was from a theoretical perspective, and examine evidencefor its effects upon adult Canadians, given the limited data available. In the analogy used inthis supplement, did the roaring ParticipACTION mouse get the cheese?

This paper focusses on the theoretical underpinnings of ParticipACTION, and appraisesevidence from evaluations that have assessed community awareness of ParticipACTION inCanada. Specifically, this article:• explores whether ParticipACTION was a social marketing campaign or a health-related

mass media and communications initiative;• examines the diverse evaluation data that have been collected to assess awareness or

understanding of ParticipACTION across two decades; and• attempts to describe whether or not ParticipACTION was a success in Canadian public

health terms, and from an international campaign perspective.

ParticipACTION – Social marketing or a health communication approach?The first step is to assess what ParticipACTION was trying to achieve, and whether it usedsocial marketing or health communications in achieving its ends. The paper by Edwards2

showed that the overall goal of ParticipACTION was to improve the health of Canadiansthrough increasing participation in physical activity (called ‘fitness’ in its early years).ParticipACTION had the broad objectives of trying to influence individuals to becomemore aware of the benefits of active living and recreation, as well as influencing decision-makers and organizations to develop friendly infrastructures and supportive environmentsfor physical activity.

To determine whether ParticipACTION was more a social marketing initiative or ahealth communication program requires a brief examination of definitions. Social market-ing is “the application of generic marketing to a specific class of problems where the objectof the marketer is to change social behaviour primarily to benefit the target audience andthe general society.”3 Fundamental to social marketing is the application of marketing tools(formative and developmental marketing research, audience segmentation). Strategies uti-lizing the four Ps are critical to the social marketing approach. These are the ‘product’ (thebenefits consumers might gain from being more active), ‘pricing’ (the costs of engaging insport, active living or recreation), ‘promotion’ (the communications strategies) and ‘place’(the places where the recipients of the messages can undertake physically active behav-iours), which is analogous to “making physically active choices easier for people.”3 In theParticipACTION context, this is the linkage of messages and campaigns to on-the-groundfacilities in communities, schools and neighbourhoods, which people could easily locateand use. Finally, social marketing has an underlying concept of a voluntary exchange

occurring between consumer and mar-keter, for the benefit of both.4,5 On theother hand, public health communicationsare ‘purposive efforts using mass media tocreate awareness and inform populationsabout an issue, to stimulate discussion, andto create social norms around healthissues.’6 The current thinking aroundsocial marketing4 places it more in align-ment with traditional comprehensivehealth promotion, with initial efforts toinform an identified population; detailedand sustained efforts at persuasion sup-ported by on-the-ground communityevents, programs and professionals; andfinally incorporating environmentalchange, and possibly legislative and regula-tory enforcements of the behaviour.Examples from tobacco control to manda-tory seatbelts have shown the link betweencommunications through to regulation,and their combined positive impact onhealth risk. There is clear evidence that thecommunications piece alone – such asstand-alone, short-term mass-media place-ments – will produce little long-termeffect, other than an initial impact onawareness, but may start the process ofinfluencing social norms.7

ParticipACTION was a dynamic set ofprograms and actions, with a range of‘physical activity and health’ products thatevolved over 30 years (from its inception in1971 to its ‘hibernation’ in 2001). Manyof these products worked in concert withcommunity mobilization programs and inpartnership with community leaders, inkeeping with the model of comprehensivehealth communications campaigns.ParticipACTION exhibited features of amass-media-led health communicationscampaign over its entirety, with some ini-tiatives focussing on awareness raising,information transfer and setting a socialagenda for increased physical activity.However, some elements used a clear socialmarketing approach: the ‘Particip-ACTION’ brand was omnipresent acrossprograms targeting diverse populationgroups and over three decades; many ini-tiatives involved private/public sector part-nerships, and some had defined formativeresearch as part of message development.In addition, there were a diverse range ofaudience segments that were the focus indifferent years; some ParticipACTIONefforts targeted special groups, workers,older adults or youth, and some targeted

1. Centre for Physical Activity and Health, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney,NSW, Australia

2. Visiting scientist, Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, Ottawa3. Eric Sprott School of Business, Carleton University, Ottawa4. Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, Ottawa5. ParticipACTION, Toronto, ON6. Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Recreation, Toronto


THIS MOUSE ROARED, BUT DID IT GET THE CHEESE?

the general population. The persistence ofthe ParticipACTION logo and brand overseveral decades was an unusual feature,consistent with best practice in both healthcommunications and social marketing.4,8

There are several differences between thetwo approaches, with the concept ofbehavioural outcomes and a ‘voluntaryexchange’ fundamental to social market-ing. Social marketing around physicalactivity has often been used to changebehaviours somewhat outside of health –for example, in promoting the active use ofpublic transportation9 or sporting pro-grams. ParticipACTION cannot unequiv-

ocally be judged to fall squarely in onecamp or the other; there is much overlapin the two approaches. Some of the ele-ments of social marketing did, in part, dif-ferentiate ParticipACTION from manyother short-term health sector-initiatedcampaigns carried out since 1971. Further,ParticipACTION was not informed bybehaviour change theory in a formal sense,as very limited use had been made of socialcognitive and related theories in the early1970s when ParticipACTION began. Theonly exception at that time was the seminalpublic health efforts of the Stanford ThreeCity (media-based) intervention trial, orga-

nized by public health and media expertsin concert.6

Evaluation data to assess the impactof ParticipACTIONEvaluation is an essential component ofboth social marketing and health commu-nications campaigns.3,10 In recent years,emphasis has been placed on evaluation aspart of the design and planning of healthcommunication and social marketing ini-tiatives, although this was not uniformpractice during the early years ofParticipACTION. Three phases of evalua-tion are identified: formative evaluation indeveloping the marketing strategies withappropriate target groups; process evalua-tion, which monitors the implementationand uptake or usage of campaign messages,services and resources; and impact evalua-tion, which assesses the effects of the cam-paign on the target audience. Health com-munications campaigns usually focus on“effectiveness” research, as they are studiesin the real world of competing messages,campaigns and initiatives, rather than as“efficacy” studies, as controlled environ-ments are difficult to achieve for mediainterventions. Finally, the costs of cam-paigns, and their efficiency (end resultsachieved in relation to the effort – in termsof costs and resources expended) may bedifficult to define in media-based cam-paigns, compared to other public healthinterventions. It is usually possible to doc-ument the costs of shorter-term media andother promotional elements, and assessthem in relation to the return observed,although their behavioural impact is likelyto be slight.10,11

A typology of media-campaign effects isshown in Table I (adapted from Cavill andBauman7). This suggests that there is aprobabilistic hierarchy of campaign effects,with the earlier proximal levels of effectmore likely to be causally related to themedia-led intervention itself, and more dis-tal effects require long-term observation,supportive policy and environments, andchanged social and professional normstowards the issue under consideration.Most media campaigns should be assessedin terms of their impact on the proximalvariables, especially awareness, recall andunderstanding of the initiative.7,11,12

Influencing physical activity (as a distalimpact variable) requires multi-sectoral

TABLE ITypology of Campaign Effects Upon Individuals: Potential Effects of PhysicalActivity/Recreation Initiatives

Level of Impact of Campaign Hypothetical Examples of Measures

1. Proximal variables – awareness Recognize ParticipACTION logo or theme; recallor awareness of the initiative, prompted orunprompted; recall the actions and programscarried out; understand the meanings ofParticipACTION messages.

2. Proximal variables – initial Formation of new beliefs and attitudes towards responses to campaign, formation physical activity; perceived personal relevance of beliefs, social norms, awareness of being active; perception of personal capability of community resources or to undertake recommended actions; awareness programs of community and local events, resources and

programs to help people change.

3. Distal variables – Measures of Population rates of intending to be more active; behavioural intention or actual actual (short-term) changes in physical activity physical activity behaviour behaviour; long-term maintenance of physical

activity (as a habit).



TABLE IISurveys Assessing Community Awareness and Opinion about ParticipACTION*

Contemporary Research CentreSurvey, September 1978Sample size not known (Dataweighted to adult Canadians 15+years) (approximate N=2,120)

Canadian Fitness Survey 1981Random population survey of adultCanadians 18+ years, N=21,738[unweighted data]

National Survey, March 1982,Contemporary Research CentreSampling frame not clear; N=2,000,home interview, aged 15+ years,national sample

Gallup Omnibus, NationalParticipation Awareness Survey,1989N=1,025 adults, 18+ years, homeinterview, June 1989

Gallup Omnibus, NationalParticipation Awareness Survey,1992N=1,018 adults, 18+ years, homeinterview, June 1992

Tandemar Survey, May 1994N=614 national representative sam-ple, 16+ years, random telephonesurvey, weighted to national esti-mates

Nielsen Media 1994ParticipACTION ReportNielsen review of media density;provides estimates of advertisingexpenditure

Ekos Research, Health Canada,May 2002N=1,014 adults (sampling detailsnot known)

* Survey reports accessed from ParticipACTION archives [to be lodged at the University of Saskatchewan]; information of the polling or surveyorganization and date provided where possible.

• (Unprompted top of mind awareness) ParticipACTION 23% (YMCA 22%, health clubs 12%, others 13%)• Ever seen ParticipACTION logo 79% (lower with increasing age)• “Meanings” of logo: exercise, fitness, movement, involvement, getting Canadians active• Think ParticipACTION is working well (% of all Canadians): 61% (contributing to getting Canadians to

be more active).

• Ever heard of ParticipACTION 76.1%• Seen specific ParticipACTION logo 85.2%.

• Increases in “regularly physically active” from 1971, 1979 to 1982 (5%, 25%, 37% respectively); exactwording of physical activity questions not known (but comparable across surveys)

• Recognition of ParticipACTION increased 1978, 1980, 1982 (77%, 85%, 85%).

• Think of PA/fitness, organizations recalled (unprompted) – ParticipACTION mentioned by 29.8%,(YMCA 23.5%, health clubs 21.6%, others <10%)

• Recall PA/fitness events – ParticipACTION challenge/CrownLife challenge (20%), Fitweek (9%), otherevents <5%

• Ever seen ParticipACTION logo 83.8% (decreases 65+ years)• Believe ParticipACTION’s efforts very/somewhat useful (94.7%)• Think ParticipACTION is working (encouraged people to become more active) 82.3%.

• Think of PA/fitness, organizations recalled (unprompted) – ParticipACTION mentioned by 31.8%,(YMCA 24.1%, health clubs 21.6%, others <10%)

• Ever seen ParticipACTION logo 89.7% (decreases 65+ years)• Believe ParticipACTION’s efforts very/somewhat useful (91.4%).

• When you think of PA/fitness, organizations recalled (unprompted) – ParticipACTION mentioned by 17%• 89% prompted in response to any awareness of ‘fitness and health’ organizations (similar to

YMCA/YWCA; greater than Fitness Canada, Health Canada) (lower with older adults)• What influenced you to be more active – 7% unprompted, 64% prompted responded

‘ParticipACTION’ (similar to health clubs, YMCA; greater than sports clubs, government, institutions,others)

• Overall, ParticipACTION’s efforts useful/somewhat useful (83% of Canadians)• Image profile excellent ~ 2/3 reported ParticipACTION motivated people, was credible, important

source of information (similar to Heart and Stroke Foundation; greater than health clubs, FitnessCanada, videos)

• Seen any ParticipACTION advertising 83%• Seen any TV (68%), billboards (44%), radio (46%), print media (51%) about ParticipACTION (for TV –

higher than videos, health clubs, government agencies; for print media – ParticipACTION second tohealth clubs)

• Main messages – be active (65%), lifestyle/health (32%), walk (12%), food/nutrition/reduce stress (10%)• “Active Living” campaign – recalled TV ad (33%), recalled radio (15%), non-TV message (34%) –

prompted recall• Other source of ParticipACTION (apart from mainstream mass media) – any contact 42% (schools,

workplaces, events/local communities)• Low level of agreement that ParticipACTION should be involved with other issues (tobacco, drugs,

HIV, drinking and driving, domestic violence).

• Method – review was based on monitored TV time, newspapers (N=96) and magazines (N=256) esti-mated “expenditure” (exposure); as well as other media reviewed (radio, transit/billboards)

• Monthly media “value” (imputed expenditure at commercial rates) between February 1993 andJanuary 1994 ranged between $167,000 and $538,000 (median $230,000)

• Campaign February 1994 – 313 ParticipACTION ads (times shown) in February.

• Ever heard of ParticipACTION (85%).

interventions and the involvement of manyagencies, groups and professional bodies ina climate of social change, and sufficientresource allocation to the issue. For exam-ple, the role that media campaigns playedin tobacco control were largely around cre-ating a social normative non-smoking cli-mate, and creating the advocacy that led tothe policy and environmental interventionswhich restricted tobacco advertising, andsmoking in public places and near chil-dren. Sustained anti-tobacco campaignsexist in Canada to this day, focussing ondeveloping and maintaining an anti-smoking ‘social climate’.

Today, optimal evaluation of healthcommunication and social marketinginterventions might comprise quasi-experimental designs, with serial cross-sectional representative population surveysor population-based cohort studies track-ing phenomena over time, in media inter-vention and comparison communities.13

Short-term evaluations of national physicalactivity campaigns can now achieve this,using reliable and valid measures of proxi-mal and distal variables of interest.13,14

Evaluation comprises clear planning andinvestment, a consideration of formative,process and impact levels of evaluation of aclearly planned and sequenced campaignwith specific objectives over several years.Such careful campaign development, andinvestment in its evaluation is warrantedtoday when assessing public sector invest-ments in media campaigns, and where gov-ernments want to know whether money isbeing wasted and whether campaign objec-tives are being met.3,15

In 1971, when ParticipACTION began,evaluation designs to appraise public health

programs were more limited, seldomplanned, and not highly regarded, as it wasgenerally thought that the expense of such‘research activities’ could be better spent onprograms. Hence, no logic models weredeveloped and implemented to specificallyevaluate ParticipACTION over the years,and data are confined to ad hoc assessmentsof the community at various time points.

In order to assess the impact ofParticipACTION, the authors examinedall evaluation survey data collected at dif-ferent stages of ParticipACTION. FormerParticipACTION staff and managers col-lected survey reports, and much of thesedata had been archived. The total numberof all ParticipACTION-relevant surveysever collected is not known, but cross vali-dation using several different people tolocate survey reports was used. Any community-wide or population surveysthat assessed awareness, recall, or anyother variables related to Particip-ACTION were identified and scrutinizedby the authors.

RESULTS

A total of eight surveys were located, ofwhich seven measured proximal impactvariables related to ParticipACTION.Some were true representative populationsamples, others used the less methodologi-cally rigorous ‘quota sampling’ methods torepresent Canadian adults. All those cho-sen were meant to represent the views ofadult Canadians. These reports wereappraised by the authors, and as muchinformation as possible about the methods,and all relevant data were abstracted andsummarized in Table II.

This process identified six surveys withuseful information about recall ofParticipACTION. In addition, nationalphysical activity and fitness monitoringsurveys, conducted by the CanadianFitness and Lifestyle Research Institute,provided data in 1981 and more recentlyfrom 1998-2002 (see Table III). The sam-ple sizes and any available details of thesamples used are shown in the left-handcolumn of Table II. The median samplesize was 1,025 adult Canadian responders,but response rates for these surveys are notknown.

Results indicate high levels ofunprompted (unaided) and prompted(aided) recall of ParticipACTION amongadult Canadians across two decades. Inresponse to unprompted recall questionsabout fitness and physical activity organi-zations, ParticipACTION was consistentlymentioned by between one sixth and onethird of Canadians between 1978 and1994. This was the most frequently men-tioned organization involved in these activ-ities, more prevalent than health clubs, theYMCA or actions through governmentagencies. Prompted recognition rates ofParticipACTION and its logo or messageswere very high throughout, ranging from77% of Canadians in 1977 to over 80% inall other surveys from 1980 through 2002.

