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Explore the Strategy of Social Marketing

In the early 1980s, a brief but powerful commercial started airing on network television. The 15-second spot showed a sizzling frying pan, and a voiceover narrator announces, This is drugs. An egg is cracked into the pan, and the narrator continues, This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?

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This campaign was created by the New York City-based nonprofit organization Partnership for a Drug-Free America, known today as Partnership at Drugfree.org. The spot has been copied, quoted, and spoofed countless times since, and still lives on today as one of the most memorable and effective examples of social marketinga specialized form of advertising that aims not to sell products, but to change the world.

While most methods of marketing are geared toward selling goods or services, the product in social marketing is human behavior. The philosophy behind this idea can be illustrated by a quote from Gerhard Weibe, a German World War II U-boat commander, who said: Why can't you sell brotherhood and rational thinking like you can sell soap?

The goal of social advertising campaigns is to promote ideas that either encourage positive behaviors like caring for the environment or wearing seat belts; or discourage negative behaviors, such as speeding or smoking in public areas. In this way, social marketing sells the well-being of society as a whole. (See also Green Marketing)

Source: 2012 Social Change Impact Report, Walden University

There are many long-running, instantly recognizable social marketing campaigns that many people don't recognize as marketing. One example is Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), which started a campaign for drivers to tie a red ribbon onto their vehicles, signifying their commitment to safe, sober driving. The red ribbon symbol was also adopted for AIDS awareness, and the idea of awareness ribbon campaigns soon spread to other causespink for breast cancer, purple for Alzheimer's, and yellow for families of soldiers who are on active duty abroad.

When these campaigns are done well, social marketing can be a powerfully effective force for true, positive change.

Social marketing is used primarily by nonprofit organizations, charity foundations, public highway departments, and government agencies. Its also utilized by emergency services, such as police and fire departments. Some commercial organizations also occasionally use social marketing strategies.

Nonprofit organizations and charity foundations employ social marketing to raise awareness, promote various causes, and encourage contributions from the public. Social marketing provides a way to inform and engage people that charitable organizations would not otherwise be able to reach through more traditional marketing channels. This strategy also helps charitable campaigns spread faster and reach a wider global market. (See also Non-profit Organization Manager)

Amnesty International is a charity organization that helps fight injustice and promote global human rights. In 2006, they launched an award-winning social marketing campaign in Switzerland that used transparent billboards to impose scenes depicting the causes they're working toward onto glass bus stop boothssuch as food shortages in Sudan, military brutality in China, and violence toward women in Iraq. The campaign raised awareness of world issues and increased donations of funds and volunteer time.

For public sector agencies, social marketing is often used as a way to encourage people to follow rules and regulations, and practice general safe behaviors. For example, police departments campaign with slogans such as Buckle up for life and Click it or ticket to encourage people to wear their seat beltsshowing either the positive rewards for this action (saving lives) or the negative consequences for ignoring the law (getting a traffic ticket).

Government agencies use social marketing not only to encourage legal behaviors, such as observing the drinking age, but also to promote the general well-being of society. There are several government social marketing campaigns designed to inform the public on issues like food safety, sexually transmitted diseases, and personal hygiene.

One example is the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) campaign for cooking food to safe temperatures to avoid the spread of salmonella and other bacteria. This campaign uses the slogan, Is it done yet? with a photo of meat being measured by a food thermometer that reads 160 degreesa safe internal temperature for ground beef.

For large commercial organizations, social marketing is often an effective way to encourage interest, participation, and donations for charitable foundations they support. One example is the Nike Foundation, which is working to help developing countries prosper through a campaign called The Girl Effectusing thought-provoking commercials that tell a story through text and music to gain Facebook fans and raise awareness for this cause.

The United Support of Artists for Africa, or simply USA for Africa, was founded to help relieve famine and disease in Africaspecifically the 1984-1985 Ethiopia famine that led to more than 400,000 deaths. This group was actually a super band composed of 47 U.S. recording artists, who came together to record one song and donate the profits to famine relief in Africa.

The song was We Are the World. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie, who also performed parts along with other superstars like Ray Charles, Harry Belafonte, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Bette Midler, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, and Bob Dylan.

