Evaluation of the Bangladesh Social Marketing Program

This evaluation focuses on the Social Marketing Company (SMC), formerly called the Social Marketing Project (SMP). This activity has been funded by USAID since 1974 and has had continuing technical assistance from Population Services International (PSI). It has long been acknowledged as a major factor in the increase of short-term methods contraceptive prevalence in Bangladesh (60 percent condoms and 21 percent oral contraceptive pills according to the 1989 Contraceptive Prevalence Survey). Its field sales force is regarded as among the best in the country. SMC sponsored the nation's first wide-scale family planning and oral rehydration solution (ORS) multi-media advertising and information, education, and communication (IEC) campaigns. The program is an important element in USAID's family planning and oral rehydration therapy (ORT) program. After 16years as a project operating under a council chaired by the government, it was established as a private non-profit company with a private sector board in 1990. Its social objectives remain unchanged.

Evaluation Purpose and Methodolog- y.

SMC has not been externally evaluated on its own since 1986. Selected aspects were covered in the 1986 Overall Evaluation of the USAID/Bangladesh Family Planning Services Project, the February 1990 Population Sector Review, and the September 1990 Family Planning and Health Services Project Midterm Evaluation (released in July 1991). The present evaluation was scheduled for September 1990 but was delayed due to SMC's recent reorganization.

Initial discussions with USAID at the beginning of the evaluation assignment resulted in agreement on the four key issues to be addressed:

It was further agreed that these issues should be addressed within the context of SMC's overall organization and management, as increased technical and managerial sustainability is an underlying issue. Inaddressingthekeyconcerns,theevaluationteamwasalsochargedwithassessingtheextent to which relevant recommendations from the three prior evaluations have been implemented. However, the 1990 Family Planning and Health Services Project Midterm Evaluation, only received by USAID in July 1991, was not officially available to SMC prior to the arrival of the evaluation team.

This evaluation was conducted by two consultants fielded by the Population Technical Assistance Project. Activities included assembly and review of pertinent documents, discussions with

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representatives of key organizations (including research and advertising subcontractors to SMC, other USAID-sponsored programs, and other donors), and field visits to the CBS project site in Brahmanbaria and the SMC area office in Mymensingh. Briefings were held with USAID and SMC. Extensive consultations were also held with both organizations during data collection, analysis, and preparation of this report, and draft sections were constructively reviewed by the USAID Project Officer.

Proiect Implementation

Organization and Management

Since incorporation as a private non-profit company in 1990 and the hiring of new executive management,SMChasmademajororganizationalandmanagementgains. Examplesincludeinternal reorganization resulting in less top heavy management, better and more sophisticated use of management information system (MIS) data, higher productivity in such operations as packaging and sales, professionalizationof the research and advertising unit, improvements in and better codification of operating systems and procedures, and structured outreach to new business opportunities with the potential to subsidize SMC's main product lines and increase financial sustainability. SMC's impressive gains should continue, using clearly articulated management objectives as guidelines.

SMC still needs improvement in disseminating information effectively and efficiently to USAID and in developing functional relationships with other organizations, such as USAID projects involved in complementary activities as well as other donors. SMC's reporting requirements are spelled out in the USAID-PSI and PSI-SMC cooperative agreements. Though one category of reports is now behind schedule, USAID generally gets basic information on monthly sales and quarterly progress. However, USAID is not aware of many of the management and business innovations described in this report and voices frustration about not getting data on cost recovery and other aspects of the operation that enjoyed lower priority when the agreements were signed but are now major concerns. SMC, as a marketing organization, should be able to market itself more effectively to USAID and other organizations (e.g., other donors, local groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, etc.).

USAID