In the 1981 Canada Fitness Survey,unprompted recall of ParticipACTIONwas reported by three quarters of adultCanadians, but the logo (prompted recall)was substantially higher. Recall ofParticipACTION messages was well bal-anced across media channels – 79%recalled the campaign through TV mes-sages, 33% recalled magazine stories, 42%



TABLE IIIPhysical Activity Monitor Data – Recent Recall of ParticipACTION as the ‘Physical Activity Guidelines for Canada’ 1998, 2000 and2002 (±95% CI)

PAM Survey 1998 PAM Survey 2000 PAM Survey 2002 [n=2240] [n=4938] [n=5045]Percent (±95% CI) Percent (±95% CI) Percent (±95% CI)

Total recall (generic)Overall recall of any guidelines for physical activity 39.4 [36.1-42.7] 41.8 [39.2-44.2] 46.2 [43.6-48.8]

Specific recallPrevalence of recalling these guidelines specifically as ‘ParticipACTION’ 8.0 [6.8-9.2] 8.8 [7.9-9.7] 7.8 [7.0-8.6]All other responses [as sources of PA guidelines] combined 8.8 [7.5-10.1] 8.3 [7.5-9.1] 9.2 [8.3-10.1]Other specific mentioned, non-physical activity (e.g., Food Guide) 22.6 [20.4-24.8] 24.7 [23.1-26.3] 29.2 [27.4-31.1]

PAM – Population Activity Monitor, Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, www.cflri.ca

radio messages, and 33% recalled thatnewspaper articles had mentionedParticipACTION.

Across the next decade, between 83 and95% of those who were aware ofParticipACTION thought it useful, and61 to 82% reported it was working well.Generally, ParticipACTION was concep-tualized as an activity and lifestyle message,or as a set of fitness, activity or recreationprograms for the community. Specificmessages were recalled from mainstreammedia (television, radio, print), as well asspecific community settings where eventsoccurred. These are all proximal variables,reflecting awareness, understanding andperceptions of the initiative.

More distal variables were infrequentlyasked in these surveys. The 1994Tandemar survey suggested that 7%reported without prompting thatParticipACTION helped them to becomemore active, although 64% said so ifprompted. Rates of influence varied acrossCanada, with highest rates for Quebecers,13% of whom reported thatParticipACTION helped them to be moreactive. However, given the small samplesize of the Tandemar survey, the 95% con-fidence intervals around this Quebec esti-mate would be large (8.1%-17.9%), whichwould not be different to the overall popu-lation rate of 7%.

Two independent sources suggest evi-dence of distal variables (physical activityparticipation) changed, namely that duringthe ParticipACTION period, adultCanadians became more physically active.The first is the 1982 national survey(Contemporary Research Centre, cited inTable II), which alludes to increases inphysical activity participation ratesbetween 1971 and 1982. Second, the largeand representative Canada Fitness Surveysdid show increases in national levels ofphysical activity between 1981 and 1988,and again between 1988 and 1995.16

However, these changes cannot be unique-ly and causally linked to ParticipACTION,as many other policy, environmental andpublic health factors may also have con-tributed.

The most recent data are from thePhysical Activity Monitor, a population-based national survey conducted by theCanadian Fitness and Lifestyle ResearchInstitute; data from 1998 (n=2240), 2000

(n=4938) and 2002 (n=5045) are analyzedand presented in Table III. Here, respon-ders were asked to recall any guidelines forphysical activity, and nearly half recalledsome generic physical activity guidelinemessage. Unprompted responses includednational guidelines and fitness or nutritionguides from Health Canada, provincialagencies or NGOs such as the Heart andStroke Foundation. More specific respons-es were active living or exercise guides, fit-ness tests and ParticipACTION, and non-specific responses (such as food guides)were excluded. As shown in Table III,ParticipACTION was recalled as repre-senting ‘physical activity guidelines’ asoften as all other plausible responses of‘physical activity guidelines’ combined inthe three surveys 1998-2002. Overall,around 8% of Canadian adults reportedthat ParticipACTION was the nationalphysical activity guideline, and this did notdiffer from 1998 to 2002.

Finally, some data exist on the in-kindmedia supports and media providedthrough ParticipACTION (Nielsen 1994,Table II). For example, between 1993-1994, approximately $230,000 of in-kindmedia value was earned each month, whichsums to several million dollars earned each

year. While exact data are difficult toobtain here, it appears that the return onpaid investment for media placementsalone was of the order of around 10:1, andpossibly greater than this. There were alsosome informal process evaluation data col-lected on specific ParticipACTION initia-tives. For example, one large single event in1991, the Crown Life-sponsored‘ParticipACTION Challenge’, attractedmore than 22,000 volunteers from acrossCanada, and registered around 4 millionpeople as participants in these events.Other large-scale events were similar,including the Canada 125 events in 1992,and the Trans Canada Trail Relay 2000organized with the Millennium Bureau ofCanada in 2000. These informal data sug-gest that the participation by manyCanadians, across many such initiatives,may explain the high levels ofParticipACTION recall and awareness.

The legacy of ParticipACTION – Was it a success? It is reasonable to judge that Particip-ACTION was a public health and/or socialmarketing success story, lasting threedecades, but limitations to the evaluationdesigns used prevent an understanding of





its full contribution. At the very least, itdelivered clear messages, enhanced com-munity awareness of physical activity andrecreation, and fostered community-basedpartnerships. These led to the delivery ofmany programs and events that reachedmany thousands of Canadians. An impor-tant proximal outcome is that this initia-tive reached both French- and English-speaking Canadians, making it effective ina national context (see Lagarde, thisissue).17 The consistency and stability ofhigh awareness rates are testament to thenational impact of this initiative, comparedto most other public health campaigns.

A review of physical activity campaignsconducted around the world has suggestedthat post-campaign prompted recall ratesof campaigns, logos or themes averagearound 70% of adults from populationsurveys.7 Thus the prompted recall rates of80% and higher shown across the extantParticipACTION surveys in Table II sug-gest a pervasive and sustained impact onthe Canadian consciousness.

The maintained high recall rates, irre-spective of varying survey methodologies,further corroborate the persistence of theconcept of ParticipACTION, and its link-age to community participation. The highrate of attributing physical activity guide-lines to ParticipACTION in recent years(Table III) was interesting, given thatParticipACTION initiatives had declinedby 2000, and that it was always only aframework and had never actually promul-gated specific guidelines.

The high level of background and sus-tained community awareness was advanta-geous for others in developing populationhealth approaches and programs to targetinactivity in Canada through the 1980sand 90s. This was distinctly different frominitiatives in other countries, where massmedia campaigns about physical activitywere short term,13,18 or localized to smallcommunities or regions.19 Thus althoughthe increases in physical activity amongadult Canadians cannot be causally linkedto ParticipACTION, the latter is likely acontributory factor, especially since mostother developed countries experiencedunchanging or even declining rates ofphysical activity participation during thesame period.14,20,21

ParticipACTION preceded much of thetheoretical work underpinning approaches

to changing population health behaviour,5

or even the use of mass media and market-ing to address public health problems.6 Assuch, it was remarkable how close manyinitiatives were to subsequent more theo-retical efforts. For example, targeting ofworkers or women or youth reflected theprinciples of audience segmentation.4

Efforts to change social norms reflected(later developments in) the theory ofplanned behaviour, and encouraged ‘tri-alling’ of activities reflecting social cogni-tive theory.7 Furthermore, media empha-sizing community supports and involve-ment, modelling ‘fun’, and linked to asense of the initiative being ‘national andCanadian’ were media and social market-ing tools ahead of their time.22

Finally, there are no other public health-related marketing or media efforts at thenational level, that have been sustained aslong as ParticipACTION, anywhere in theworld. Tobacco control, under the ‘QuitCampaign’ and similar logos, have persist-ed in some countries since the 1980s,23 butthe longevity of ParticipACTION is un-rivalled in public health. Physical activitycampaigns have come and gone in manycountries, but remain as an ongoing phe-nomenon in New Zealand.24 The durationof ParticipACTION gives it rare status asan evidence-based sustained campaign.8 Itdemonstrated flexibility of operation andmulti-sectoral capacity, working acrossagencies and with public or private sectorpartners, which probably contributed to itslonger-term survival. Current awareness ofthe initiative remains high (Table II), eventhough it is no longer directly funded. Onecould ask no more of any “mouse’sattempts to get the cheese”, or of any effortdesigned to influence the culture changerequired to induce a more physically activeCanada.

REFERENCES

1. Thorne T. ParticipACTION legacy lives on. TheCanadian Press, December 29, 2000.www.canoe.ca/Health0012/29_fitness-cp.html.[accessed December 2003].

2. Edwards P. No country mouse: Thirty years ofeffective marketing and health communications.Can J Public Health 2004;95(Suppl. 2):S6-S13.

3. Andreasen A, Kotler P. Strategic Marketing forNonprofit Organizations. Upper Saddle River, NJ:Prentice Hall, 2003;346.

4. Maibach EW. Recreating communities to sup-port active living: A new role for social market-ing. Am J Health Prom 2003;18(1):114-19.

5. Maibach EW, Rothschild M, Novelli W. Socialmarketing. In: Glanz K, Rimer F, Lewis FM(Eds.), Health Behavior and Health Education,3rd Edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass,2002;437-61.

6. Flora JA, Maibach EW, Maccoby N. The role ofmedia across four levels of health promotionintervention. Annu Rev Public Health1989;10:181-201.

7. Cavill N, Bauman A. Changing social norms topromote health-enhancing physical activity: Domass media campaigns have a role? J Sports Sci2004 (in press).

8. World Health Organization. Obesity: Preventingand Managing the Global Epidemic. Geneva:WHO, 1997.

9. Travelsmart – individualized marketing. SouthPerth larger scale evaluation report. WesternAustralia: Department of Planning andInfrastructure, 2003. http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/travelsmart/marketing.html [accessed December2003].

10. Bauman A. Precepts and principles of mass mediacampaign evaluation in Australia. Health Prom JAustralia 2000;10:89-92.

11. McGuire WJ. Public communication as a strate-gy for inducing health promoting behaviouralchange. Prev Med 1984;13:299-319.

12. Hornik RC (Ed.). Public Health Communication.Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers,2002.

13. Bauman AE, Bellew B, Owen N, Vita P. Impactof an Australian mass media campaign targetingphysical activity in 1998. Am J Prev Med2001;21:41-47.

14. Hillsdon M, Cavill N, Nanchahal K, DiamondA, White IR. National level promotion of physi-cal activity: Results from England’s ACTIVE forLIFE campaign. J Epidemiol Community Health2001;55:755-61.

15. Madill J. Marketing in government. Optimum -The Journal of Public Sector Management1999;28(4):9-18.

16. Craig CL, Russell SJ, Cameron C, Bauman A.Twenty-year trends in physical activity amongCanadian adults. Can J Public Health2004;95(1):59-63.

17. Lagarde F. The challenge of bilingualism:ParticipACTION campaigns succeeded in twolanguages. Can J Public Health 2004;95(Suppl.2):S30-S32.

18. Wimbush E, MacGregor A, Fraser E. Impacts ofa national mass media campaign on walking inScotland. Health Prom Int 1998;13:45-53.

19. Reger B, Cooper L, Booth-Butterfield S, SmothH, Bauman A, Wootan M, et al. WheelingWalks: A community campaign using paid mediato encourage walking among sedentary olderadults. Prev Med 2002;3:285-92.

20. Physical activity trends – United States, 1990-1998. MMWR 2001;50(9):166-69.

21. Bauman A, Armstrong T, Davies J, Owen N,Brown W, Bellew B, Vita P. Trends in physicalactivity participation and the impact of integratedcampaigns among Australian adults, 1997-1999.Aust N Z J Public Health 2003;27:76-79.

22. Maibach E, Parrott RL (Eds.). Designing HealthMessages: Approaches from Communication Theoryand Public Health Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA:Sage Publications, 1995.

23. Pierce JP, Dwyer T, Frape G, Chapman S,Chamberlain A, Burke N. Evaluation of theSydney “Quit. For Life” anti-smoking campaign.Part 1. Achievement of intermediate goals. Med JAust 1986;144(7):341-44.

24. Bauman A, McLean G, Hurdle D, Walker S,Boyd J, van Aalst I, Carr H. Evaluation of thenational ‘Push Play’ campaign in New Zealand –creating population awareness of physical activi-ty. New Zealand Med J 2003;116:1179.


The Mouse Under theMicroscopeKeys to ParticipACTION’s Success

François Lagarde

ParticipACTION’s groundbreaking health communications campaign put fitness onthe map in Canada. The campaign also became the model for other organizations inthe fields of social and behavioural change. Many leaders of national organizations

have been heard to say, “We need a ParticipACTION-like campaign for our cause.” Thisarticle examines some of the ingredients in ParticipACTION’s unique formula for success.

The Canadian movement for personal fitnessMost physical activity interventions using mass media and information technology haveled to a high recall of messages, but little documented direct impact on physical activitybehaviour.1 Then again, it may be too much to expect such a direct relationship from anational public health communication campaign.

Yet ParticipACTION – in concert with activities by numerous other organizations andleaders in the community – managed to do just that. By nature of both design and goodtiming, this small agency managed to spearhead a movement. Indeed, until the end of the1980s, ParticipACTION’s tag line on its letterhead read: The Canadian Movement forPersonal Fitness. Building on Hornik’s explanation of the complementary models of behav-iour change implicit in many public health communication campaigns, ParticipACTIONwas able to successfully create a movement by increasing knowledge and attitudes throughits mass media campaigns that worked in conjunction with changing public norms.2

Events like the inter-city ParticipACTION Challenge highlighted the growing involve-ment of individuals in physical activity, while providing an opportunity to participate in aconcrete way. The movement also contributed to institutional change (e.g., municipalpolicies regarding recreation programming), which in turn had an impact on individualbehaviour.

Keys to success and lessons learnedIn this article, the 12 key elements of successful behaviour and social change initiatives list-ed in Kotler, Roberto and Lee’s book on social marketing are used to identifyParticipACTION’s unique strengths and weaknesses.3 The analysis below describesParticipACTION’s performance in relation to each element. It also includes lessonslearned and other suggestions on the partnerships needed to achieve behavioural and socialchange.

Element #1: Take advantage of what is known and has been done before.ParticipACTION started when little was known about social marketing. In the same yearParticipACTION was founded, the expression ‘social marketing’ was used for the first timeever in a landmark article.4 A public/private/media/non-profit partnership approach to thedelivery of a public health campaign was a first. A sophisticated, professional approach topublic service announcements was unheard of at the time. In a sense, ParticipACTIONwas a fortunate coincidence that emerged from enterprising minds. They were nothingshort of innovative and proactive risk-takers in the way they set up their organization andhealth communications approach.

Over time, however, the fields of healthpromotion, health communications, physi-cal activity and advertising became moresophisticated. The media landscape becamemore complex. Competition for the audi-ence’s interest became more intense withthe appearance of television remotes andmultiple channels. At the same time ascommercial advertisers became moreappealing and other agencies began copyingtheir approach, ParticipACTION seemedto lose ground. While limited funding was amajor factor, ParticipACTION did notmove quickly enough with the times. Bymaintaining its traditional strategies, theorganization lost its leading edge.

Lessons learned:• Be the first, be the best, take risks, think

big and think outside the box.• Establish non-traditional partnerships.• Stay alert and adapt on an ongoing

basis. When confronted with inadequatefunding, take the opportunity to re-define the organization’s communica-tion and partnership strategies.

Element #2: Start with target marketsthat are (most) ready for action.For years, ParticipACTION spoke to ‘Joepublic’ using a motivational approach.Based on the Diffusion of Innovationsmodel, the ‘early adopters’ (those mostready to take action) were individuals fac-ing few or no barriers to adopting physicalactivity as part of their lifestyle. However,as an organization tries to reach lateadopters, it must “focus on barriers pre-venting the use of the innovation.”5

François Lagarde is a social marketing and communications consultant, and an associate professor atthe Faculty of Medicine of the University of Montreal. From 1984 to 1991, he worked forParticipACTION where he served as vice-president, and manager of media campaigns and specialprojects.


