ABSTRACT
The Porto Tap Water case study aims to stress that the success of a social marketing plan is strictly related to attitudes and beliefs change but the final goal is fulfilled only with a concrete action – behaviour change. The public company for water management and distribution in the city of Porto launched a two-year programme for behavioural change aiming to encourage the consumption of tap water. Porto Tap Water has a set of distinctive characteristics that represent competitive advantages. From these advantages, which add value to the product and are associated benefits to consumers, key messages were set. The stakeholders involved in the programme were hierarchically divided into several groups that were successively segmented as recommended in social marketing best practices. Focusing on the Porto Tap Water case, its consumption represents, first and foremost, an attitude and behaviour consistent with the personality of the city and its population, without neglecting the quality perceptions associated with Porto products.
