| Course | PUBH 8132 Communication and Social Marketing Strategies for Public Health Leaders |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 3 |
| Paper type | Competition scan brief |
| Length | About 630 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | PhD in Public Health |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for PUBH 8132 Week 3
The Rival Is the Kitchen Box: A Competition Scan Naming What First-Flock Families in a Composite County Already Do Instead of Brooding Chicks Outside, and Why Each Alternative Works Well Enough for Them
Student Name
Walden University
PUBH 8132: Communication and Social Marketing Strategies for Public Health Leaders
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
The Rival Is the Kitchen Box: A Competition Scan Naming What First-Flock Families in a Composite County Already Do Instead of Brooding Chicks Outside, and Why Each Alternative Works Well Enough for Them
What Competition Means Here
In commercial marketing, competition is another brand. In social marketing, the competition is the behavior people choose instead of the one being promoted, along with the benefits that behavior gives them (Lee & Kotler, 2019). For First-Flock Families in Brightwater County, an invented county, the desired behavior is brooding new chicks outside the living space, in a garage, shed or coop, until they move outdoors. This scan names the alternatives families actually choose and what each gives them.
Rival 1: The Kitchen or Living Room Box
Most First-Flock Families interviewed at farm supply stores planned to keep chicks in a plastic tote or cardboard box near the kitchen. It works: the house is warm, the chicks are easy to check and the children can see them all day. It also fits the story many parents tell about why they bought chicks, so their children can learn to care for animals. The kitchen box competes strongly because its benefits are immediate and visible, while the risk, a child's illness, is invisible and uncertain.
Rival 2: The Child's Bedroom
A smaller group planned to keep chicks in a child's bedroom as a special treat. This rival offers the strongest emotional benefit and the highest risk, since children may handle chicks and then put their hands in their mouths. National data show that most people sickened in live poultry outbreaks reported contact with chicks, and some reported kissing birds (Basler et al., 2016).
Rival 3: Bathroom Brooding
Some families planned to use a bathtub as a brooder because it is easy to clean. It keeps chicks out of play areas but places them where people wash and brush teeth, spreading contamination to surfaces families assume are clean.
Rival 4: Handwashing Instead of Moving the Chicks
Some parents said they would keep chicks inside but have everyone wash their hands. This rival is appealing because it requires no setup. In practice, observation suggests it falls short: in one study in which backyard flock owners were videotaped during routine care, about two thirds of recordings showed owners snuggling birds or touching their faces, and owners' reports did not always match what they did (Kauber et al., 2016).
Table 1
Rival Behaviors and What They Give Families
| Rival | Main benefit to family | Main weakness the strategy can use | |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen or living room box | Warmth, ease, children see chicks | Chicks soon smell and shed dust, and the novelty fades | |
| Child's bedroom | Strong emotional bond | Parents worry about mess and sleep | |
| Bathtub | Easy cleaning | Bathroom becomes off-limits for weeks | |
| Handwashing only | No setup needed | Hard to keep up with children | |
Note. Rivals identified from composite interviews at farm supply stores.
How the Rivals Were Identified
Interviewers asked 46 chick buyers at two farm stores one open question: "Where will the chicks live for the first few weeks?" Answers were grouped into the four rivals above. A follow-up call to 12 of those families two weeks later found that 9 had kept chicks indoors as planned, and 5 of those had already moved them because of smell or dust.
What the Scan Means for the Strategy
The strategy cannot win by telling families the kitchen box is dangerous; it must offer something that delivers the kitchen box's benefits, warmth, ease and children's enjoyment, in a place outside the living space. A garage brooder that is easy to set up and includes a scheduled "visiting time" for children could compete directly. The rival's weaknesses, smell, dust and lost bathroom use, are also openings, since many families discover them within two weeks.