THE MOUSE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

Because ParticipACTION conductedvery little formative research, its audiencesegmentation related primarily to demo-graphic factors such as age, gender and lan-guage. Segmentations related to personaland group readiness for change were notpart of the mix. This may have limitedParticipACTION’s ability to address theperceptions and barriers of those segmentsof the public who were less ready to takeaction.

Lesson learned:• By aiming to reach the general public,

you may be successful in the short termwith those most ready to take action, butit may limit your ability to address issuesother segments may face in trying toadopt the behaviour.

Element #3: Promote a single, doablebehaviour, explained in simple, clearterms.ParticipACTION excelled in its ability tofocus on doable physical activities. Theconcept was made simple and explained inclear terms. ParticipACTION described its

approach in the FITNESS: THE FACTSpromotional brochure in the early 1980s as follows: “In keeping with Particip-ACTION’s successful communicationsphilosophy, this FITNESS: THE FACTSprogram has not been designed to coerceanyone or dangle imaginary carrots infront of people. Instead, it gives the indi-vidual the facts in an attractive, easilyunderstood and comprehensive manner.”One of ParticipACTION’s most successfulcampaigns – “Walk a block a day” – is agreat example of a campaign that providesa clear and simple solution to gettingactive.

Lesson learned:• Promote a single, doable behaviour,

explained in simple and clear terms!

Element #4: Consider incorporatingand promoting a tangible object or ser-vice to support the target behaviour.

Most of ParticipACTION’s tangibleobjects or services used in campaigns wereeither educational (e.g., the Goal Setterbooklet of the ParticipACTION Network

– see Element #8) or promotional (e.g.,pins, shoelaces, caps and T-shirts).Merchandising was also included as part ofsome projects, such as the Particip-ACTION Challenge and the Network.Thousands of enthusiastic supporters andpartners of ParticipACTION wore theseitems proudly.

Many of these educational and promo-tional products were funded by private-sector sponsors and delivered through part-nerships with governmental and non-governmental organizations at the nation-al, provincial/territorial and local levels.

Lessons learned:• Educational products and merchandis-

ing initiatives complementing massmedia campaigns help to move peopletoward action by providing neededinformation and reinforcement.

• Sales of promotional products can be aneffective revenue-generating or break-even approach to leveraging the influ-ence and visibility of supporters in theirown milieus.

Element #5: Understand and addressperceived benefits and costs.ParticipACTION stayed away from scientifically-based health benefits as moti-vators. It simply positioned physical activi-ty as fun and easy, with a wide range ofpositive outcomes. The activities featureddid not suggest that individuals had to joina club or buy expensive equipment. Somemessages also tackled the ‘no pain, no gain’myth in highly entertaining radio spots.

Lessons learned:• Address a wide range of relevant motiva-

tions depending on the audiences.• Address perceptions about monetary and

non-monetary costs (e.g., time, pain,etc.).

Element #6: Make access easy.With its practical, non-elitist approach,ParticipACTION made access to physicalactivity appear easy for individualCanadians and their families. However, bydesign or by omission, it did not fullyexplore its advocacy potential throughpartnerships to more effectively bringabout the institutional changes and sup-portive environments that would makeaccess to physical activity easier. This was



probably for good reason, sinceParticipACTION did not want to generatecontroversy to the point that media sup-porters would reduce their contribution inpublic service announcement (PSA) timeand space.

Lesson learned:• Given that most lifestyle behaviours do

not depend solely on personal willpowerand that individuals who want to adoptthe behaviour may face real social, physi-cal and other barriers, health communi-cations campaigns need to fully addressthe range of issues related to the behav-iour they are promoting. Health com-munications agencies need to consideradvocacy-related activities in their com-munications mix and actively participatein coalitions seeking public support.This approach demonstrates their appre-ciation of the factors involved, createsopportunities for partnerships andstrengthens their image and credibilityboth with the public and in their field.

Element #7: Develop attention-gettingand motivational messages.Many people can still recallParticipACTION messages of 20 or 30years ago. While frequency is a key successfactor in any health communications cam-paign,2 the public was exposed to some ofthe messages only a few times. Long-lastingmessage recall is no doubt because ofParticipACTION’s highly creative, talentedand professional teams and suppliers whoproduced some of the best campaigns inCanadian public health history. Their witand humour is what made so many cam-paigns attention-getting and memorable.

The Health Communications Unit ofthe University of Toronto provides aHealth Communication Message ReviewTool along with various criteria.6

ParticipACTION excelled at most ofthem:• The message will get and maintain the

attention of the audience.• The strongest points are given at the

beginning of the message.• The message is clear.• The action you are asking the audience

to take is reasonably easy.• The message uses incentives effectively.• Good evidence for threats and benefits is

provided.

• The messenger is seen as a crediblesource of information.

• Messages are believable.• The messages use an appropriate tone

for the audience.• The message uses an appeal that is

appropriate for the audience (i.e., ratio-nal or emotional).

• The message will not harm or be offen-sive to people who see it (includingavoiding ‘victim blaming’).

• Identity is displayed throughout.ParticipACTION had another good rea-

son to produce excellent ads. Given thatthe organization relied solely on PSA timeand space for placement, the first audiencefor these ads was media outlet managerswho decided whether or not to air andplace them. The goal was to have themedia outlet managers ‘want’ rather than‘have to’ place the ads. ParticipACTIONtruly mastered the technique, leading themedia to donate over $15 million worth ofplacement in some years.

Lessons learned:• Hire the best creative minds, brief them

well and make them want to apply theirfull potential toward your cause.

• Follow best practices in health commu-nications message development.

Element #8: Use appropriate mediaand watch for and exploit opportuni-ties for audience participation.For many years, the use of donated timewas ParticipACTION’s biggest asset. A

media relations team personally visitedmost if not all radio and TV stations, meet-ing the person responsible for PSAs. Thesevisits were invaluable in giving a humantouch to ParticipACTION, providinganswers to questions and ensuring thatspots were sent in the easiest format fortheir use. Many of these visits led to on-airinterviews, which added to the exposure.

Eventually, as the media landscapebecame more sophisticated and fragment-ed, a sole reliance on PSAs became a liabil-ity. In the 1970s, many Canadianswatched the same TV programs, listenedto fewer radio stations and the Internet didnot exist. At the time, PSAs from a fewmajor networks meant reaching the major-ity of Canadians. However, the mediaunderwent dramatic changes in the late1980s and the 1990s. The catchword usedwas the ‘demassification’ of the media.New generations’ expectations in terms ofadvertising meant that ParticipACTIONwas now competing with New York andHollywood for creative and placementstrategies, while maintaining its objectiveof reaching all Canadians. As peopleturned to the Internet, ParticipACTIONno longer occupied a leading position orattempted to use it in any significant way.Budget cutbacks during this period point-ed to PSAs becoming a thing of the past.

ParticipACTION did very well in termsof ‘audience participation’, which is gener-ally very difficult for a national campaign ina country as large and diverse as Canada.Millions of Canadians participated in the



ParticipACTION Challenge throughout its11-year history. In the mid-1980s, some40,000 Canadians, approximately 10,000of whom were fitness leaders, were mem-bers of the ParticipACTION Network.This concept was 10 years ahead of its timeas a print version of what would later havebeen a dynamic website, chat room andelectronic resource centre.

ParticipACTION used other channels,such as the workplace, to distribute the FITNESS: THE FACTS program andother booklets on employee health and fit-ness. Employers purchased and distributedthe booklets to thousands of employeesacross the country. InformACTION –ParticipACTION’s first entry into electron-ic communications – was also designed tosupply material in a format that was easy toincorporate into workplace communicationschannels, such as company newsletters.

Lessons learned:• PSAs may not be dead, but you can’t

rely solely on them to create a nationalmovement anymore.

• Media relations activities help confirmdonated time and generate added expo-sure.

• Segmentation is now a must.• Interacting with audiences on an indi-

vidual basis is now easier and can takemany forms.

Element #9: Provide response mechanisms that make it easy andconvenient for inspired audiences toact on recommended behaviours.Providing response mechanisms (e.g., 1-800 number, response form, contact atthe local level) in a national campaign runby a dozen people trying to reach 25 to 30million citizens is never easy. Until the late1980s, ParticipACTION’s approach topartnerships with provincial and localauthorities and service providers was large-ly centred on campaign delivery, ratherthan acting as a potential promotionalpartner for them. Of course, becoming anational promotional partner for local programs is not always feasible. Yet asCanadians became increasingly fitness-oriented, they started asking ‘what andwhere’ questions that had to be answeredat the neighbourhood level. Aside fromseveral pilot projects and the programsmentioned in the next paragraph, continu-ity between the national message and localopportunities was not systematically partof the campaign strategies.

Several programs in the later years didmake effective use of local response mecha-nisms. For example, ParticipACTIONproduced PSAs that Parks and RecreationDepartments could personalize with aphone number to call. The TransCanada

Trail and the Ontario Community ActiveLiving Project were examples of communi-ty mobilization activities that providedcontact at the local level. The HealthyActive Living initiative in New Brunswickprovided ready-to-use materials for leadersof seniors programs. The print materialwas supported by media awareness activi-ties to attract seniors to local programopportunities.

Lesson learned:• Appreciating the challenges involved in

forming partnerships between govern-ments and organizations at the national,provincial/territorial and local levels,national health communications cam-paigns may lose their relevance if theymerely continue to deliver a generalawareness message about the recom-mended behaviour. Ideally, campaignswould include an immediate call toaction that connects people to readilyavailable opportunities and resources.

Element #10: Allocate appropriateresources for media and outreach.The fact that ParticipACTION producedPSA miracles early on with just a smallamount of seed money from the govern-ment no doubt created long-term assump-tions and unrealistic expectations in termsof continued support from the media, andultimately its ability to reach Canadians.Reaching late adopters requires more inte-grated and focussed efforts. This was hardto do in the more complex and fragmentedmedia landscape of the 1990s, and withfiercer competition in the sponsorship andphilanthropic fields. At the same time,many governments actually reduced theirinvestments in physical activity and healthpromotion initiatives.

Lesson learned:• Organizations and funding agencies

aspiring to generate social or behaviouralchange need to stand behind campaignswith the appropriate long-term financialsupport, expertise and partnerships tohave a lasting impact and make the mostof the ‘equity of the brand.’

Element #11: Allocate adequateresources for (formative) research.For the past 20 years, the Canadian Fitnessand Lifestyle Research Institute (CFLRI)

Ebbe Marquardsen welcomes Peter Elson (former Executive Director of the Ontario PublicHealth Association) as the first member of theParticipACTION Network (1984).

has excelled at collecting, interpreting anddisseminating data on the health and fit-ness patterns of Canadians. Particip-ACTION was one of the many beneficia-ries of CFLRI’s work. Yet aside from thedetailed formative research conducted forthe Vitality campaign in the late 1980s andisolated reviews of literature, Particip-ACTION did not systematically performformative marketing research or pre-testing. The obvious barrier to this type ofresearch was the lack of funds. However,between relying too much on research atthe expense of opportunistic and effectiveuse of money, and doing little or noresearch, there is room for marketingresearch that won’t break the bank.7

Lesson learned:• Formative research and tracking studies

are useful and often essential tools forbuilding on best practices, developingrelevant messages, selecting audiencesand channels, monitoring and showingprogress, identifying challenges andmaking adjustments, and for being rec-ognized as a valuable partner.

Element #12: Track results and makeadjustments.The comments on formative research also apply to tracking studies. Particip-ACTION conducted some tracking studies in the late 1970s and early 1980s,as well as an extensive study in 1994.8 Thestudies enabled ParticipACTION to quan-tify its tremendous reach and brand equityfor public and private partners, while pro-viding feedback to media supporters.Efforts were also made to track media sup-port, but this was not systematically carriedout throughout the years.Lesson learned:• Funding agencies need to provide the

necessary financial resources for forma-tive research and tracking studies to becarried out.

CONCLUSION

ParticipACTION contributed to theadvancement of fitness in Canada primari-ly by creating a ‘movement’ throughawareness raising, as well as by changingattitudes and influencing social norms.The positive attitudes and norms about fit-ness in turn created a more receptive cli-mate for the institutional changes neededto help Canadians adopt physical activity.

ParticipACTION’s primary strengthswere:• The innovative and entrepreneurial way

it was set up as a focussed, small non-governmental organization, including itsunique relationship with the mediaaround its public service announcementcampaigns;

• Its appealing, humorous, relevant, sim-ple and clear approach to persuasivecommunications produced by highlydedicated and talented creative teams;

• Its ability to forge partnerships for thedelivery of educational projects andevents; and

• Its prevailing and persuasive presenceover time.

However, ParticipACTION faced a num-ber of challenges:

• In the 1990s, ParticipACTIONswitched to survival mode due to tightergovernment funding combined with thefragmentation and dramatic changes inmarketing practices, health communica-tions, media and advertising, as well asincreased competition and reduced sup-port for PSAs.

• Given its dependency on public serviceannouncement support from the media,ParticipACTION was not very open tothe idea of engaging in advocacy activi-ties that could have generated controver-sy. This eventually reduced its ability tobe seen as a leading organization thataddressed the factors that preventedsome segments of the population fromadopting physical activity.

• Appropriate funding and cooperationbetween ParticipACTION and govern-mental and non-governmental agenciesat the national, provincial/territorial andlocal level would have provided betterleverage for the ParticipACTION brand,as well as the necessary formative andtracking studies to plan, deliver and eval-uate its campaigns, while reinforcing itspartnerships.ParticipACTION unquestionably made

a unique, innovative and effective contri-bution by helping to enhance the lives ofmillions of Canadians. For today’s socialmarketers, the ParticipACTION experi-ence provides valuable lessons to ensurethat the campaigns of tomorrow are equal-ly or more successful.

REFERENCES

1. Marcus BH, Owen N, Forsyth LH, Cavill NA,Fridinger F. Physical activity interventions usingmass media, print media, and information tech-nology. Am J Prev Med 1998;15(4):362-78.

2. Hornik R. Public health communication:Making sense of contradictory evidence. In:Hornik R (Ed.), Public Health Communication –Evidence for Behavior Change. Mahwah, NJ:Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2002;1-19.

3. Kotler P, Roberto N, Lee N. Social Marketing –Improving the Quality of Life, Second Ed.Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2002.

4. Kotler P, Zaltman G. Social marketing: Anapproach to planned change. J Marketing1971;35:3-12.

5. Arkin E, Maibach E, Parvanta C. General public:Communicating to persuade. In: Nelson DE,Brownson RC, Remington PL, Parvanta C(Eds.), Communicating Public Health InformationEffectively – A Guide for Practitioners.Washington, DC: American Public HealthAssociation, 2002;59-71.

6. THCU. Health Communication Message ReviewCriteria. Retrieved August 28, 2003, fromUniversity of Toronto, The HealthCommunication Unit Website:http://www.thcu.ca/infoandresources/publica-tions/Complete%20Message%20ReviewTool%20March20-03.pdf

7. Andreasen AR. Marketing Research That Won’tBreak the Bank. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass,2002.

8. Tandemar Research Inc. ParticipACTIONAdvertising Strategy Research, 1994.




Spreading the Message ThroughCommunity Mobilization,Education and LeadershipA Magnanimouse Task

Christa Costas-Bradstreet

Ask Canadians what the name ParticipACTION conjures up, and the majority ofadults will easily recall the “60-year-old Swede”. Public service advertising was thebig cheese for ParticipACTION in its early days, as the company established its

name and mission. But as Canadians became aware of fitness, and the “unfitness” of thenation in the late 1970s, ParticipACTION began to explore additional opportunities toreach people with its message. In fact, while ParticipACTION was best known for itsextensive media campaigns and promotions, its greatest contribution was quite possiblymade through its innovative mobilization strategies at the community level.

