Frequenty Asked Questions

What is the segmentation tool for?

The segmentation tool is designed for alcohol social marketing. It can assist in:

• Defining priority audiences
• Targeting communications campaigns (above and below the line) to postcode level
• Using the most appropriate and thereby cost effective media channels and messages to these audiences

It has not been designed to guide policy planning or commissioning of services because it has been configured according to the priorities set out in the social marketing programme. This includes elements such as responsiveness to direct marketing communications, media etc, therefore it should only be used in conjunction with commissioning activity which fits within the purview of the social marketing strategy.

Does it allow me to find where increasing/higher-risk drinkers are located?

The maps indicate postcodes where one is more likely to reach the segments we are seeking to influence as part of the social marketing programme - these are likely to be in postcodes in your PCT in which the population has a higher propensity to have drinking problems.

However, please note that this should not be taken as a definitive measure as other data, including Health ACORN and TGI, has led us to develop these segments as part of our social marketing strategy. For this reason, this segmentation should not be used for any other kind of configuration or commissioning.

Can I use the tool to identify binge drinking hot spots?

No, this tool is based on where people live, not where they drink. You can identify areas in which higher numbers of young binge type drinkers live, but not where the actual drinking occurs in pubs and clubs.

How have the segments been produced - what data are they made up of?

The data is based on the latest release of HealthACORN, 2006/7 alcohol attributable hospital admissions data from NWPHO and on the current release (2009) of TGI data. More detailed information on these data sets will be made available to PCTs via the pages being created on the Alcohol Learning Centre.

Can I use the tool to help guide commissioning of services?

No. It can be one input amongst many to these decisions, but should not be seen as a stand alone answer. The segmentation has been principally designed for communications campaign planning and guidance.

How does this segmentation work alongside the Alcohol Effects campaign that launched in February 2009? Has this segmentation been used in its development?

This is the segmentation used for the national campaign.

How up to date is the data? How often will it be refreshed? How robust is it?

The tools have been designed to be robust for targeting and planning down to postcode level.

The data is based on the HealthACORN, 2006/7 alcohol attributable hospital admissions data from NWPHO and on the current release (2009) of TGI data. The segmentation has been created to have a usable lifetime of approximately three years.

Why did we use 2006/7 alcohol attributable hospital admissions data?

The 2007/8 data was not available during the build of the segmentation. The usable lifetime of the segmentation is around three years.

How should I use this as part of my social marketing activity - is there a step-by-step guide?

The tool is hosted on the Alcohol Learning Centre website. From here you will be able to access the pen-portraits, maps and descriptive spreadsheets.

The toolkit has been developed to be as intuitive to use as possible and will allow you to quickly and easily see a snapshot of where the different segments live in your area. It is important to note that this mapping has been designed to be used alongside, not instead of, your own insights and social marketing research. Using the tool alongside your own research into barriers and motivators of behaviour change will help ensure a robust approach to your communications planning.

Guidance on this tool and other new social marketing tools is contained within a new social marketing toolkit which will be downloadable via the Alcohol Learning Centre in March 2010.

Are there any segments that the Department of Health particularly recommends focusing on?

The Department recommends focusing on the following primary segments:

• 10
• 12
• 13

And the following secondary segments:

• 8
• 9

Explanations of these segments are provided by the pen portraits.

What else should I use alongside these maps / pen portraits to develop an effective social marketing campaign?

Local knowledge and research are crucial to developing effective social marketing campaigns. You should run your own secondary and primary research around your target audiences in order to identify particular barriers and motivators to behaviour change. This will enable you to implement effective communications campaigns.

Does this tool remove the need for me to use/buy a license for Health ACORN, MOSAIC and other similar segmentation tools?

We recommend using the drinking segmentation to target social marketing for alcohol. However ACORN, Health ACORN and MOSAIC all address a much wider range of social marketing issues. The Drinking segmentation should not be used to target, for example, social marketing focusing on obesity risk or flu immunisation.

Why are there some white areas on the map/gaps in the data?

These are non residential areas such as industrial areas or multiple dwellings, for example hospitals or halls of residence.

Is it possible to manipulate/search the data?

The data can be searched by PCT, segment and postcode, enabling you to identify all postcodes in your PCT where priority segments are located.

Within the pen portraits there are a series of numbers next to different criteria e.g. hospital admissions, types of drink and income, what do these mean?

These index figures enable different criteria to be compared to the UK average. The average, or base, is always 100, therefore

• An index of 100 indicates that this criteria is the same as the UK base for the audience being discussed
• An index of over 100 shows above average representation e.g. 140 shows that this variable is 40% above average
• An index of under 100 shows below average representation

What area is covered by the mapping?

The segmentation only covers England due to this being the region where the Department of Health operates.