Core Competence and Goal

Now that I've settled on SADD working to minimize occurrences of binge drinking as the focus of my marketing plan, I've started to look at the core competence of SADD and what the goal for this program would be. Here are some thoughts in both areas...

Core Competence - After reading up on SADD on their website (http://www.sadd.org) I think that SADD's core competent lies in being able to Education and Information dissemination to help young people deal with the dangers of substance abuse and other difficult situations they may face. It became clear from reading SADD's mission and reviewing literature about them that, while they do some fundraising its clear their focus is on helping young people through educational efforts and programs. SADD leverages their competence by having chapters throughout the country in various educational institutions that are run by students. Students can identify with the pressures and temptations their peers face, and are best suited to help educate other students about the potential dangers and how to face difficult situations.

Goal - The goal of this program would be to reduce the amount of of college age students who partake in binge drinking behaviors by 50% in five years. The percentage will be measured through surveys of college age students, and while SADD could perform these surveys, it is likely that there are other organizations that could perform the surveys or at least partner with SADD on the surveys (e.g. the National Institute of Health, the CDC or some college education accreditation group?). The 50% reduction is an auspicious goal, but considering the detrimental effects of binge drinking in both the near and long term it is in line with SADD's mission and goals. The five year time frame may be a little short, but it would be the minimum acceptable, considering that in five years allows students who have just entered college to be fully exposed to SADD's program throughout their undergrad years (usually 4-5 years).

I'm spending the next few days working on the next part of the Big Picture for the marketing plan, the marketing objective and the source of volume.