Virtual
December 8-9, 2025

Keynote Speaker
David Hall, Executive Director, Behaviour Change

Say Less: How to Cut Clutter to Create Effective Campaigns
Andrés Rodriguez, C+C
Wyatt Curtis, C+C

From Insight to Action: Using Social Marketing to Drive Collective Impact
Melissa Blair, Dharmarketing Strategic Social Impact

Play, Learn, Grow: Engaging Children Directly in Wellness with Watch Me Grow Washington
Angélica Esquivel, Washington State Department of Health

Meeting Them Where They’re at: Authentically Connecting with Youth to Prevent Cannabis Use
Leslie Tunmore, GMMB
Adriana Avelar, Washington State Department of Health

Engaging Young Adults Through Social Media and Community Collaborations
Griselda Martinez, University of Washington

From Smoke to Solution: Driving Safer Waste Habits in Skagit County
Rebecca Brown, Northwest Clear Air Agency

Tackling a Toxic Load: A Community-Based Social Marketing Approach to Residential Laundry Habits
Andrea Ramirez, Zero Waste Washington
Nayeli Campos, Zero Waste Washington

Gym, Coffee, and World of Warcraft. Helping Older Adults Find Connection.
Megan Mills, DH
Jenny Almgren, Washington State Department of Health

Centering Community Voices to Drive Change from Within.
Mindy Fitzgerald, PRR
Diana Steeble, PRR

From Throwaway to Reuse: Changing Behaviors for Zero Waste Food Service
Tessa Wiehr, Sustainability Scholar, Metro Vancouver
Alec Wu, Metro Vancouver

Empowering Providers and First Responders to Act on Opioid Use Disorder  
Jan Kleszynski, C+C
Liz Wolkin, Washington State Health Care Authority

Localized CBSM Campaigns to Engage Teens: How Digital & IRL Tactics Work Together
Becky Thomas, C+C
Rachel DeCordoba, King County Metro

The Power of Small Asks: Why Behaviour Change Starts Before the Public Commitment
Tamara Brunelle, City of Edmonton

Green Goals: Leveraging Soccer Pride to Prevent Wastewater Pollution
Mary Gerardo, Seattle Public Utilities
Lynn Knapp, Cascadia Consulting Group

Boaters, Blackwater, and Behavior: Leveraging Social Norms to Reduce Pollution
Paola Maravilla, The Bay Foundation
Georgia Tunioli, The Bay Foundation

2025 SPARKS Book Prizes

• Conducting Social Marketing Research: A Practical Guide Thinking Fast and Slow (Daniel Kahneman)
• Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior (Jonah Berger)
• Watch Me Grow! Kit
• Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard (Chip Heath and Dan Heath)
• Changing Minds: The Art and Science of Changing Our Own and Other People’s Minds (Howard Gardner)
• The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business (Charles Duhigg)
• You Are Not So Smart (David McRaney)
• Salsa, Soul, and Spirit: Leadership for a Multicultural Age (Juana Bordas)
• The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic (Dan Ariely)
• Good Works!: Marketing and Corporate Initiatives That Build a Better World...and the Bottom Line (Nancy Lee, Philip Kotler, David Hessekiel)
• Reducing Gun Deaths and Injuries: A Social Marketing Approach (Nancy Lee)
• Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics (Richard Thaler)
• The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (Malcolm Gladwell)
• Misinformation and Mass Audiences (Brian G. Southwell et al.)
• The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business (Charles Duhigg)

Cascadia College, Seattle
December 9-10, 2024

Reimagining the Use of Behavioral Insights: Centering Equity and Inclusion
Crystal Hall, University of Washington

From Virtual Communities to Real-World Impact: Connecting with Latinas to Save Textiles
Joel Kohlstedt, WM

Self-Competition for the Win: How Individualized Goals Energize Change
Megan Schuyler Kennedy, Rogue Heart Media SPC
Kristen Zimmer, City of Spokane Water Department

Food for Thought: The Story of the Use Food Well Campaign
Jade Monroe, Washington State Department of Ecology,
Katherine Diers, PRR

Using social marketing for Paw-sitive Behavior Change
Molly Burke, Whatcom County Public Works

Solutions That Let The Rain Soak In: Did DIY Households take action?
Peggy Campbell, Snohomish County Surface Water Management

Effective heat pumps messaging for skeptical homeowners
Sofia Fall, City of Bellevue
Julie Burke, GA Creative

Ten insights from the 4th edition of Fostering Sustainable Behavior
Doug Mckenzie-Mohr, Mckenzie-Mohr & Associates
Jennifer Tabanico, Action Research

From Insight to Impact: Using an Audience-Centered Strategic Framework
Nikki Meline, Washington State Department of Health
Carey Evenson, C+

Unmaking a Beer Ad: Why Normal is Better and Details Matter
Erica Stineman, Washington Safety Commision
Mark Fox, DH Communications

A Case Study in "Scientific Off-Roading": Social Marketing on the Front Lines of the PFAS Response in Washington State
Claire Nitsche, Washington State Department of Health