Community mobilizationLong before the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion1 identified “strengthening communi-ty action” as one of the major strategies in health promotion, ParticipACTION used com-munity mobilization as a way to empower communities and motivate individuals to getmore active. While ParticipACTION’s mandate was national, leaders in the organizationbelieved there could be considerable merit in initially concentrating on one or two com-munities, as a way of testing out various strategies. This community-driven approach, ifsuccessful, would demonstrate the potential of the overall ParticipACTION strategy,which in turn would be critical to securing long-term government and sponsor support.

In 1972, ParticipACTION launched its first community-based project in Saskatoon,with the purpose of generating the volunteer cooperation and support of as many differentcommunity groups, organizations, institutions and individuals as possible, in a plannedand coordinated campaign. Given his local contacts, Russ Kisby, then NationalCoordinator, was assigned to make Saskatoon the first model community. He met individ-ually with a cross-section of community leaders to discuss the need and the proposedParticipACTION solution. A number of influential and non-traditional fitness leaders –including a newspaper publisher, a physician and college president, business leaders anduniversity academics – eventually agreed to become the first volunteer Board of Directorsof “ParticipACTION Saskatoon”. This cross-section of individuals, with their influenceand contacts, brought credibility and public support to the initiative. The project receivedno outside funding. If it were deemed important, the community would need to generateits own resources, which is what in fact happened. This was important because if theSaskatoon model worked, ParticipACTION hoped it could be duplicated across the coun-try, and this would be unrealistic if outside funding was required.

Saskatoon did work! The Saskatoon team generated an exceptional level of donated localmedia support as well as the support of many leaders in physical activity and recreation,business, the faith community, media, education, and politics. They became pioneers incommunity mobilization around special days that encouraged mass participation in “try it”opportunities, such as the “Walk a block a day” event.

In 1974, the City of Peterborough,Ontario, implemented the same community-based approach, which also proved to behighly successful. The program ran formore than 25 years and re-confirmed themerits of a comprehensive community-driven strategy. In Peterborough,ParticipACTION learned the importanceof having an initial catalyst (local or out-side leader) to get things started. Thislearning directly influenced the strategiesemployed for the successful CrownLifeParticipACTION Challenge, Canada 125,and Trans Canada Trail programs, as wellas the development of CommunityAnimators in Ontario (discussed later inthis article).

Meanwhile, Saskatoon decided to chal-lenge Umea, a similar community inSweden (because of the ParticipACTIONad comparing Swedes and Canadians), tothree “challenge days” over three years.Later, Saskatoon challenged otherCanadian cities and the highly successfulCrownLife ParticipACTION Challengewas born.

From 1981 to 1993, with private sectorfunding, ParticipACTION annuallyinvolved over 500 cities and towns, morethan 22,000 volunteer leaders, and 4 mil-lion registered participants in theCrownLife ParticipACTION Challenge. Itbecame the biggest one-day participatoryevent in Canada, second only to federalelections.

In 1994, after consultation with local,provincial and national leaders,ParticipACTION developed and coordi-nated SummerActive, a six-week nationalcampaign helping leaders promote physicalactivity within their communities. Theprogram still exists through funding fromHealth Canada; provincial and territorialgovernments are responsible for its coordi-nation.

Well into the 1990s, ParticipACTIONdeveloped and managed a number of addi-tional high-profile, community-based,mass-participation initiatives on bothprovincial/territorial and national scales,by working in cooperation with thousandsof community leaders and local organiza-tions. • In 1988, through the Olympic Torch

Relay and Celebration ’88,ParticipACTION mobilized 1,730 com-munities in partnership with Petro-Canada and the Canadian government

Christa Costas-Bradstreet is a Physical Activity Specialist with the City of Hamilton Public Health andCommunity Services Department and a private consultant in the area of physical activity promotion.From 1991 to 2001, Christa worked for ParticipACTION in a variety of roles including NationalCoordinator of the CrownLife ParticipACTION Challenge and Director of Health Communications.

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to plan events and celebrations aroundthe running of the torch through eachcommunity.

• Four years later, with combined federalgovernment and private sector funding,ParticipACTION recruited, trained andmanaged a team of 50 community ani-mators (from the French word “anima-teur”, meaning “someone who createsdynamic relationships between people ina community”). The animators generat-ed over 21,000 registered community-based events involving over 1 millionvolunteer leaders and extensive, freemedia exposure for the 1992 “Canada125” program.

• From 1992 to 1994, ParticipACTIONdeveloped and managed the OntarioCommunity Active Living Programme(OCALP) in which 4 community ani-mators worked with traditional and non-traditional physical activity leaders inover 300 communities across Ontario toestablish and support active living initia-tives. They provided leadership, supportand guidance to individual groups, orga-nizations and active living coalitions.The Programme continued for anotherseven years, led and managed by theOntario Physical and Health EducationAssociation (OPHEA). In 2003, itbecame the Physical Activity ResourceCentre, an official resource centre of theOntario Health Promotion ResourceSystem.

• With federal government MillenniumBureau financial support, Particip-ACTION mobilized numerous groups,volunteer leaders and media support inover 800 communities to support the 8-month, 16,500-kilometre TransCanada Trail Relay 2000 project.

It seems that history has a way of repeat-ing itself. In its last two years of operation,ParticipACTION again partnered with theSaskatoon Health Region, the City ofSaskatoon, and the University ofSaskatchewan in Saskatoon. The vision of“Saskatoon in motion” is to make theSaskatoon Health Region the healthiestcommunity in Canada through physicalactivity. The partners, along with a largenumber of community groups, are strivingto get all the citizens of Saskatoon andregion to include regular physical activityin their daily lives. The development and

implementation of Saskatoon in motion isthe key initiative involved in addressingthe goals of a healthy community and willserve as a model for future provincial,national and international initiatives.2

From the beginning, ParticipACTIONunderstood that governments cannot suc-cessfully increase physical activity levelsalone, and that voluntary leadership in avariety of forms from all segments of thecommunity or region is required.Canadians have always generously giventheir time to voluntary activities of theirchoice.3 What was different aboutParticipACTION-headed projects wastheir unique ability to build communitycapacity by engaging volunteers from allwalks of life, including the business andmedia communities, professionals andleaders in the community, ordinary peo-ple and elected officials. “It was notunusual to see mayors and provincialministers personally involved inParticipACTION activities,” says MarilynKnox, who sat on the ParticipACTIONBoard for over 10 years. “This raised theprofile and fun of events without politi-cizing them.”

As evidenced in the Saskatoon experi-ence, ParticipACTION viewed communi-ties as more than an aggregate of individu-

als or a “roll up” of individual behaviourchange. Hawe suggests that if we conceiveof community as “a social system withcapacity to work towards solutions to self-identified problems”, our intervention willaim to achieve more than this. It will seekto “harness and enhance the natural problem-solving and helping processes in the com-munity.” 4 This means that changes incommunity processes, networks and confi-dence are additional outcomes that can beexpected.

Educational products and merchan-dising initiativesIn his article, “The Mouse Under theMicroscope: Keys to ParticipACTION’sSuccess”, Lagarde refers to a key element ofsuccess identified by Kotler, Roberto andLee5 when he says: “educational productsand merchandising initiatives comple-menting mass media campaigns help tomove people toward action by providingneeded information and reinforcement.”

ParticipACTION successfully used mer-chandising to reinforce its message. Whetherin support of an event, or to signify theiraffiliation with the organization and its mes-sage, Canadians from coast to coast wereproud to wear a ParticipACTION T-shirt,baseball cap or sweatshirt. They wrote


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with ParticipACTION pens, threwParticipACTION frisbees, and carried waterbottles with the pinwheel logo. They tied uptheir running shoes with ParticipACTIONlaces, wrote in ParticipACTION notebooks,and even lit their campfires with matchesbearing the pinwheel logo and a physicalactivity message.

ParticipACTION believed that educa-tional resources helped move people toaction by providing information on thebenefits of physical activity, what to doand how to just “do it, do it, do it” (toquote a popular ParticipACTION cam-paign). The agency aimed to be a leadingcatalyst and provider of information to posi-tively influence personal behaviour and social

supports, which encourage healthy, active liv-ing for all Canadians. Whether targetingindividual Canadians or supporting thework of leaders and intermediaries,ParticipACTION was committed to pro-viding resources that were leading edge,relevant, and credible. Their materialsattempted to educate and motivateCanadians by using clear language and alight-hearted, often humourous style thatmade reading interesting, fun and easy.

Some examples of educational resourcesover the years include:• Health Savers – In partnership with

H.J. Heinz Company and the College ofFamily Physicians, ParticipACTIONcreated 2.5 million activity and nutrition

guides, targeted to older adults andmodestly overweight adults. Fifteenthousand family physicians and dieti-tians personally distributed these materi-als to appropriate individuals.

• Live It Up – With support from Merck-Frosst Canada Inc. and six major healthorganizations, including CPHA,ParticipACTION produced an innova-tive health information resource kit forleaders working with older adults. Some20,000 kits were distributed with over1 million information pieces hand-delivered to the target audience.

• Project APEX – With financial supportfrom the Ontario Milk Marketing Boardand the Ontario Government,ParticipACTION developed nutritionand activity information and motiva-tional tools for use by elementary schoolteachers in Ontario. According to for-mer staff member, Bob Duck, “Projectslike APEX and other collaborative activi-ties with CAHPERD (CanadianAssociation for Health, PhysicalEducation, Recreation and Dance) andCIRA (Canadian Intramural RecreationAssociation), allowed ParticipACTIONto bring educational systems from differ-ent provinces together to work towardsome common goals, without competingor stepping on each other’s toes.”

• Jump To It – This program encouragedgirls 8 to 10 years of age to establish anactive lifestyle. It was a cooperative ini-tiative, produced by ParticipACTIONin cooperation with the four AtlanticCanada provincial governments, theHeart and Stroke Foundation, and withfunding from the Health Alliance divi-sion of Astra Pharma. Interactive book-lets were distributed through the schoolboards to all girls in the target group.These were supported with classroomposters, a video, television PSAs andmaterials for parents.

Physical activities take place in specificphysical environments that influence thetype and amount of activity. These behav-ioural settings provide the physical andsocial contexts in which behaviour occurs.6

In the 1970s, ParticipACTION concludedthat the workplace was an ideal setting forreaching a large number of adults with itsfitness and health message. Over the years,a key learning for ParticipACTION that

The ParticipACTION Challenge Goes International

The ParticipACTION Challenge Day event was adopted by the TRIM and FitnessInternational Sport for All organization and spread to many countries around the world.It continues to this day. From an estimated 25 million participants in the first year, theprogram grew to a reported 50 million by year five. Canada is credited as the founder.

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shaped the way it “did business … forbusiness” was the importance of having aninside champion who would make use ofthe resources as part of an ongoingemployee wellness campaign.

Resources targeting employees includedthe following:• FITNESS: THE FACTS was a series of

six booklets supported by workplaceposters that reached over 100,000employees. According to JeannetteHanna, Vice-President of Brand Strategyat Spencer Francey Peters, FITNESS:THE FACTS was a good example of howParticipACTION went beyond ‘mother-hood’ statements. “ParticipACTIONresources helped people understand andovercome the psychological and practicalissues that hold us back. There was alwaysa bias for action. And what better place toleverage and support action than in theworkplace, where most Canadians spendat least eight hours a day.”

• The Krames booklets were a series ofUS-developed, clear language healtheducation booklets, dealing with stress,weight control, back care, fitness, etc.ParticipACTION “Canadianized” andsold them to more than 2,000 compa-nies over the years.

• Work with the federal Department ofNational Defence (DND) began in 1985when ParticipACTION conducted a fea-sibility study on how best to develop andsupport individual fitness programs.Following this study, ParticipACTIONworked with DND to create materials forindividuals (exercise prescription charts,fitness and activity booklets delivered bythe physical education and recreationinstructors), training manuals, and pro-motional materials (newspaper articles,posters). ParticipACTION coordinatedthe development and production of thematerials, building on its fitness and com-munications expertise, as well as on itswell-known brand. The organization con-tinued to develop additional resources forDND throughout the 1990s.

• InformACTION was an electronic infor-mation package with ready-to-use articlesand filler ads for convenient and cost-effective use in workplace newsletters andother communication vehicles. Hannasays, “InformACTION was an unrealizedgem. It was a model of credibility, read-ability and design. Unfortunately, it was

ahead of its time in terms of the technolo-gies available in the workplace.”

• The Quality of Life Newsletter, whichwas developed in partnership withCrown Life Insurance, contained healthyliving information presented in a colour-ful, easy-to-read format, as well as inter-active features such as contests and per-sonal stories. It went to over 80,000employees in small and medium-sizedworkplaces.

• ParticipACTION’s Workplace Wellnessprogram was based on extensive consul-tation with frontline wellness coordina-tors and public health officials. The year-long program consisted of bi-monthlythemed posters, plus weekly informationsheets for employees. It also featuredadditional information on an exclusivewebsite, regular newsletters for programcoordinators that contained programsuggestions and suggestions for best prac-tices shared by their colleagues across thecountry. Its strength was that it support-ed the efforts of corporate wellness coor-dinators who lacked the time andresources needed to produce qualitymaterials of this nature on their own.

As evidenced in the examples in this arti-cle, ParticipACTION built upon the fed-eral government’s core financial supportand its resulting mass media exposure toestablish partnerships with private sectorsupporters that allowed them to get moretargeted and detailed information to keyaudiences. The use of easy-to-read, reliable,attractive print materials, which were laterexpanded to include electronic communi-cations, allowed for effective durability andreplicative power. For example, follow-upsurveys on the Quality of Life newslettershowed that many employees brought ithome for family members to read as well.

Another important learning was how tocreate a “win-win” situation. By using apragmatic business approach and findingout what the company’s needs and chal-lenges were, ParticipACTION could tailortheir projects and resources to also helpcorporate partners meet their goals. Forexample, the Quality of Life newslettergave Crown Life an opportunity to com-municate with a particular segment of their customer base, while providingParticipACTION with a cost-effective wayto deliver health and active living informa-

tion to over 1,000 small businesses, whichtypically do not have employee wellnessprograms like large companies do.

Enhancing leadershipWhether through community mobilizationefforts or the dissemination of educationalmaterials, empowering and supportingleaders was key to ParticipACTION’s suc-cess.

In the mid-1980s, the agency developedthe ParticipACTION Network as a uniqueopportunity to serve Canadian leaders,both formal and informal. It was describedas an “organization for Canadians whohave made a personal commitment to fit-ness whether they’ve been physically activefor years or are just starting on fitness

activity, or even if they’ve just recognizedthe importance of the fitness idea and areplanning to soon make fitness part of theirlives.”7 Forty-five thousand people (includ-ing 10,000 fitness leaders) enrolled asmembers “almost overnight”. Membersreceived a full-colour, highly illustrated,quarterly newsletter and The OfficialNetwork Goal Setter with information andgoal-setting activities to help individualsget active. In addition, members of the“leaders section” received their ownnewsletter with practical program adviceand information about best practices frompeers.

Although the network proved to bewildly successful during its time, it alsoproved to be costly. Mark Sarner,President of Manifest CommunicationsInc., believes the agency was just not readyfor its immediate success. Lagarde agrees,noting that this concept was 10 yearsahead of its time as a print version of whatwould later have been a dynamic website,chat room and electronic resource centre.

ParticipACTION sought partnershipswith many programming organizations –nationally, provincially and locally. Thisstrategy was based on the conviction thatthere already existed a wealth of local pro-grams and leaders. ParticipACTION’s aimwas to avoid duplication or competitionwith them, cooperating instead to supportand maximize their local potential. Fromthe perspective of the YMCA, which is agrassroots service provider in 250 commu-

nities across Canada, this type of collabora-tion was ideal. “We know our communi-ties and how to deliver high-quality pro-grams,” says Medhat Mahdy, Senior Vice-President of YMCA ProgramDevelopment and Research, “andParticipACTION knew how to promoteevents and attract private sector financialsupport and media exposure. Workingwith ParticipACTION on high-profilecommunity initiatives like the Challengeand the launch of Vitality supported ourleaders and our work at the communitylevel.”