We Are the World sold more than 20 million copies, making it one of only 30 singles to ever sell over 10 million or more worldwide. With this campaign and the benefit event Hands Across Americaa human chain of seven million people in the continental United States holding hands for 15 minutesUSA for Africa raised nearly $100 million for charity relief.

Social marketing has the broadest of audiences: everyone in a society. However, the target for social marketing varies with the society that the advertiser is aiming to change. Some campaigns simply raise awareness for local issues, while others have the lofty goal of changing the world.

For most, its human nature to want to do good, and positive social marketing campaigns offer the opportunity to make a differenceeven if it's on a small scale. Contributing to society can deliver individual, intangible benefits in the form of self-worth and self-esteem. (See also Cause Marketing)

Negative social marketing campaigns that warn about consequences are also effective, whether the consequences are personal, such as drug use, or general, such as saving the rainforests. Awareness is the key element for negative social marketing. For example, most people had no idea that the plastic shopping bags they throw away every day make their way into natural environments, where they're deadly to wildlife such as sea turtles and dolphins. Several social marketing campaigns have been created to bring this issue to light, and today many people shop with reusable cloth bags, or choose paper over plastic.

A lot of work and behind-the-scenes planning goes into developing an effective social marketing campaign. Naturally, the first step is to identify the behavior that the campaign will aim to change (such as using too many plastic shopping bags). The marketing team does a lot of research on the behavior by looking at existing statistics and often performing surveys to find out how prevalent it is.

If there's a sufficient problem that the organization believes can be changed, the next step is to find out why the behavior that's causing the problem exists, and what can be done to change it.

For example, a community planning team might be working on ways to get more people to recycle, and realize that most people aren't doing it because the existing recycling program in the community is too complex and takes too much time. Often, multiple surveys are conducted during the research phase. Research teams will talk to people working in the industries related to their cause, conduct telephone or email surveys of people in their target society, and may even form in-person focus groups to discuss the issue and gauge the reactions.

When the marketing team determines the best way to change the behavior, they work on ways to illustrate their message and get the word out. During this stage, marketing materials are created. Many social marketing campaigns use simple, powerful concepts that deliver their message at a glance, like the pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness.

In addition to materials, the team has to pick the right medium. Some social marketing campaigns work best as videos, television, or radio commercials. If a campaign relies heavily on an image, like a photograph, it may be effective as a billboard or print advertisement. Brochures or newsletters sent to mailing lists, either printed or digital, are another choice. Social marketing campaigns can also be promoted through live events like benefit concerts, banquets, or galas.

What they do

The duties of a manager for a nonprofit organization are nearly identical to those of their commercial counterparts. A nonprofit marketing manager coordinates the marketing department for the company, develops advertising campaigns and strategies, and supervises the running of marketing campaigns.

One difference between nonprofit and commercial marketing departments is that nonprofit departments are usually much smaller, and may be either staffed by volunteers, or run entirely by the manager, who sometimes hires an outside advertising agency to implement campaigns.

Education and experience

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Statistics & Labor; Watkins Uiberall CPA; Indeed.com

Most marketing managers for nonprofits have a 4-year bachelor's degree in a field relating to marketing or business, with a specialty in social courses.

Nonprofit marketing managers frequently have experience in the marketing departments of commercial companies, and decide to move into the nonprofit sector out of a desire to make a difference in society.

What they do

The goal of a public relations specialist is to generate positive publicity, usually through social marketing campaigns and strategies. Some of these specialists are directly employed by government agencies, public service companies, nonprofit organizations, or large commercial companies. Others work on a freelance basis, either as individuals or for marketing agencies that specialize in social marketing.

Education and experience

In general, public relations specialists hold bachelor's degrees in public relations, or related fields like journalism, communication, or marketing. They often have entry-level experience in lower marketing positions before becoming specialists.

What they do

These professionals employ social marketing on a limited regional scale, usually within their immediate communities. Places like hospitals and universities hire account liaisons to enhance the public reputation of their organization and spread positive messages about the benefits of using their services.

