Sanitation marketing is fast emerging as a sustainable way to increase access to
sanitation at scale. Although early evidence suggests the significant potential of
sanitation marketing, practical experience remains limited. This briefing paper shares
the lessons and experience from a sanitation marketing program in Cambodia. Based
on extensive market research, the project developed a range of marketing strategies
that have evolved into a ‘hands off’ model for sanitation marketing. The model
leverages partnerships and minimizes external intervention, keeping barriers to market
entry low and increasing the likelihood of sustained demand creation after external
interventions cease. Early results are promising, with over 2000 unit sales recorded in
the first five months of the pilot campaign. Lessons gleaned from experience in
developing the ‘hands off’ model are widely applicable and the model itself is emerging
as a replicable application of sanitation marketing