The Healthy Active Living Program inNew Brunswick is an example of a uniqueopportunity to support peer leaders work-ing with older adults. In a provincial part-nership with Aîné(e)s en marche–GoAhead Seniors!, Health Alliance (AstraPharmaceuticals), and the government ofNew Brunswick, ParticipACTION workedto further develop and promote a bilingualpeer-led health information program forolder adults throughout the province.Together, the groups developed a train-the-trainer manual, educational resources,public service announcements focussing onthe program, and promotional materials.The program is still in existence.

IN CONCLUSION

Still thinking about the 60-year-oldSwede? Perhaps you are, given the impactof that PSA and other memorable ads over

ParticipACTION’s 30 years. ButParticipACTION also based its work onwhat is now known about the relationshipbetween community mobilization activitiesand health communication – that com-munity organization efforts “strengthenthe impact of the messages people receivefrom media-based communication cam-paigns, and the impact of health commu-nication by defining and framing healthissues in ways the community can under-stand.”8

There were numerous learnings on howbest to support community mobilization,educational and leadership initiatives.These include the adoption of a community-driven approach (whether the communityis a school, city, workplace or group ofpeer leaders) that features full communityparticipation, shared power and decision-making, building on community strengths(empowerment), building networks andpartnerships, and believing in the value ofcollective action.9 By listening well, valuingvoluntarism, respecting grassroots leaders,and providing high-quality support materi-als and access to media coverage,ParticipACTION earned a reputation of“doing with” rather than “doing for”.

By all accounts, when the mouse roaredin all the different ways that it did, thecommunity understood – and roared back.

REFERENCES

1. World Health Organization. Ottawa Charter forHealth Promotion, 1986. Available at: www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/phdd/docs/charter.

2. Saskatoon in motion. Draft Resource Guide, 1993.3. Government of Canada. Caring Canadians,

Involved Canadians: Highlights from the 1997National Survey of Giving, Volunteering andParticipating. Ottawa: Ministry of Industry,1998.

4. Hawe P. The meaning of ‘community’ in com-munity intervention evaluation: Some contribu-tions from community psychology. Health PromInt 1994;9(3):199-210.


6. Sallis JF, Bauman A, Pratt M. Environmentaland policy interventions to promote physicalactivity. Am J Prev Med 1998;15:379-97.

7. ParticipACTION. Welcome to Network.ParticipACTION Network 1984;1(1):1.

8. The Health Communication Unit. “Tip Sheet:The Complementary Roles of HealthCommunication and Community Mobilization”,2002. Available at: www.thcu.ca.

9. Edwards P. Collective Action: The Community-Driven Approach to Active Living. Ottawa: ActiveLiving Canada, 1995.


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The Challenge of BilingualismParticipACTION Campaigns Succeeded in Two Languages

François Lagarde

ParticipACTION’s history (1971-2001) paralleled the recognition and promotion ofEnglish and French as Canada’s two official languages. “In establishing the legalinfrastructure for the official languages – first by the initial act of 1969, then by sec-

tions 16 to 23 of the Constitution Act, 1982 and, lastly, by the new Act in 1988 – the fed-eral government made linguistic duality a fundamental part of the Canadian identity.”1

During that same period, Canada became more linguistically diverse and underwentchallenging debates on national unity. The French Canadian identity slowly gave way tothe Francophone regional identities of the Quebecers, Acadians, Franco-Saskatchewanians,Franco-Ontarians, Franco-Manitobans, etc.2 National advertisers increasingly recognizedQuebec as a unique market that required distinctive strategies developed by Quebec-basedagencies. Ultimately, these trends meant that contrived efforts through the mere transla-tion of advertisements created in English would be ignored or resented by many French-speaking Canadians.

Like all federally funded programs and organizations, ParticipACTION was expected toperform well by reaching all Canadians in both official languages “from coast to coast”.And perform it did. In a 1994 survey, French-speaking respondents were most aware ofParticipACTION.3 Given that the mother tongue of more than 80% of Quebecers isFrench and that approximately 85% of Canadians whose first language is French live inQuebec, Quebec respondents’ unaided awareness of ParticipACTION was the highest inthe country: 31% in Quebec, followed by 23% in the Atlantic provinces. The nationalaverage for unaided awareness was 17%. Aided awareness was very high in all parts of thecountry, including Quebec: 89% nationally, 97% in the Atlantic provinces, 95% in theWest, 89% in Quebec, and 82% in Ontario. Some 70% of Quebec respondents ratedParticipACTION’s efforts as very useful, the highest rating in the country. The nationalaverage was 60%.

This ability of a national program to reach both English and French Canadians is out-standing. In addition, the campaign was carried out with limited funds becauseParticipACTION’s budgets did not allow for the production of totally different Englishand French campaigns.

This article examines the three factors that explain such a high level of achievement: thegenesis of the organization, people’s attitude and skills, and the involvement of skilled staffand suppliers at every step of the creative development and production process. Yet, thesefactors taken on their own do not constitute a magic formula. This retrospective analysisshould serve as a case study for other organizations that have a mission and the motivationto reach national objectives in bi/multilingual or bi/multicultural settings.

Genesis – Bilingual right from the startOne of the founders of ParticipACTION, Philippe de Gaspé Beaubien, was committed toachieving ParticipACTION’s mission in both official languages. His initial core group ofleaders had an influential network that gave the organization access to media elites and topcreative professionals in both linguistic communities.

Initially, ParticipACTION’s head officewas located in Montreal. Although thenational office moved to Toronto in thelate 1970s, the organization retained a per-manent office in Montreal during almostall its years of existence.

Two other factors in the genesis ofParticipACTION contributed to its accep-tance in two cultures and languages – itsbilingual name and its status as a non-governmental organization. Althoughsome perceived ParticipACTION as a fed-eral government agency, key partners andmajor media donors were aware of theorganization’s non-governmental and non-profit status. This helped establish an ini-tial image that was built around the orga-nization’s apolitical health and fitness mes-sage.

Leaders, staff and suppliers –Bilingual at heartPeople with the right attitudes and skillsare an important ingredient of successfulbilingual campaigns. First and foremost,the board of directors and senior manage-ment at ParticipACTION were committedto producing and delivering outstandingcommunications that were relevant, pow-erful and effective in both languages. Thisdoes not mean that all board members,staff and suppliers needed to be bilingualthemselves. Nor did every campaign needto be totally different. It does mean, how-ever, that the people involved shared thesame goals, and recognized that bilingualcampaigns require open-mindedness, timeand money.

In an article on marketing in multi-cultural environments, Bertagnoli suggeststhat marketing skills are the deciding fac-tor for hiring, rather than gender, ethnicityor multicultural knowledge. “However,being able to recruit and retain a diverseemployee base in the marketing depart-ment, or foster strong relationships withmulticultural consultants and agencies,may sharpen a company’s message to vari-ous target markets. At least, it may helpavoid potentially embarrassing gaffes dueto ignorance about culture or language.”4

Building on the suggestions by Barrette etal. regarding the assets required for effec-tive intercultural communication, the bestpeople to work on multicultural cam-paigns are probably individuals who havethe interpersonal skills to grasp and conveythe nuances within their own culture.5

François Lagarde is a social marketing and communications consultant, and an associate professor atthe Faculty of Medicine of the University of Montreal. From 1984 to 1991, he worked forParticipACTION where he served as vice-president, and manager of media campaigns and specialprojects.


THE CHALLENGE OF BILINGUALISM

ParticipACTION intuitively followedthese guidelines by recruiting and expect-ing employees and suppliers to collectivelypossess the necessary marketing, communi-cations and personal skills, as well as thewill to develop successful campaigns inboth English and French. The organizationalso recruited French-speaking boardmembers, senior staff and suppliers withthe same clout, talent and experience asEnglish-speaking ones. The mix of peoplehelped build mature and creative tensionthat would make the most of commonpoints, yet adapt to the necessary nuancesin the creative development and produc-tion processes.

The ParticipACTION process –Bilingual throughoutDeveloping bilingual campaigns can bevery frustrating for all those involved, bethey members of management, creativeteams or financial officers. Frustrationsmostly occur when issues are raised too latein the process or when those involved inthe linguistic adaptation are not givenenough information, time or opportunityto provide input and ownership.

The golden rule for developing and pro-ducing bilingual campaigns is clear andsimple. Campaigns need to be thought outin English and in French from the verybeginning right through to the end. Thismeans finding relevant research informa-tion in the various cultural groups andinvolving all members of the creative teamsevery step of the way. The ‘big ideas’, justlike the minor details, need to be double-checked for relevancy in both languages.

SUMMARY

The genesis of ParticipACTION and itsbilingual name got the organization off toa good start by creating campaigns thatwere highly successful in reaching bothEnglish- and French-speaking Canadians.This was achieved with the added chal-lenge of limited budgets that did not allowfor the development of separate campaigns.However, the initial ability of the organiza-tion to deliver successful English andFrench campaigns would not have lastedwithout leadership, commitment and con-sistency at the highest levels of the organi-zation over time. The values underpinningParticipACTION’s organizational culture

were clearly upheld when recruiting boardmembers, staff and suppliers who had theright attitudes, skills and networks.

REFERENCES

1. Asselin RB. Section 41 of the Official LanguagesAct: Scope, Evolution and ImplementationFramework. Parliamentary Research Branch(PRB) of the Library of Parliament,17 September 2001. Available at:http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/PRBpubs/prb019-e.htm.

2. Langlois S, Baillargeon JP, Caldwell G, FréchetG, Gauthier M, Simard JP. La société québécoiseen tendances 1960-1990. Institut québécois derecherche sur la culture, 1990.

3. Tandemar Research Inc. ParticipACTIONAdvertising Strategy Research, 1994.

4. Bertagnoli L. Culture club. Marketing News(American Marketing Association) January 29,2001.

5. Barrette C, Gaudet É, Lemay D. Guide de com-munication interculturelle, 2e édition, Saint-Laurent : Éditions du renouveau pédagogique,1996.

THE CHALLENGE OF BILINGUALISM


What’s in a Name?

When ParticipACTION was created in 1971,it was called “Sport Participation Canada”.This name proved to be problematic. Theword “Sport” made the public think aboutgold medals rather than fitness and health-enhancing physical activity for all ages.“Canada” implied that the agency was government-based. While ParticipACTION’sleaders did not want to deny their govern-ment link and funding, they believed that it was critical to emphasize the independenceand non-profit status of the agency in order to attract public service support from themass media, as well as voluntary support from the community. After many attempts tofind a “perfect” new name (including the hiring of a professional search agency), thename ParticipACTION emerged. It was the creative brainchild of Jacques Gravel,ParticipACTION’s Francophone Vice-President at the time. While sitting at his kitchentable, Gravel experimented with the words “action” and “participation” – both bilingualwords that spoke to the mandate and mission of the agency. His “ah ha” moment camewhen he combined the two – creating a bilingual brand name that was destined tobecome a household word in Canada.


The Mouseketeers®

People Make the Difference

Peggy Edwards

The ParticipACTION story is about strategies, partners, creativity, teamwork andstyle. Behind these factors are the people who made them work. To try to under-stand this dynamic, we talked with representatives from three key groups: board

members, suppliers and staff. They represent just a small number of the dedicated peoplewho served ParticipACTION over 30 years. “Each and every person made a special contri-bution,” says Russ Kisby. “It is impossible to name everyone in this article, but weacknowledge, salute and thank each and every one.”

Building a familyRob Petch expresses the view of virtually all the people we interviewed: “The people associ-ated with ParticipACTION were exceptionally committed and knowledgeable, in both atechnical and experiential way. Their energy was contagious. Nobody ever lost sight of thereal purpose – enabling Canadians to live healthier, happier lives. They had the guts to trynew things, even if they fell on their noses sometimes.”

What attracted and kept these people? To answer this question, we asked our partici-pants: What was special or different about ParticipACTION? Why did you stay involved withthe agency over a number of years?

The following is a summary of their responses.

Diverse Skills and a Collegial SpiritThe fact that staff, suppliers and board members came from varied backgrounds wasimportant to the organization’s success. “We had an incredibly good mix of people on theBoard,” says Charlie Caty, “representing physical education, the media, service providers inphysical activity, and the business community.” Despite this diversity in both the boardand staff, many spoke about the collegial spirit of the organization. Dave Rae says: “Inforty years in the graphics field I’ve been in and out of a lot of offices, and none couldcompare with the sense of shared purpose at ParticipACTION. Everyone could and didmake a contribution.”

This sense of shared commitment extended outside of the office. “Our successes wereshared successes,” says Nanci Colbeck. The organization was able to draw on the expertiseof suppliers and researchers, physical activity experts, educators and community organizerswho were like-minded people. One of the most enduring of these experts was Don Bailey,an award-winning scholar and physical education professor at the University ofSaskatchewan. He taught Russ Kisby and served as ParticipACTION’s longest-runningboard member. “He called so often to give advice and support, that we used to refer to hisphone calls as the ‘Daily Bailey’,” says Tom MacMillan.

A Personal Passion for the CauseAll of the contributors spoke about the importance of personal passion and commitmentto the cause. “ParticipACTION people were more than involved,” says EbbeMarquardsen, “they were committed. When people ask me the difference, I tell them tothink about the standard bacon and eggs breakfast. The pig was committed; the chickenwas only involved.” Ebbe, who left the YMCA to become a social marketer extraordinaire,

believes that his ‘avocation’ became his‘occupation’.

Jeannette Hanna is personally and profes-sionally committed to the cause. “I wasstruck by the potential of personal fitness,and how ParticipACTION could make adifference. When people are in control oftheir fitness, they are more in control oftheir lives. This can help them becomemore vital people and better citizens.”When Nanci Colbeck, who came from theworld of elite sport, began her 13-yearemployment with ParticipACTION, shewas not convinced that ‘walking a block’was worth getting passionate about. “Thatchanged quickly,” says Nanci. “Russ Kisby’spassion and vision were irresistible. It didn’ttake long before I felt the same way.”

Energy, Respect and Fun“Energy”, “excitement” and “respect” werethree words that respondents often used todescribe their time with ParticipACTION.“We were never treated as employees, but aspartners in the cause,” says Nanci. Humourwas ever-present and one of the ways thatstaff coped with long hours. Early staffmembers remember how hard they workedto sell the fitness idea to skeptics acrossCanada. Brunhild Ramaut says: “We wereall deeply involved in our work, really as ateam, and we were very tolerant of eachother. Friendly teasing and humour helpedus get the work done, no matter what.”

For suppliers, ParticipACTION wasrefreshingly different from the commercialsector. “It wasn’t a packaged account,imprisoned in conventional advertisingstandards and handicapped by heavy cor-porate structures,” says Michel Lopez. “Itwas good to get away from commercialwork and to be involved in a campaignwith a social mission.”

Intellectual and Creative ChallengesBreaking new ground, striving for high qual-ity, and advancing the enterprise while keep-ing it financially viable provided constantchallenges for all involved. Board memberJim Struthers says that struggling with the‘product line’ and audience was always astrategic issue. “The question of focus andwhere to direct our energy kept coming up.In the end, we opted to create an appetitefor fitness by aiming the message at the ordi-nary Canadian. We knew they would pres-sure the usual suspects, such as schoolboards and recreation departments.”

Peggy Edwards is a health promotion consultant with The Alder Group Inc., who worked as theManager of the Fitness Secretariat at the Canadian Public Health Association and as aCommunications Executive with Health Canada. She wrote many of ParticipACTION’s best knownhealth information materials, including resource kits, booklets, magazine supplements, newspaperarticles, and website copy.

PEOPLE MAKE THE DIFFERENCE


As physical activity, health promotionand the communications environmentevolved, so did the challenges Particip-ACTION faced. The satisfaction of meet-ing an obvious need in the early years wasless clear in the later years, when some peo-ple in the field had different ideas aboutwhat ParticipACTION should be doing.

