What started from a mail-order condom business and family planning initiative in the 1970s has grown into the influential public health and development organization Population Services International (PSI). PSI President and CEO Karl Hofmann, Board Member Ashley Judd MC\/MPA 2010 and Marshall Ganz, public policy lecturer, discussed PSI\u2019s origins and effective strategies at a conversation with students on Wednesday (April 14) at Harvard Kennedy School.<\/p>\n
PSI now operates in more than 65 countries and, in addition to its continued work in family planning, expanded its goals to include programs in HIV\/AIDS prevention through male circumcision, malaria prevention through mosquito net distribution and diarrhea prevention through rehydration therapy and water purification.<\/p>\n
In his presentation, Hofmann highlighted the principles that inspired that first condom business, which have guided PSI\u2019s work ever since: a focus on measurement, speed and efficiency; a belief in the power of the markets to reach people in need when public sectors don\u2019t; and a commitment to the dignity of every human being, including poor and vulnerable populations.<\/p>\n
A key piece of PSI\u2019s success is its use of social marketing. \u201cSocial marketing is the application of marketing concepts and techniques to influence behavior among a target audience in order to benefit themselves and society,\u201d explained Hofmann. \u201cIt helps increase both access to and use of products, behaviors, and services.\u201d<\/p>\n