Cutting through the politics of abortion care
Sian Wu, Resource Media

Never a Bother and Live Beyond: Elevating Diverse Youth Voices in California's Historic Youth Mental Health Awareness and Outreach Campaigns
Camellia Mortezazadeh, Civilan Agency

2023 Speakers and Presentations
Museum of Flight, Seattle
December 4-5, 2023

All Hands On Deck
Rob Nathan, Metro Oregon

Connecting with community through media; Tips to try and test!
Mary Rabourn, King County Stormwater Services

The Poogooder Zeropoo Challenge: An unexpected approach to activate residents to help end wayward dog poo for people, pups, and the planet
Lori Kothe, Poogooder

Ready for Summer?
Julie Colehour, C+C
Kristen Haley, Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board

Conversations with Friends: How talking to primary audiences avoids assumptions, shapes messaging, and informs implementation strategies
Corie Bales, DH

Prevent Overdose WA: The use of a phased research approach to help save lives in Washington State
Chantel Wang, Washington State Department of Health

Storytelling as a Social Marketing Tool: Addressing community stigma through the For Our Lives campaign
Megan Hatheway, DH

Using Audience Research to Tackle Washington's Litter Problem
Francesca Davidson, C+C

Beyond Bans and Bylaws: Driving Progress on Food Scraps Recycling with Behavior Change Communications
Alison Schatz, Metro Vancouver

Building Partnerships for a Successful Reusables Campaign and Beyond
Gena Jain, City of Kirkland
Alejandro Paredes, Cascadia Consulting Group

Community based approaches to building vaccine confidence in Ukrainian Communities
Vadim Gaynaliy, Washington State Department of Health

Reducing Gun Deaths & Injuries, A Social Marketing Approach
Nancy Lee, Social Marketing Services Inc, University of Washington, and C+C

Fostering Mutual Success: Win-Win Strategies with Multicultural Communities
John Inge, Puget Sound Energy & Andres Rodriguez, C+C

2022 Speakers and Presentations
Virtual
December 5-6, 2022

Centering Equity in Communications: A Framework in Action
Paj Nandi, Washington State Department of Health

A Community-Centered Approach to Creating Campaigns with the Black/African American Community
DeeSha Connor, Washington State Department of Health

Using Humor to Address Misinformation Among the Hispanic/Latino Community
Jennifer Gonzalez, C+C

The Hero's Journey: When the Stakes get Raised, Will Scientists Learn to Speak Plainly and Tell a Story?
Josh Latterell, King County

Social Marketing, Generational Wealth and the Power of Trust
Annie Blake-Burke, DH & Esther Brown, DH

Increasing Employer Willingness to Hire People with Disability: The Perspective of Disability Employment Service Providers
Rula Mahasneh, University of Wollongong Australia

How Can A Social Marketing Approach Help Prevent Mass School Mass Shootings
Nancy Lee, Social Marketing Services Inc, University of Washington, and C+C

Misinformation as an Obstacle to Science Communication
Brian Southwell, RTI International

Seeding the Change
Serena Li, Essence

Co-creation and Visual Design in Social Marketing
Keiko Betcher, Cascadia Consulting Group

Voluntary Landowner Participation in Streamside Vegetation Restoration
Melanie del Rosario, Veda Environmental

Yikes! More Clogged Pipes? Using Social Marketing to Improve System Outcomes
Lynn Knapp, Cascadia Consulting Group & Rachel Garrett, Brown and Caldwell

2022 SPARKS Book Prizes

Interested in finding one of the social marketing books from the prize giveaway at SPARKS 2020?

See the complete book list below.

• Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior (Jonah Berger)
• Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics (Richard Thaler)
• Changing Minds: The Art and Science of Changing Our Own and Other People's Minds (Howard Gardner)
• Good Works! Marketing and Corporate Initiatives that Build a Better World... and the Bottom Line (Philip Kotler, David Hessekiel, and Nancy R. Lee)
• The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic (Dan Ariely)
• Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing (Doug McKenzie-Mohr)
• The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations (James Surowiecki)
• The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (Malcolm Gladwell)
• The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business (Charles Duhigg)
• What Sticks: Why Most Advertising Fails and How to Guarantee Yours Succeeds (Rex Briggs and Greg Stuart)
• Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness (Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler)
• You are Not So Smart (David McRaney)
• Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing (Doug McKenzie-Mohr)

2021 Speakers and Presentations
Virtual
December 6-7, 2021

The Power of Persuasive Positives
Wesley Schultz, California State University

The Role of Social Marketing in Advancing Racial Equity
Sonja Martin Poole, University of San Francisco

WA Notify - Helping people use their smartphones to help fight COVID
Amy Reynolds, Washington State Department of Health

Do you really want to hear what we have to say? Making community feedback an organic part of your social marketing approach.
Gerry Rainingbird, Washington State Department of Health & Alex Evans, Washington State Department of Health

In your Audience Research: Push Yourself, Listen, Be Flexible, Modify
Alejandro Paredes, Cascadia Consulting Group