Inspirational LeadershipThroughout its existence, the Particip-ACTION Board was chaired by charismat-ic and influential leaders. “I felt proud ofthe fact that someone of Philippe de GaspéBeaubien’s stature was leading the ship,”says Tom MacMillan. But it was theagency’s two heads who most inspired theParticipACTION movement. KeithMcKerracher, ParticipACTION’s firstDirector General, was the marketing geniusbehind its inception. He was, in the wordsof Ebbe Marquardsen, “a man with ademanding and huge presence, a consum-mate hit and run leader, and the perfectperson to start up the company.” RussKisby became President in 1978. “Russ wasa visionary with a wealth of practical experi-ence,” says Rob Petch. “He was relentless inhis pursuit of the agency’s objectives. Henever took himself seriously, but he suretook his mission seriously. It was impossi-ble to not be inspired by his commitment.”

National PrideParticipACTION’s stature as a nationaland international leader was important tothe people who represented it. BrunhildRamaut says: “Because ParticipACTIONhad such an excellent reputation and wasso well known, doors opened as soon asyou mentioned where you worked.” TheMouseketeers® were very conscious of thepan-Canadian nature of their vision. “Ibecame very aware of regional differencesin concerns, particularly about economicbarriers to being active,” says Bob Duck.Brunhild says: “Francophone mentalitiesand expressions are not uniform across thecountry. We had to be careful to use acommon French, and to request feedbackfrom various communities to make sure wewere communicating well.”

Creative Freedom and SpontaneityWhen ParticipACTION became one of thefirst clients of FOUG, a small advertisingagency in Montreal, Michel Lopez was a

young copywriter and partner in the busi-ness. “We were full of ideas about what goodadvertising should be. ParticipACTION gaveus the opportunity to put our ideas intoaction. François Lagarde, who was managingthe media campaigns at the time, encouragedus to experiment. I will never forget the funwe had during radio recording sessions.”Michael Fog, who created Particip-ACTION’s famous print filler ads, says: “Ihave never had so much fun on the job. Thepeople at ParticipACTION understood thatcreativity flows from spontaneity.”

During our conversations, many peoplereferred to being part of the Particip-ACTION family. It was a large, extended

family that went beyond board members,staff and suppliers to friends in the com-munity, professional allies and corporateand media partners. It also included thefamilies of staff. Husbands, wives and chil-dren came in to help with mailings andwere always included in parties and get-togethers. If times were tough at home,colleagues and their families reached out tohelp. There was a sense that families mat-tered and were an integral part of both thework and the creative message. MichelLopez was the father of two youngsterswhen he was developing ParticipACTIONspots. “My family life was an unlimitedsource of inspiration. As my wife always

Contributors to This Article

• Charles (Charlie) Caty spent 30 years in the Canadian securities industry, retiring as asenior officer and director of RBC Dominion Securities. During this period, he servedeight years on the Board of Governors of the Toronto Stock Exchange, the last two aschairman. After his retirement, Charlie has remained active on several boards. Hechaired the ParticipACTION Board from 1993 to 2000.

• Robert (Bob) Duck is currently with the Ontario HIV Treatment Network. He workedwith the YMCA and as National Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Canada. Bobserved as Director of Special Projects with ParticipACTION between 1980 and 1989.

• Nanci Colbeck worked with ParticipACTION from 1989, when she began as the part-time coordinator for the Toronto CrownLife ParticipACTION Challenge, to the year2000 when the company ceased operations. In the latter years, she served as the(more than) full-time Director of Communications and Community Programs.

• Michael Fog is an illustrator and designer based in Montreal. He is best known for hiscreative ParticipACTION filler ads, which appeared in thousands of newspapers,newsletters, magazines, etc. over the years. Michael also did the illustrations for somespecial projects, including The CrownLife ParticipACTION Challenge, the ExpresProgramme and the DND programme. In 1991, he created an animated film forVitality.

• Jeannette Hanna is Vice-President of Brand Strategy with Spencer Francey Peters(SFP), a Toronto-based branding and design agency. SFP worked withParticipACTION from 1975 to 1999 on a number of innovative campaigns, includingFitness Now and How and the CrownLife ParticipACTION Challenge event organizerskit, and special projects such as the workplace kits FITNESS: THE FACTS andInformACTION.

• Marilyn Knox is President of Nutrition with Nestlé Canada. She is the formerExecutive Director of the Ontario Premier’s Council on Health and Deputy Minister ofTourism and Recreation. Marilyn served as a ParticipACTION Board member for10 years and as Chair from 2000-2001.

• Michel Lopez is a partner and senior copywriter at Joly, Lopez, a creative team basedin Montreal. Michel worked with ParticipACTION from 1990 to 1992 when he was acopywriter/partner at FOUG, primarily on Vitality and the Make Your Move campaign.

• Tom MacMillan is Senior Vice-President, Advance Planning/MS&L, a public relationsfirm based in Toronto. Tom worked with the Toronto Sun for many years and servedas Director of Communications and Media Relations with ParticipACTION between1973 and 1975.

• Ebbe Marquardsen is Vice-President, Development and Community Relations, JosephBrant Memorial Hospital in Burlington, Ontario. Ebbe was Director of NationalProjects for ParticipACTION for three years in the mid-1970s and Director ofMarketing for six years in the early to mid-1980s. …continues next page



said, it was not advertising, it was a docu-mentary on our family life.”

The last word on this question goes toMark Sarner, a key supplier and advisor toParticipACTION for over 10 years: “Whydid I stick around? Plain love I guess. Yousure didn’t work for the money; youworked with ParticipACTION in spite ofthe money.”

The men behind the mouseWhile thousands of people worked onParticipACTION initiatives, there are twopeople whose leadership set the vision andday-to-day path.

Keith McKerracher was a successful mar-keting consultant when he agreed to take onthe new agency as one of his clients. Hebecame the Director General, opened anoffice in Montreal and hired some key staff,

including Jacques Gravel to handle theFrench side of the operation and Russ Kisbyas National Coordinator. Keith was a pio-neer in social marketing. He set the direc-tion with an obsession for high-quality cre-ative, the use of marketing tactics to sell theidea of fitness, and a non-elitist approach.His fondest memory is being given anaward from a group of Canadian cardiolo-gists. Five years earlier, they had beratedhim for putting Canadians’ health in dangerbecause he was encouraging people to beactive without seeing their doctor first.Keith led ParticipACTION from 1971 to1978. He left to become the President andCEO of the Canadian Institute ofCommunications and Advertising.

Russ Kisby was there from the beginningand led ParticipACTION for 24 years.When Russ is applauded for his leadership

and contribution as the President ofParticipACTION, he always stands backand points to the remarkable peoplearound him. This happened when he wasgiven the 2000 World Sport for All Awardin Vienna, Austria for “international con-tribution to population health, fitness andquality of life through physical activity andsport,” and in 1991 when the CanadianPublic Health Association awardedParticipACTION with the Ortho awardfor “outstanding contribution to health”.

Russ was born in Saskatchewan. He hasan undergraduate degree in physical educa-tion, a master’s degree in community devel-opment, and an honorary doctor of lawsdegree. His early professional career was

Contributors to This Article continued…

• Richard H. (Dick) Oland is CEO of Far End Corporation, Saint John, New Brunswick.He served as President of the 1985 Jeux Canada Summer Games, as a Board Memberof ParticipACTION since March 1983, and as Board Chair from 1986 to 1993.

• Rob Petch is Executive Producer with the Cormana Group, a diversifiedcommunications company. The Cormana Group first developed a relationship withParticipACTION in the early 1990s. Rob has provided production services andcommunications strategies to public and private sector organizations for over20 years, after a 10-year stint at CBC.

• Dave Rae is President of Rae Graphics Limited, a printing and project managementcompany located in Stratford and Toronto. Beginning with his father, Dave Sr., earlyin the ParticipACTION story, Rae Graphics was involved in the production of virtuallyall its print materials, from posters to brochures and shoelace cards.

• Brunhild Ramaut is a private communications consultant who specializes inadaptation from English to French. She has worked for a number of differentnewspapers and radio outlets, and as a communications director for Le Centre desdirigeants d’entreprises and Les Promotions MT et Ass. Inc. (a project managementconsulting office for special events). Brunhild worked with ParticipACTION on theCanada 125 campaign (1991-92), and headed up French communications for theagency from 1995 until 2001.

• Art Salmon has returned to the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Recreation as a seniorpolicy analyst in the Sport and Recreation Branch. He was with ParticipACTION from1991 to 2001 as National Technical Director.

• Mark Sarner is President of Manifest Communications Inc., one of Canada’s leadingsocial marketing agencies. Mark worked with ParticipACTION more or lesscontinuously from 1974 through 1986 on strategy and the creation of a wide range ofprograms, including ad campaigns (Walk a Block a Day, Great Moments in CanadianSport, Fitness Now and How), multi-media special projects (Fitness: Head On;Measure of Fitness; FITNESS: THE FACTS) and membership (ParticipACTIONNetwork).

• James (Jim) Struthers retired as CEO of Armadale Media Group in 1994 aftermanaging radio and television operations and publishing daily newspapers for over40 years. He served in leadership roles with the Canadian Press, The CanadianAssociation of Broadcasters, The Canadian Newspaper Association, and TheNewspaper Marketing Bureau. Jim served on the Board of ParticipACTION for18 years and as Chair from 1982 to 1986.

Keith McKerracher

Russ Kisby and his wife Merle, a public healthprofessional



with the YMCA of Canada, at both thelocal and national level. He and Merle, whoworked in public health and health promo-tion, have been married for 39 years.

Russ led by example. His leadership skillsand his speaking ability – whether it is athree-minute pitch to a Minister or akeynote address to an international audi-ence – are legendary. In fact, Russ has pre-sented over 150 keynote addresses through-out North America and in 15 European,Asian and African countries. Gord Stewart,a fitness and health writer who has knownRuss throughout his career, says: “In NewZealand, if someone is held in high esteem– they’re capable, reliable and trustworthy– you say they are ‘good value’. It doesn’tmatter which side of the world you live in,Russ Kisby and the organization he led foralmost 30 years are good value!”1

Advice from the expertsWe also asked our experts: If a group cameto you today and said, “I want to be theParticipACTION of… (sexual health, dia-betes prevention, etc… you fill in theblank)”, what would you say to them?

Almost everyone prefaced his or herreply by saying that an organization wouldneed to adapt to the communicationsworld of the 2000s, which is vastly differ-ent than it was in the 1970s whenParticipACTION began. Having said this,the following suggestions remain salient:1. Be prepared to be in it for the long

haul (decades, not years).2. Engage and meet the needs of commu-

nities across Canada. “The legions ofParticipACTION allies who worked atthe community level were the heartand soul of the movement,” says ArtSalmon. “Unless you can reach outand touch the people who share yourvision, you can have a cause but youcannot create a movement.”

3. Have a clear, concise mission and bepassionate about it. Surround yourselfwith people who are committed to avision; be persistent and practicalabout making that vision a reality.

4. Maintain a high-profile advertisingfocus. Be prepared to work hard andspend time and effort establishingrelationships with the media and pri-vate sponsors. Be persistent. If thecause is right, partnerships and spon-sorships will come.

5. Make sure your message and tone areright. “You can’t create advertisingthat beats you over the head andexpect the entertainment media toplay it for you for nothing,” says KeithMcKerracher. Michael Fog says:“ParticipACTION never pointed thebig finger at you. In Atlantic Canada,people would phone in and ask sta-tions to play the ParticipACTION adsbecause they were funny and clever.Imagine! People asking to hear ads.”

6. Build and maintain political will and asustainable funding base. “The magicof ParticipACTION was the balanceof funding between the public andprivate sector,” says Marilyn Knox.“To create a movement you need peo-ple, courage and the right level ofresourcing. If you don’t have themoney, you need to recreate yourself.”

7. Stay small, lean and flexible. DickOland says: “ParticipACTION’s great-est strength was its people; its greatestweakness was its dependence on thepolitical system for core financing. Onthe other hand, financial weakness wasalso a strength – lean dogs are braveand resourceful.” Jim Struthers adds:“One of ParticipACTION’s importantlegacies is demonstrating how muchcan be done outside of government, bycreating partnerships with the corpo-rate sector, non-governmental agen-cies, communities and individual vol-unteers across the country.”

The last word on this question goes toMichael Fog: “I’d ask a group who wantedto be like ParticipACTION, ‘who is goingto be involved?’ In the end, it is the peoplewho make the difference. Being part of theParticipACTION ‘family’ and working ontheir campaigns was the highlight of mycareer. I miss it!”

Some concluding thoughtsAs one reflects on what we have learnedfrom some of the key Mouseketeers®, it is

tempting to try to clone its leaders and theParticipACTION model they created. Butthis is not likely to work. Philippe de GaspéBeaubien, Keith McKerracher, Russ Kisby,Don Bailey and other ParticipACTIONleaders are each unique personalities whocrafted an idea and a movement in a certaintime and place. While we can learn fromhow ParticipACTION worked, “it may bebest for the change agent to select a modelcompatible with his or her own personalityand to execute that model with the greatestlevel of professional efficiency.”2 What isreplicable is the commitment to a socialcause and the ability to transmit that pas-sion to others. A recent survey by theCanadian Policy Research Network suggeststhat the passion and commitment of staff inthe non-profit sector may now be threat-ened by extrinsic factors such as low wages,poor benefits and lack of opportunities foradvancement, due to increased expectationscombined with cutbacks in funding. Theauthor of that survey urges the public, pri-vate and charitable funders of the non-profitsector to head off this concern by ensuringfunding for the sustainability of core func-tions and capacity development.3 This pointof view is supported by another recent studyof non-profit organizations in Canada. Themove away from core funding to project-specific funding in the 1990s has forcedmany NGOs to devote more and moreresources and staff to the money chase, andless to work that benefits the public.4

REFERENCES

1. Stewart G. In praise of fallen leaders. ActiveLiving, March 2001, p.14.

2. Smith W. Systems of social change: Toward amodern synthesis. Social Marketing Quarterly2002;viii(2):4-10.

3. Saunders R. Passion and Commitment UnderStress: Human Resource Issues in Canada’s Non-profit Sector. Canadian Policy ResearchNetworks, 2004. www.cprn.ca.

4. Scott K. Funding Matters: The Impact ofCanada’s New Funding Regime on Nonprofitand Voluntary Organizations. Ottawa, ON:Canadian Council on Social Development, 2004,www.ccsd.ca.

Chairs of the Board of Directors

Rt. Hon. Lester B. Pearson (Ottawa, ON) 1971-1972Mr. Philippe de Gaspé Beaubien (Montréal, PQ) 1973-1977Ms. Barbara D. Hughes (Windsor, NS) 1977-1982Mr. James K. Struthers (Saskatoon, SK) 1982-1986Mr. Richard H. Oland (Saint John, NB) 1986-1993Mr. J. Charles Caty (Oakville, ON) 1993-2000Ms. Marilyn Knox (Toronto, ON) 2000-2001


The Best Laid Schemesof Mice and Men…ParticipACTION’s Legacy and the Future of Physical Activity Promotion in Canada

Irving RootmanPeggy Edwards

The best laid schemes of mice and men,Go oft astray,And leave us naught but grief and pain,To rend our day. …

Robert Burns in “To a Mouse”1

Robert Burns wrote “To a Mouse” after he had inadvertently destroyed the mouse’shome while plowing in his field. But unlike the experience of the field mouse,ParticipACTION’s closing leaves us far more than grief and pain. The agency

leaves a rich legacy to build on in the future promotion of physical activity in Canada.It is clear from the other articles in this supplement that ParticipACTION was indeed a

“mouse that roared”. But now the mouse is silent. Should we try to revive the mouse, findanother mouse that roars, or teach others to roar? What do we take from the legacy ofParticipACTION and what future do we create for the promotion of physical activity inCanada, and for health communications and social marketing in general? To help usaddress these questions, the authors of this paper canvassed several experts in physicalactivity promotion and health communications. (See Acknowledgements in this article.)Specifically, we asked them: 1) What legacy does ParticipACTION leave the field?2) What is the future of promoting active living in Canada? and 3) What is the future ofhealth communications and social marketing as health promotion strategies? This paperwill reflect their views as well as our own.