References
Basler, C., Nguyen, T.-A., Anderson, T. C., Hancock, T., & Behravesh, C. B. (2016). Outbreaks of human Salmonella infections associated with live poultry, United States, 1990-2014. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 22(10), 1705-1711. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2210.150765
Kauber, K., Fowler, H., Lipton, B., Meschke, J. S., & Rabinowitz, P. (2016). Salmonella knowledge, attitudes and practices: A survey of backyard poultry owners residing in Seattle, Washington and the surrounding area. Zoonoses and Public Health, 64(1), 21-28. https://doi.org/10.1111/zph.12274
Lee, N. R., & Kotler, P. (2019). Social marketing: Behavior change for social good (6th ed.). Sage.
The Walden PUBH 8132 Week 3 instructions
Competition assignments in social marketing courses ask students to identify the behaviors their audience currently chooses instead of the desired behavior, and the benefits those alternatives provide. Prompts typically require listing rival behaviors, analyzing why each is attractive, finding weaknesses the strategy can use and drawing implications for the offer. A brief with a table of rivals is common. Instructors reward scans grounded in audience research, such as interviews or observation, that take rivals' benefits seriously and that lead to specific design choices. Scans that list only reasons the rival is dangerous, without explaining why people choose it, miss the point of competitive analysis. Some sections also ask students to rank rivals by how many people choose them.
How this PUBH 8132 Week 3 example is built
The brief defines competition as rival behaviors, citing a social marketing text. Four rivals receive their own sections describing the behavior, its benefits and its risks, supported by outbreak data and an observational study of flock owners. A table summarizes each rival's benefit and weakness. A section explains how rivals were identified through interviews and follow-up calls. The brief closes with what the scan means for the offer: match the kitchen box's benefits in a place outside the house. Follow-up calls show how quickly the main rival's weaknesses appear, which gives the strategy an opening. The brief ends by turning each rival's weakness into an opening for the offer.
Where the marks sit in the PUBH 8132 Week 3 rubric
Graders assess whether rivals are identified from evidence, whether their benefits are understood and whether the analysis informs strategy. Credit is highest when the scan shows why people prefer the rival and how the strategy can compete on those terms. Use of observational or interview data strengthens the scan. A table helps organize findings. Weaknesses identified should be ones the strategy can actually use. Sources cited in APA style, with nothing invented, round out the marks. Scans that treat the rival behavior as ignorance usually lose points. Scans that measure how long a rival behavior lasts, as the follow-up calls do here, give the strategy timing information as well as content. Graders reward rivals described in the audience's own terms, with their real advantages acknowledged.
Common PUBH 8132 Week 3 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Students often describe the rival as a mistake. Instead, ask what it gives people that the desired behavior does not. Talk to a few members of your audience about what they actually do. Look for the rival's hidden costs that people discover later. Use those insights in the offer. If you need help scanning the competition for your own behavior, describe your audience and what they currently do. Ask one open question about what people do now, and group the answers yourself rather than offering choices. Call a few people back later to see what changed. Keep the list to the rivals most people choose.
Get a PUBH 8132 Week 3 example written to your instructions
Provide the prompt, the rubric and the behavior your section is promoting, and the scan identifies the rivals currently holding its place. We waive the fee on a first scan and deliver it in 24 to 48 hours. Every program, homeowner and inspection report mentioned here is fictional, drawn up only for this page.
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PUBH 8132 Week 3 questions, answered
Where can I find a free PUBH 8132 Week 3 sample paper?
The complete Week 3 scan is shown above, naming what first-time chick buyers do instead of brooding outside.
What is competition in social marketing?
The behaviors people choose instead of the desired one, along with the benefits those behaviors provide.
What is the main rival behavior here?
Keeping chicks in a box in the kitchen or living room, where it is warm and children can watch them.
Why is handwashing alone a weak rival?
Observation of flock owners found frequent snuggling and face touching even among those who knew the risk.
What weakness of indoor brooding can the strategy use?
Chicks begin to smell and shed dust within days, which many families discover quickly.