Education and experience

Account liaisons are usually required to hold a bachelor's degree in either marketing or a related field, or in fields related to the organization that employs them. For example, a hospital account liaison could have a business degree or an RN degree, while a college liaison might have a marketing degree or a bachelor's in education.

For those who want to use social marketing, a degree from a marketing school can equip them with the skills and knowledge needed to design and launch campaigns that make a difference. Passion is an important quality for a social marketer, but a strong education helps professionals focus that passion into effective social change.

Courses like qualitative and quantitative research help professionals prepare for the intensive research that goes into creating social marketing campaigns. Research is a key element for success in social marketing, and with a strong understanding of the different techniques for researching an issue, it's easier to find and use the necessary information.

A social marketer has to have a solid understanding of public behavior. Courses like consumer psychology can help these professionals figure out why some marketing messages are effective, and others aren't, so they can fine-tune social marketing campaigns. Behavior change theory classes build on this skill by exploring human motivations for change.

Finally, strong communication is a requirement for any marketer, including people involved in social marketing. Courses in communication help professionals to create the simple, yet powerful visuals and phrases that are the core elements of an effective social marketing campaigngiving them the ability to get a point across quickly and decisively.

To discover more about how earning a degree in marketing, business, or advertising can help to create social marketing campaigns that make a positive difference in communities of all sizes, ask for further information from schools that offer these courses.

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Social Marketing | What is Social Marketing?

Social marketing aims to develop and integrate marketing concepts with other approaches to, in turn, influence behaviors that benefit individuals and communities for the greater social good. In public health, many social marketing campaigns include a specific behavior change component. For instance, a HIV testing social marketing campaign uses messages to convince people to get an HIV test.

The "social" in social marketing is not related to its use of social media, but instead refers to the fact that the primary aim of social marketing is to achieve "social good"and in many cases bring about social change. This is in contrast to traditional or commercial marketing where the aim is primarily financial gain.

Social marketing campaigns use multiple media channels to reach and saturate a target audience bringing about behavior change. A social marketing campaign may use social media tools in combination with other approaches, such as traditional media (billboards, radio, TV, etc.), events, and promotional materials, to reach a target audience and bring about the desired behavior change. A plan for implementing a social marketing campaign, will guide development, implementation, and evaluation.

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Strategies for Social Marketing Campaigns | What Works in ...

Philip Kotler is the S.C. Johnson & Son Distinguished Professor of International Marketing at the Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management in Chicago. He is hailed by Management Centre Europe as "the world's foremost expert on the strategic practice of marketing." Dr. Kotler is currently one of Kotler Marketing Group's several consultants.

He is known to many as the author of what is widely recognized as the most authoritative textbook on marketing: Marketing Management, now in its 13th edition. He has also authored or co-authored dozens of leading books on marketing: Principles of Marketing; Marketing Models; Strategic Marketing for Non-Profit Organizations; The New Competition; High Visibility; Social Marketing; Marketing Places; Marketing for Congregations; Marketing for Hospitality and Tourism; and The Marketing of Nations.

Dr. Kotler presents continuing seminars on leading marketing concepts and developments to companies and organizations in the U.S., Europe and Asia. He participates in KMG client projects and has consulted to many major U.S. and foreign companies--including IBM, Michelin, Bank of America, Merck, General Electric, Honeywell, and Motorola--in the areas of marketing strategy and planning, marketing organization, and international marketing.

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Social Marketing - amazon.com

capital formation and other social problems. The development strategies so far adopted resulted in degradation

in social, cultural, environmental and health care, so the need of application of social marketing principles is felt

urgently enrich the life Indian citizen. A research study has included that the industrial units situated in

Champur. Mumbai, emit more than 111 tonnes of hazardous carbon dioxide daily. According to observation of

Centre of Science Environment, Delhi, of the total water reservoir in India, more than 70% water is polluted.

The NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Institute, Nagpur) has shown that ill-habits of people result in

60% water pollution while industrialisation is responsible for 40% water pollution in India. Due to consumption

of polluted water more than 15 lakh children die of diarrhoea per year.5 The major aluminium corporate in

Orissa are damaging environment and are responsible for displacement of more than 2000 tribal families.6

Out of 3119 cities in India, only 209 cities are having sewage water treatment plants. The river Yamuna gets

daily 2 crore litre untreated water. Calcutta and Mumbai have noise above 80 decibels. Bhopal gas Tragedy

(1984) look victim of more than 2500 citizens, more than 40000 were handicapped and blind and still are

suffering from various diseases. Ozone layer has been depleting because of pollution agents like chlorofluoro

carbon and methyl chloroform emitted by cold storages, refrigerators and greed houses. Due to this we

experience hot waves having intensity of 45 to 500c in our country. The worst oil spill during the 1991 gulf war

killed thousands of sea birds, fish and other aquatic lives. Deforestation is not only ruining environment but

causing economic loss of Rs. 2.30 billions per year India. In Agra city, the pollution created by industries is

ruining the beauty of the world famous Taj Mahal.

Deforestation in India is going on at a fast speed, running valuable flora and fauna coupled with

irreparable loss to soil to soil. So the need of the hour is to protect environment from further loss. Business

organisations, marketers, Govt. Organisation and NGOs, social organisations must apply principles of social

marketing to achieve their respective goals coupled with the goal of enrichmental, cultural and health facilitates.

In India social marketing principles are being used for achieving business as well as health care, population

control, adult education etc. Still social marketing has a long to go in a developing country like India.

VI. PROSPECTS FOR SOCIAL MARKETING

In the 21st Century Social Marketing principles could certainly benefit the organisation (i.e. social,

educational, health, political and business), the consumers and change the socio-economic and an environmental

system, Information Technology has made communication systems very dynamic, interactive and effective. So

the whole world has become a Global Village.

In the world of Marshal Goldsmith new technologies, new organisations and the rise of global village

will have a propound effect on our sense of community in the years ahead. Two trends stand out: the explosion

of our potential to communicate instantaneously and massively across the globe and, closely aligned with our

ability to create communities of our choice8. In future social marketers will have to adopt information

technology to build rapport with target groups, gaining support of the masses to social reform campaigns, health

promotion campaigns and creating awareness regarding environment protection for themselves and future

generations.

CONCLUSION:

Social marketing is being applied the world over and India is no exception. This concept has altered the

traditional concept of marketing. Society oriented development strategy can be helpful in overcoming the

serious problems like pollutions explosion, ecological imbalance, world over poverty, imbalanced development

and meeting the basic needs e.g. drinking water, food and shelter, education and health care. Social marketing

can be applied in any sphere of life and can help in enriching the life of human being and care for safety of the

universe. The explosion of information technology made communication very dynamic. The leaders of social

change will have to adopt information technology for communication is interacting and confidence building

among masses.

Let us hope that Indian development policies have the essence of social principles linked with non-

pollution and ecology in the interest of present and future generations.

References:

1. http/www.hc.gc.ca/bppb/social marketing/sm.html-9/10/01.

2. Kotler p & Zeltman G. Social Marketing: An Approach to planned social change, Journal of Marketing (1971),35,

3 -12.

3. Andreasen A.R. Marketing social change: Changing behaviour to promote health, social development, and the

Environment 1995, San Francisco: Jossy Bass.

4. Dr. Mrs. Laturkar V.N. Social Marketing A Holistic concept of management, Indian Journal of Marketing, vol.

XXXI, June, 2001, P.No. 14.

5. Prof. Rane Sunil, Environment Science Vyanktesh Publication Latur, 1996 P.No.36.

6. Das vidya,mining Bauxite maiming people-Economical & political weekly, vol.XXXVI -28 June 2001,

P.No.2613.

7. Chocked Existence Rashtriya Sahara , Jan, 1998, P.No. 145-146.

8. Goldsmith M, Global Commuications and Community of choice, The community of future, 1998, San

Francisco:Jossey Bass, P.No. 101-114.

Indian Journal of Marketing 18

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(PDF) Social Marketing - Share and discover research

Social marketing theory is a theory of mass communication that promotes socially valuable information and socially accepted behaviors. It tries to integrate marketing ideas, principles, tools, techniques and socially beneficial concepts to promote communication and benefit society.