ParticipACTION’s legacyWhat legacy does ParticipACTION leave? First, it leaves us with a compelling model andstory – a uniquely Canadian adventure of which we can be proud. Gerry Glassford, a dis-tinguished scholar in the field of active living, says: “ParticipACTION left Canada with avery positive reputation among other countries that are seeking ways to countervail thehigh costs of an inactive population.”

Second, ParticipACTION remains in the minds of several generations as a force encour-aging us to be active. Cora Lynn Craig, President and CEO of the Canadian Fitness andLifestyle Research Institute, says: “ParticipACTION developed a brand that permeatedCanadians’ consciousness, making ‘participating’ synonymous with ‘participACTING’. Ithad a major impact that regretfully is difficult to measure. In 1981, virtually everyCanadian knew of ParticipACTION and by 1995, Canadians were aware of and held posi-tive beliefs about the health benefits of physical activity. Much of this can be attributed tothe work of ParticipACTION during the 1970s and ’80s.”

Third, while the growth of the fitnessmovement was mainly due to the hardwork of organizations, service providers,educators and leaders across Canada, thereis little doubt that ParticipACTION’s highprofile helped set the stage. “Thirty yearsago it was rare to see bicycle paths, fitnesstrails, fitness clubs in shopping centres andexercise facilities in office buildings andworkplaces,” says Glassford. “The aware-ness programs generated by Particip-ACTION helped to make these common-place. And while ParticipACTION cannotbe given full credit for gaining the supportof key opinion leaders, it certainly was amajor player in enhancing the readiness tosupport the field. ParticipACTION’sPresident was so highly regarded and theParticipACTION messages so frequentlyheard that he could ‘gain the ear’ of seniorofficials across the nation. This made iteasier for others to follow in his path.”

Jim Struthers, a former media executivefrom Saskatoon who chaired theParticipACTION Board in the early1980s, believes that ParticipACTION’sgreatest legacy is community mobilization.“Saskatoon was the ParticipACTION pilotsite for all kinds of community activities.In the process, the community learnedhow to mobilize and use its power. We area living legacy of the empowered commu-nity that was forged in partnership withParticipACTION.” Other board membersand staff concur. “Nobody else couldmobilize the community from the groundup like ParticipACTION did,” says DickOland, a marketing expert from SaintJohn who chaired ParticipACTION from1986 to 1993. “Events like the CrownLifeParticipACTION Challenge and the 1988Olympic Torch Relay galvanized commu-nities all across Canada. It was fitness forall, not elitism. The number of volunteerswho helped with these events was extraor-dinary. In fact, part of the organization’slegacy is its role modeling of the power ofvoluntarism and not-for-profit organiza-tions to engage ordinary people.”

Last, ParticipACTION leaves us withsome specific lessons, which are capturedthroughout this supplement. A brief sum-mary and some discussion of the mainobservations follow.

Bauman, Madill, Craig and Salmon2

point to the importance of investing inevaluation with an emphasis on proximalmeasures for media campaigns in the short

Irving Rootman is a Professor at the University of Victoria and Distinguished Scholar, Michael SmithFoundation for Health Research.Peggy Edwards is a health promotion consultant with The Alder Group Inc. and a former writer forParticipACTION.

THE BEST LAID SCHEMES OF MICE AND MEN…


term, and influence on social climate in thelong term. Their exploration of the use of“social marketing” versus “health commu-nications” suggests that how we do it ismore important than what we call it. It iswell known that health promotion effortsneed a comprehensive and balancedapproach that addresses the environmentsaround people as well as personal behav-iour change. What is less clear is the role ofsocial marketing or health communicationsagencies in this effort. Some critics claimthat ParticipACTION crossed boundariesand the mandates of other agencies bybecoming involved in direct programdelivery (e.g., workplace programs or theAmbassadors program) in their efforts tocreate positive environments for physicalactivity. Others say the opposite: thatParticipACTION did not get involvedenough in advocacy efforts designed toinfluence policies and environments.Defenders of this stance suggest that anagency that relies on the good will of themedia must remain neutral and be associ-ated with a broad positive message.

It is likely that confusion about roles andperceived boundaries contributed to theorganization’s demise. Therefore, it isessential in the future to be clear about thevarious partners’ mandates in a compre-hensive strategy to promote physical activi-ty, and to ensure ongoing communicationabout who does what. Whether or not acommunications agency engages in activeadvocacy, there is a need to consciouslyframe the physical activity message as morethan an individual decision, and to usedeliberate strategies for social change thatcreate supportive environments forCanadians who are inactive.

Rob Petch, Creative Director ofCormana Group, believes that the enthusi-astic acceptance of ParticipACTION inQuebec was a key factor in their success.François Lagarde suggests that agenciesworking in bi- or multilingual and bi- ormulticultural settings need to make a clearcommitment to working in this capacityfrom start to finish, and retain staff andcreative agencies that have the interperson-al skills to convey nuances within diversecultures.

In his article, “The Mouse Under theMicroscope: Keys to ParticipACTION’sSuccess”,3 Lagarde describes success factorsrelated to ways of working and the princi-

ples of good messaging. He also suggestssome of ParticipACTION’s weaknesses.One relates to the agency’s limitations inaddressing segments of the population whowere not ready to take action. Glassfordsupports this view: “We still do not knowwhat it will take to shift the inactive groupto a health-enhancing lifestyle. Clearly,there is no single social marketing strategythat will positively influence everyCanadian.” This dilemma suggests thatunderstanding the barriers faced by inac-tive Canadians (who are most likely tohave low incomes) is key to messaging forthese audiences and the institutions thatcan help reduce disparities.

The other weakness raised by Lagarderelates to the agency’s slowness in lateryears to adapt to a new media landscape,especially at a time when they were experi-encing inadequate funding. Mark Sarner,President of Manifest CommunicationsInc., believes that ParticipACTION hadtwo major strengths in terms of leveragingpublic service advertising: innovative mar-keting combined with an obsession for cre-ativity, and a proven approach to building

personal relationships with the media.“ParticipACTION had engaging people onthe road all the time, visiting individualmedia outlets and giving them top qualitycreative. They recognized that the media,not the public, was their primary audience.At a certain point, they lost this focus. Thequality of creative productions droppedand staff were not constantly visiting themedia. They lost their edge just at the timethat competition for public service adver-tising was dramatically increasing.”

In “Spreading the Message ThroughCommunity Mobilization, Education andLeadership: A Magnanimouse Task”,4

Christa Costas-Bradstreet suggests a numberof key learnings related to communitymobilization and educational information ascomplementary strategies to mass mediacampaigns. They include listening well,valuing volunteerism, respecting grassrootsleaders, using a community-drivenapproach, and providing high quality sup-port materials and access to media coverage.

In “The Mouseketeers®: People Makethe Difference”,5 Peggy Edwards drawsseveral conclusions from the



ParticipACTION experience. To be suc-cessful, non-profit agencies need to: pick aleader who is committed, tenacious, vision-ary and likeable; choose board memberswho are personally committed and profes-sionally connected in a variety of influen-tial areas; surround themselves with bilin-gual staff who are passionate about thecause; hire committed and creative suppli-ers who work for more than money; andfind ways to involve and build loyaltyamong private sector sponsors, media rep-resentatives, senior officials in govern-ments, and leaders in the community. Thisarticle also contains suggestions from theexperts for organizations wanting to repli-cate the ParticipACTION experience.

Sustainability, branding and leverageThree key concepts – sustainability, brand-ing and leverage – ran through the analy-ses and opinions expressed by all of theauthors, as well as the experts we inter-viewed. Mark Sarner says: “Capturing thekind of impact that ParticipACTIONachieved in today’s environment willrequire substantial resources in the shortterm and serious commitment over thelong term.” Thus, the crucial task for thoseworking in the field of physical activitypromotion – including governments at alllevels, non-governmental organizations,researchers, educators, service providers,local groups and citizens – is to find cre-ative ways to work together in support of asustained physical activity promotion effortfor three to five decades to come.

In the first article in this issue, “NoCountry Mouse: Thirty Years of Effective

Marketing and Health Communications”,6

Edwards describes how identity buildingand branding were key elements ofParticipACTION’s success. This can onlybe achieved over the long term. Insiderssuggest that while ParticipACTION’sbranding was a success from an awarenesspoint of view, the agency could have beenstronger in articulating what the brandmeant. Unless an organization maintains aconsistent and insistent brand stewardship,it is vulnerable to misinterpretation bymultiple suppliers and piece-meal projects.This might have been part of the problemin later years when some people observed adecline in focus and creativity.

“No Country Mouse” gives practicalexamples of the effective leveraging that waskey to ParticipACTION’s strength. LarryHershfield, Manager of the HealthCommunication Unit (THCU) at theUniversity of Toronto, suggests thatParticipACTION provides a model of howto nurture, leverage and appreciate in-kindcontributions from both the corporate andnon-profit sectors. Nancy Dubois, a con-sultant with THCU, reminds us that build-ing these kinds of partnerships takes a lotmore time and energy than one would sus-pect.

Promoting active living: The futureAt present, there is considerable activity inCanada bearing on the promotion of phys-ical activity, spurred on in many cases byconcerns about increasing rates of over-weight and obesity. Key coalitions at thenational level include the Coalition forActive Living, the Chronic DiseasePrevention Alliance of Canada and theIntegrated Pan-Canadian Healthy LivingStrategy (which includes the federal,provincial and territorial governments).Several provinces already have full-scalepromotion campaigns for physical activityon its own or as part of a broader healthyliving campaign. Traditional serviceproviders such as municipal recreationdepartments, sport associations and theYMCA and YWCA continue to promoteand support physical activity amongCanadians. Finally, organizations at theprovincial level such as the OntarioPhysical and Health EducationAssociation, as well as at local levels such asthe Saskatoon Health District, haveincreased their efforts to promote physical

activity recently, as part of a focus onimproved health.

In contrast to previous campaigns, manyof these efforts are tied to the prevention ofchronic diseases. Cora Craig says: “If thecurrent trend persists, physical activity pro-motion will be transformed into the pro-motion of non-communicable disease riskfactors. This appears to be the direction ofthe federal government with its focus on ahealthy living strategy (an umbrella forphysical activity, nutrition, tobacco andother risk factors), and its support for thecreation of the Chronic Disease Alliance.Although warranted, this was matched by adecrease in focus on physical activity pro-motion, and a decrease in funding for itsphysical activity unit (roughly 25% ofwhat it was a decade ago).”

There are limitations to absorbing physi-cal activity promotion within chronic dis-ease promotion. Craig says: “The risk-factor specific approach is still necessarybecause the messaging across risk factorsmay not lead to clear messaging for anyone risk factor, the target groups for specif-ic risk factors (e.g., nutrition and physicalactivity) are not identical, and the sectorsthat need to be engaged in developingsolutions are not the same.” This view issupported by the analysis presented in thissupplement and from literature7 suggestingthat it is more effective to “promote a sin-gle, doable behaviour, explained in simpleand clear terms.”3 Adding negative risk fac-tors, such as smoking in particular, maymuddy the waters. Moreover, focussing onother risk factors at the same time mayundermine the positive motivationalpotential of physical activity to build self-esteem, socialize and have fun.

Ebbe Marquardsen, who worked withParticipACTION in the early years,believes that a clear focussed mission waskey to their success. “Early on, it was atough sell. People looked at us with blankexpressions on their faces when wedescribed who we were. But I had a clearmission – to promote personal fitness.I knew what that meant and I knew howto sell that idea. People responded.”

On the other hand, combining forces isnot necessarily incompatible. There is aparticularly strong synergy between physi-cal activity and healthy eating, and Canadaand other countries can build upon thecurrent World Health Organization work

on a Global Strategy on Diet, PhysicalActivity and Health.8 While physical activ-ity and healthy eating still require separatecampaign efforts, combining the efforts ofthese two networks makes a lot of sense. Inthis regard, it is encouraging to note thatphysical activity is being taken seriously inat least some of the current chronic diseasework in Canada. Nancy Dubois, who rep-resents the Coalition for Active Living inthe Chronic Disease Prevention Alliancemeetings, says: “Physical activity is reallycoming into its own – as a true partner atthe table.”

Having said this, the authors of this arti-cle are concerned that the current emphasison risk factors and disease medicalizes phys-ical activity and represents a throwback tothe days before the birth of the OttawaCharter for Health Promotion.9 In so doing,it loses the focus on personal and commu-nity empowerment that is the essence ofhealth promotion. It also threatens to pushaway important partners in the recreationand sport communities. Millions of chil-dren play basketball, soccer and hockey,not because it prevents diabetes but becauseit is fun, challenging and rewarding. MostCanadians who camp, hike and swim do sofor the enjoyment of recreating in nature,not because it helps control their bloodpressure. Municipal recreation departmentsprovide programs for seniors andCanadians with disabilities, not in theinterest of improving health (although thisis recognized as an important by-product),but because they believe that all citizenshave the right to enjoy the holistic benefitsof active recreation in their community.

Currently, there are many organizationsand several coalitions that are well placedto improve access and provide leadershipin the field of physical activity. TheCoalition for Active Living is ideally suitedto provide the leadership we need toachieve the six-point plan the Coalitionpromotes.10 The recent focus on develop-ing physical activity guidelines and sup-porting national organizations that are try-ing to influence the environment for physi-cal activity is laudable and essential. Butthere is a gaping hole in the strategy. Thereis no long-term commitment to support aprogram dedicated to the use of social mar-keting/health communications to increaseawareness, knowledge, motivation and net-works among the broad population and

subgroups, and to reinforce a social climatethat makes active living the norm inCanada.

Art Salmon, an ex-staff member whocurrently works with the Ontario Ministryof Tourism and Recreation, says: “Whilethere is a lot going on in physical activityat the professional level, the averageCanadian is missing a viable icon for phys-ical activity. Canadians saw Particip-ACTION as the national consciousness forfitness. There is a sense that we have lost abeacon at the street level.”

Many Canadians are incredulous thatsupport for ParticipACTION or a replace-ment program is not in place at the verytime that levels of obesity and chronic dis-ease are rising. There is particular concernthat Canadian children, who live increas-ingly sedentary lives, are growing up with-out the ParticipACTION message. CharlieCaty, a financial expert and former chair ofthe ParticipACTION Board, is also con-cerned about the cost to our health care sys-tem. “Research has increasingly shown thatkeeping Canadians active will save money,as well as increasing personal well-being.”

Social marketing can make an importantcontribution to the effectiveness of community-based interventions whencombined with multiple strategies, such asthose that are recommended by the CDCTask Force on Community PreventiveServices.11 The ParticipACTION experi-ence suggests that social marketing pro-grams are best sustained outside of govern-ment through an organization that candraw on the good will of the media andprivate sponsors without political encum-brances. “An association with governmentis important for credibility and anenhanced image with corporate support-ers,” says Rob Petch, “but it is not possiblefor governments to get the kind of leverageParticipACTION garnered. Media expectgovernments to pay for their advertising.”

Marilyn Knox, who served on theParticipACTION Board for 10 years, says:“Without political will and the support ofgovernment managers, you lose the balancebetween public and private funding and areforced to work in survival mode, as we wereat the end of ParticipACTION’s time. Thefunding for this cannot come from thealready under-funded Physical Activity Unitin Health Canada, or from the monies thatflow to other groups working in physical



activity. It must come from a commitmentat the political level to support a compre-hensive national social marketing effort thatpromotes and enables physical activity.”

