Population Service International

-------------------------------------------------
Case notes
-------------------------------------------------
Population services international (PSI): the social marketing project in Bangladesh

PSI:
  * Non profit agency founded in 1970 to help control the population explosion in less developed countries
  * «Marketing techniques to supplement scare medical skills » in poor countries
  * No involvement in marketing clinical birth control (such as male or female fertilization) BUT incentive for condoms and pills « products that have to become a part of the daily life of the marketplace »

The Social marketing project:
  * 1976: agreement between PSI and the government of Bangladesh to carry out a program of family planning through social marketing
  * Goal: use modern marketing techniques to sell subsidized contraceptives through commercial outlets
  * Policy guidelines to be provided by 3 key constituents:
      * The Bangladesh government   role of supervising the project (possibility to restrict any aspect of the program if considered as sensitive)
      * USAID   provides almost the entire cost of the SMP (donation of contraceptives, PSI managing fees…)
      * PSI responsible for devising and implementing the marketing strategy
! = Pb at managing the project: do not have the control of the policy decision of the fund

Country background
Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world with an unabated growth of the population, 20 Mi couples in fertile ages
Factors challenging SPM:
  1. Culture and attitude
  * Only 9% of the population live in cities
  * Low literacy rate (27% male, 12% female)
  * Ignorance of birth control methods and products
  * Financial issue (cost of having a daughter + bangali tend to try to have more sons)
  *  ! Only 6% of bengali cited religion for not having family planning practices
  2. Buying / selling process:
  * Intensive network of local retail outlet owned by Small... [continues]

Read full essay