Making Space by Letting Go: Power, inequity and community in COVID-19 social marketing
Alethea Dumas, Better Health Together
Jessica Wade, DH

Wildfire Ready Neighbors: An All Hands, All Lands Approach to Wildfire Prevention
Commissioner Hilary Franz & Molly Brumley, Washington State Department of Natural Resources

10 Social Marketing Success Stories from Around the Globe
Nancy Lee, Social Marketing Services Inc, University of Washington, and C+C

Pump Out, Don't Dump Out: Using Prompts, Incentives and Communication to enhance regulatory compliance
Justine Asohmbom, Department of Ecology

Behavior change and backsliding: it worked, but did it stick?
Jessica Branom-Zwick, Cascadia Consulting Group
Peggy Campbell, Snohomish County Surface Water Management

Does your outreach include Ethnic media? Lessons from COVID
Mary Rabourn, King County Stormwater Services

The Diffusion of a Discipline: The Story of Social Marketing in the Pacific Northwest (and Beyond)
Liz Foote, Antioch University New England

The art of managing up: How to use social marketing strategies to navigate leadership approvals and the political landscape
Julie Colehour, C+C

2020 Speakers and Presentations
Virtual
December 7-8, 2020

Is it social marketing?...and why it matters
Heidi Keller, Heidi Keller Consulting
Cammy Mills, Kitsap County Public Works

COVID IRL: Partnering with college students and centering their voice to empower them in adapting COVID-19 interventions 'in real life'
Steve Bennett, Health and Human Development
Hunter Stuehm, Western Washington University

Public Health and the Private Sector: Partnerships that Support Behavior Change.
Nico Archer, DH
Elizabeth Hooker, Downtown Spokane Partnership

Testing social distancing messaging from afar: Rapid feedback through online user testing
Lindsey Maser, City of Portland

Breaking rules and saving lives: A social marketing strategy of Pandemic Proportions
Kristen Haley, Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board

One size does not fit all. How to build a suite of messages that resonate with and reach everyone
Amanda Godwin, C+C

Leveraging humor, compassion and personal responsibility to encourage action and resiliency during COVID-19
Edie Jeffers, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department

Pharmacists at the front lines: Using commitment strategies in adopting prevention behaviors
Michelle Hege, DH
Melissa Thoemke, Washington State Health Care Authority

Introducing the new Fostering Sustainable and Healthy Behavior website
Dr. Doug McKenzie-Mohr, McKenzie-Mohr & Associates

Preventing Tokenism: How to Build Authentic Inclusion in Social Marketing Planning Processes
Crystal Borde, Vanguard Communications

Integrating race and equity into programing
Rob Nathan, Oregon Metro

Talking Trash for Water Quality
Laurie Devereaux, City of Bellevue

Building Green Cities with Social Marketing
Charlene Andrade, Washington State Department of Commerce & Gretchen Muller, Cascadia Consulting Group

Show me the money (not the greenhouse gas reductions) – messaging to reduce food waste
Elaine Blatt, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

Crash Course in Co-Creation
Nancy Hardwick, Hardwick Research

2019 Speakers and Presentations
Museum of Flight, Seattle
December 9-10, 2019

Social Marketing is Launched. A Dozen Actions to Get it in Orbit by 2025.
Nancy Lee, Social Marketing Services Inc, University of Washington, and C+C

Addressing Barriers to Using Hearing Protection... with a Surprising Motivator
Karen Crow, University of Washington

Just One Trip: Moving the Needle From Awareness to Behavior Change
Erin Cawley-Morse, C+C & Debbie Jaksich, King County Metro

Creating Community Connections and Building Cultural Traditions Through Local Events
Tere Carral, Bridge Latino LLC

Best of Intentions: Transcending Stereotypes to Connect with Cannabis Users in Washington State
Mallory Peak, DH

No One Wants Their Sewage Back: Motivating Seattle Residents to Keep Their Drains Clean
Rachel Garrett, Seattle Public Utilities

Bringing Multicultural Communities to the Table and Beyond
Alejandro Paredes, Cascadia Consulting Group

Recycle or Not?
Jill Hrycyk, Oregon Metro

10 Social Marketing Pitfalls
Julie Colehour, C+C

Effective Engagement Practices with Vulnerable Populations
Candy Castellanos, Radiant Consulting

Getting Pumped for Septic Tank Pumping
Leslie Banigan, National Environmental Health Association & Renee Johnson, Kitsap Public Health District

Middle Schoolers are Tough, BUT Research to the Rescue!
Francesca Davidson, C+C

Where Efficiency and Effectiveness Meet
Jessica Branom-Zwick, Cascadia Consulting Group

It's a Fine Line: Motorcycle Safety in Washington
Mark Medalen, Washington Traffic Safety Commission

A Tale of How Audience Research Changed the Course of a Government Incentive Program
Jessica Engel, King County's Stormwater Services

2019 SPARKS Books Prizes

Interested in finding one of the social marketing books from the prize giveaway at SPARKS 2019?

See the complete book list below.