A wise sage once said that “an elephantis a mouse built to government specifica-tions”, and it makes sense to have an arms-length, small organization that is able tomove quickly and even make fun of politi-cal correctness, as ParticipACTION did intheir early days. In the face of competingand shifting priorities, it is difficult forgovernments to sustain a specific socialmarketing program over many years (theexception in Canada is tobacco). It is alsochallenging for governments to fund anoutside agency over the long term unlessthey have support, cooperation and pres-sure from six essential groups: elected offi-cials at the highest levels, key opinion lead-ers in the media and corporate sectors,government bureaucrats, and leaders inprovincial/territorial and local govern-ments, the non-governmental sector andgrassroots organizations. Elected officialsand senior bureaucrats in a variety ofdepartments want clear evidence of thebenefits of investing in the promotion ofphysical activity from economic, environ-mental and social perspectives as well ashealth. They need to know that the lessonslearned from ParticipACTION and otherswill be well applied. Managers within gov-ernment need assurance that their ownmandates and programs are valued, and tobecome comfortable with being a hands-off partner that does not feel in competi-tion with a dynamic organization such asParticipACTION. They also need to betouched personally by the cause.Sometimes, stories are far more effectivethan statistics.

Bob Duck, who worked with Particip-ACTION and the Y for many years, sug-

gests that future efforts to promote physi-cal activity in Canada will need to paymore attention to the diversity of Canada’spopulation. “Different cultures look atphysical activity in different ways and pro-motional efforts will need to explicitlyaddress cultural values, beliefs and prac-tices.”

Medhat Mahdy, Senior Vice-President,YMCA Canada, suggests that future effortsto promote physical activity will need topay more attention to the family unit.“The field tends to promote active livingfor children and adults separately and toforget the importance of the family unitbeing active together. At the Y, we see howchildren take their cues from their par-ents.” Mahdy also believes that we need toput more emphasis on ‘staying’ with physi-cal activity, as well as on starting.“Recidivism rates are always high. Youneed different strategies and messages tokeep people active.”

Michael Weil, President and CEO,YMCA Canada, says: “We are spending alot of time talking theory and organizingcoalitions. Meanwhile, our young peopleare not developing the habit of physicalactivity. Grassroots organizations like theYMCA are working hard to increase accessfor everyone. Community action is key,but we need policy incentives and organi-zations like ParticipACTION to supportthe grassroots.”

Finally, it is important to note the grow-ing interest in health promotion in an eco-logical approach building on conceptsfrom social ecology and urban studies.12,13

This approach, which attempts to integratetheoretical perspectives that allow an analy-sis of the relationships between personal-level and broader-level environmental fac-tors has in fact recently been applied to thepromotion of physical activity.14 It is likely

that as it gains strength through furtherresearch, it will strongly influence thefuture of physical activity promotion.

The future of health communicationsand social marketingIt is increasingly apparent that health com-munications and social marketing effortsneed to be viewed as a component of com-prehensive strategies to promote personaland social change rather than the only, oreven the primary approach. It is alsoimportant to recognize that the field ischanging rapidly, largely as a result of tech-nological and commercial developments.“It is a different world today andParticipACTION set the bar high,” saysJeannette Hanna, Vice-President of BrandStrategy at Spencer Francey Peters. “It ismore difficult to get noticed, there is moreskepticism and more competition fordonor dollars.”

Rob Petch, who worked as a producer atCBC television, says: “In the ’70s, you hada chance of reaching almost 50% ofCanadians if you got on one of only twotelevision networks. An audience of 2.5million was considered big. Now withmultiple networks and hundreds of chan-nels, it’s considered a success if you reach700,000 to 800,000 viewers. We also doTV differently. Every three months, thereis a new technology to plug into. We’vemoved from broadcasting to narrow-casting to micro-casting.”

Tom MacMillan, Senior Vice-Presidentof a public relations firm, agrees that thecommunications environment of 2004 isfar more complex than it was during thetime he worked with ParticipACTION.“On the other hand, there has never beenmore media available. Convergence alsomeans that it is now possible to be reallyefficient, for example to engage manynewspapers across the country through onecorporate owner. Organizations who arewilling to learn and adapt have a goodchance of being successful.”

Some social marketers are starting toquestion the effectiveness of public serviceadvertising (PSAs). A new study by theKaiser Family Foundation found that inthe US, broadcast and cable stations pro-vide an average of 15 seconds every hour toPSAs (just under one half of 1% of all tele-vision airtime). The study also found thatPartners for a Drug-Free America was buy-



ing about 9 seconds an hour for their“public service messages” because mostnetworks were showing their messages at3:00 a.m. or could only give the agency10-second spots. On the positive side, newstyle PSAs that feature a network’s ownstars – and therefore promote the networkat the same time as the social cause – weregetting prime-time exposure.15

Petch believes that non-governmentalagencies need not abandon PSAs nor televi-sion. “It does mean that they need to berealistic about what a PSA can do, andmake television one of several deliverymechanisms. For example, reduce your costsper unit and make your creative suitable fordelivery on the web as well as on TV.”

It may also be time to revisit the rulesabout how much time broadcasters inCanada are required and encouraged todonate to public service advertising, andwhether or not there should be stipulationson how much of that space should be inprime time.

Larry Hershfield suggests that “moreparticipatory, personal approaches such as‘blogging’ and ‘chats’ now dominate theinformation environment, particularlyamong the young.” In addition, “there aremore commercial intrusions into the over-all health information environment,including nutraceuticals, advertising, med-icalization and the invention of syn-dromes.” These developments provideboth challenges and opportunities forhealth communications and social market-ing efforts to promote personal and socialchange.

On the challenges side, serious healthcommunications and social marketingefforts will have to compete with well-funded commercial efforts and each otherin an increasingly chaotic informationenvironment. This will require ongoingresearch with an increased emphasis on theuse of psychographics to segment audi-ences, focussed strategic and operationalplanning, the creative use of resources,effective partnerships, and the use of eventmarketing and new media approaches inaddition to (or instead of) advertising. Thegoal must be to create and sustain supportfor social movements such as the one thatParticipACTION spearheaded.

On the opportunities side, the specificityof the increased number of media channelsallows for more targeted messages to spe-

cific audiences. New information tech-nologies and increasing access to the worldwide web create unprecedented opportuni-ties for ordinary people to access healthinformation that is specific to their needs.Health communications and social market-ing efforts can exploit these opportunitiesto spread the word more efficiently thanhas been the case in the past. Moreover,according to François Lagarde, “social mar-keting could be optimized if social mar-keters go the whole way in addressingproduct, price and place issues and consid-er taking the lead on advocating changes tothe physical, social and economic environ-ments that are conducive to the adoptionof physical activity.”

Thus, on balance, the future of healthcommunications and social marketing issecure, at least in part, because of the pio-neering efforts of ParticipACTION – the“mouse that roared”.

REFERENCES

1. Curran W. The Best of Robert Burns. www.robert-burns.org.

2. Bauman A, Madill J, Craig CL, Salmon A.ParticipACTION: This mouse roared, but did itget the cheese? Can J Public Health2004;95(Suppl. 2):S14-S19.

3. Lagarde F. The mouse under the microscope:Keys to ParticipACTION’s success. Can J PublicHealth 2004;95(Suppl. 2):S20-S24.

4. Costas-Bradstreet C. Spreading the messagethrough community mobilization, education andleadership: A magnanimouse task. Can J PublicHealth 2004;95(Suppl. 2):S25-S29.

5. Edwards P. The mouseketeers®: People make thedifference. Can J Public Health 2004;95(Suppl.2):S33-S36.

6. Edwards P. No country mouse: Thirty years ofeffective marketing and health communications.Can J Public Health 2004;95(Suppl. 2):S6-S13.


8. World Health Organization. Global Strategy onDiet, Physical Activity and Health.www.who.int/hpr/global.strategy.

9. World Health Organization. The Ottawa Charterfor Health Promotion, 1986. www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/phdd/docs/charter.

10. Coalition for Active Living. www.activeliving.ca.11. Task Force on Community Preventive Services.

Increasing Physical Activity. MMWR. Atlanta:CDC, 2001;50(RR18):1-16.

12. Stokols D. Establishing and maintaining healthyenvironments: Toward a social ecology of healthpromotion. Am Psychologist 1992;47:6-22.

13. Stokols D. Translating social ecological theoryinto guidelines for community health promotion.Am J Health Prom 1996;10(4):282-93.

14. King AC, Stokols D, Talen E, Brassington GS,Killingsworth R. Theoretical approaches to pro-motion of physical activity: Forging a transdisci-plinary paradigm. Am J Prev Med 2002;23(Suppl.1):15-25.

15. Schiller L, Holt T (Eds.). Shouting to be Heard:Public Service Advertising in a New Media Age.Washington, DC: Kaiser Family Foundation,2003. www.kff.org.



Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the following people for their input:

• Charles (Charlie) Caty, Chair ParticipACTION Board, 1993-2000

• Cora Lynn Craig, President and CEO, Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute

• Nancy Dubois, Consultant, The Health Communication Unit, University of Toronto

• Robert (Bob) Duck, Ontario HIV Treatment Network

• Gerry Glassford, former Dean of the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation,University of Alberta

• Jeannette Hanna, Vice-President of Brand Strategy, Spencer Francey Peters

• Larry Hershfield, Manager, The Health Communication Unit, University of Toronto

• Marilyn Knox, President Nutrition, Nestlé Canada, Chair, ParticipACTION Board,2000-2001

• François Lagarde, social marketing consultant

• Tom MacMillan, Senior Vice-President, Advanced Planning/MS and L

• Medhat Mahdy, Senior Vice-President, YMCA Canada

• Ebbe Marquardsen, Vice-President, Development & Community Relationships, JosephBrant Memorial Hospital

• Richard (Dick) Oland, Chair ParticipACTION Board, 1986-1993

• Rob Petch, Executive Producer, Cormana Group

• Mark Sarner, President, Manifest Communications Inc.

• James (Jim) Struthers, Chair ParticipACTION Board, 1982-1986

• Michael Weil, President and CEO, YMCA Canada.


ParticipACTION’s First Decade: Creating Awareness and Changing Attitudes

1971• Sport Participation Canada (later renamed ParticipACTION),

a not-for-profit private company is formed on July 12. Rt. Hon. Lester B. Pearson is Chairman and Mr. Philippe deGaspé Beaubien is President.

1972• “ParticipACTION” is selected as the bilingual brand name

and a logo is designed.• A communication strategy is developed and initial TV and

radio PSAs are launched in both official languages.• ParticipACTION Saskatoon begins as the first pilot community.

1973• The 60-year-old Swede television ad shakes up the country.

1974• ParticipACTION launches newspaper (daily and weekly) PSA

messages.

1976• Sun Life Assurance Company and the Kinsmen Clubs of

Canada work with ParticipACTION to build activity trailscalled “ParticiParks” in over 100 communities across Canada.

1979• ParticipACTION and the Canadian Association for Health,

Physical Education and Recreation (CAHPER) publish What’sthe Matter With Kids Today, an engaging booklet about chil-dren’s lack of fitness and growing problems with overweight.

1980-81• ParticipACTION reaches 100,000 employees and their families

with FITNESS: THE FACTS, a comprehensive informationcampaign on employee fitness.

• Media support for ParticipACTION campaigns (not includingin-kind) valued at $8M.

ParticipACTION’s Second Decade: Building Involvement and Motivation

1982• ParticipACTION Saskatoon conducts “Great Canadian

ParticipACTION Challenge,” involving 50 communities acrossCanada.

1983• The CrownLife ParticipACTION Challenge begins and con-

tinues annually for 11 years. For many years, the Challengeinvolves an annual “community donation” of some 800 paidpersonnel, more than 22,000 volunteer leaders and over4,000,000 registered participants.

1984• ParticipACTION, Fitness Ontario and the Ontario Milk

Marketing Board create APEX (Action Program on Eating andExercise) for use in Ontario elementary schools.

1984-86• The ParticipACTION Network is created in partnership with

Fitness Canada, including a membership-based informationmagazine with sections targeting fitness/health leaders and thepublic.

1985• ParticipACTION begins work with the Department of

National Defence to develop training, exercise prescription andpromotional materials for military staff and physical educationinstructors.

• The “Health Saver” educational pamphlets program islaunched in cooperation with the College of Family Physiciansof Canada and the financial support of the H. J. HeinzCompany of Canada. Eventually, 2.5 million informationpieces are distributed by family physicians.

• ParticipACTION adapts health education booklets producedby Krames Communications for sale to workplaces in Canadaunder the ParticipACTION brand. This continues into themid-1990s.

1988• Through the Olympic Torch Relay and Celebration 88,

ParticipACTION mobilizes 1,730 communities in partnershipwith Petro-Canada and the Canadian government.

• ParticipACTION publishes Expres: The Exercise Prescription, anadaptation for the public of the exercise program developed forthe Department of National Defence.

AppendixHistorical Milestones for ParticipACTION

APPENDIX


1989• ParticipACTION designs and implements the Vitality aware-

ness campaign in partnership with Health Canada and FitnessCanada, in response to the healthy weights initiative.

• ParticipACTION hosts the TRIM and Fitness InternationalSport for All conference (TAFISA) with 48 participating coun-tries.

• The CrownLife ParticipACTION Challenge program is adopt-ed internationally by TAFISA as “Challenge Day”, eventuallyattracting 25 million participants annually.

• The television campaign “Body Break With ParticipACTION”is launched and Canadians meet Hal and Joanne.

1990• Fitness Ontario supports the development of

“InformACTION”, a computer-based health communicationresource for workplaces.

1991• The Canadian Public Health Association presents

ParticipACTION with the Ortho Award for “outstanding con-tribution to health in Canada”.

• Media support for ongoing campaigns and Vitality calculatedto be $15M.

ParticipACTION’s Third Decade: Enhancing Partnerships and Community Mobilization

1992• ParticipACTION develops and distributes to 20,000 leaders of

older adult programs, health information kits called Live It Up!in partnership with Merck Frosst Canada Inc. and six majorhealth organizations, including CPHA. Over one million infor-mation pieces are hand-delivered to the target audience.

• Through a team of 50 community animation specialists andover one million local volunteer leaders, ParticipACTIONstimulates over 20,000 community active living initiatives andextensive coverage for the Canada 125 campaign.

• ParticipACTION, with the support of many organizations andin collaboration with Fitness Canada, is contracted to expandand promote Summer Active and Winter Active campaigns.

• With the support of the Ontario government,ParticipACTION launches the Ontario Community ActiveLiving Programme (OCALP). Four community animatorsmobilize individuals and organizations to build active livingcoalitions, and support physical activity in communities acrossOntario.

1993• In partnership with Crown Life Insurance Company,

ParticipACTION develops and distributes a quarterly, bilin-gual, health newsletter called Quality of Life that goes to some80,000 employees in some 1,000 small businesses and institu-tions across the country. This continues until 1997.

1994• Nielsen media report shows that between February 1993 and

January 1994, ParticipACTION gained a median monthlymedia exposure valued at $230,000 (ranging from $167,000 to$538,000).

1995• The Canadian Cardiovascular Society awards ParticipACTION

the Doctor Harold N. Segall Award of Merit “in recognition ofnotable contributions to the prevention of cardiovascular dis-eases and the promotion of cardiovascular health inCanadians.”

• In partnership with Health Alliance (Astra Pharma Inc., nowAstraZeneca) and the Government of New Brunswick,ParticipACTION works with a seniors group called Aîné(e)s enmarche–Go Ahead Seniors! to develop and promote a bilingual,peer-assisted health information program for seniors.

1998• ParticipACTION builds and launches an ambitious interactive

website in both official languages.• ParticipACTION promotes Physical Activity Guide to Healthy

Active Living developed by Health Canada.

1999• ParticipACTION is one of the founding members of the

Coalition for Active Living. It is made up of hundreds ofgroups, organizations and individuals committed to “makingsure that the environments where we live, learn, work and playsupport regular physical activity.”

• ParticipACTION stops producing new national public serviceannouncement campaign material.

2000• ParticipACTION mobilizes over 800 communities to support

Canada’s largest millennium project, “The Trans Canada TrailRelay 2000”.

• ParticipACTION works with the Department of NationalDefence (DND) to produce training resources for Land ForceCommand and special programs for DND firefighters, specialforces and pregnant soldiers.

• The ParticipACTION Board decides to cease operations.

2001• ParticipACTION officially closes in January.

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