The theory emerged in 1970s when marketing techniques were realized to sell ideas, attitudes and behaviors rather than products and includes the concept of Edutainment (Education and Entertainment). The theory was proposed by Philip Kotler and Gerald Zaltman which is now being used by social and welfare organizations. Social marketing is not social media marketing.

[Related Reading: Effective Communication]

Social Marketing Theory is a framework that is helpful in planning, designing, implementing and evaluating social campaigns with information sharing as its major objective. It uses creativity, rather than depending on public service announcements, like in the past for giving out information. Information is packaged and distributed following a plan so that maximum sharing and outcome is possible.

Social marketing tries to understand social and psychological factors which bring resistance to change in society. It increases acceptability, response and practice of any social idea for target group.Techniques of marketing like market segmentation, exchange theory and consumer research are used extensively. Social intervention is the main objective of social marketing.

There are two types of social marketing: Operational social marketing and strategic social marketing. Operational social marketing is used to change behavior, whereas strategic social marketing is used to form new policies and development strategies.

There are 4 major components of social marketing which is also used as techniques known as 4 Ps of social marketing. They are:

Target population is encouraged to buy or use socially needed products like family planning, clean drinking water, saving and credit organizations, nutritional foods, organic farming, etc. Sustainable products which benefit the society are the goal of social marketing. The product must have a place in the society. The product can be tangible like physical things or non-tangible like services and practices.

Price in social marketing can be monetary or non-monetary. Monetary price is the price to buy the product which might help the population. Non-monetary price is the psychological and social costs like changing a habit, time or effort. If the price is minimum, the change is more profound.

The place is where the target population in need can be found. It is where the social marketing will be the most productive. It is the product distribution site, where the implemented changes will take place or the place where the product is available. The campaign is successful if the place is easily accessible.

The social marketing is done for the promotion of the product or habit. It is the way in which the information is provided. The tools and techniques used to make it effective are many, including advertisements, using charts, documentaries, etc. along with public relations, media advocacy, entertainment, etc. It takes creativity to promote in a better way.

Positioning is not sometimes taken as a component of social marketing but is used as a technique. It is an image of anything that is created by the campaign. It is the socio-psychological aspect of the product which is promoted with consumer needs, empirical evidences and objective setting. Other components are public, partnership, policy, etc.

Public is the target audience as well as other stakeholders. Partnership between different similar agencies or the community also helps in social marketing. Similarly, change does not happen unless there is policy changes and other changes in the administrative levels. Another component is the funds that is needed to conduct the whole process of social marketing.

A particular group of population which is in most need of particular product or awareness must be first analyzed to have a social change. The audience is analyzed in preproduction as well as production phase. Similarly, a group also has various subgroups that must also be analyzed by breaking them down which is known as audience segmentation. Existing community agencies must be used. The first step to social marketing is identifying the target population.

Though the social marketing is not effective sometimes to change behavior patterns of people, at least they provide awareness. People get to know the alternatives that they can adopt so that they are benefited in the future. When different channels are used to create awareness, people come to know about new things. Awareness is the first step to change.

The message in social marketing is creative and interesting. This way, the message is not forgotten for a long time easily. The message is reinforced repeatedly and the message is taken as credible by the target group. Education and entertainment is provided as a package. People pay attention as well as get informed at the same time. For example, a street drama is not easily forgotten. Images are used to increase interest and get attention.

The information should be so interesting and unforgettable, that people do not take the social marketing process to be a learning process but as entertainment. When this kind of information reaches the intended target group, desired outcome is achieved as the message gets ingrained in the brain of the audience.

Social marketing is used for promoting tangible things like oral contraceptives or just non tangible awareness like concept of family planning among a particular target group which is in need as a social campaign.

Other types of social marketing done are oral rehydration, immunizations, smoking health hazards, nutritious diet, use of helmet in driving, slow driving, following traffic rules, use of phones while driving, HIV and drug use, cardiovascular diseases, other communicable diseases, sanitation, environment pollution, corruption, etc.

In US, National High Blood Pressure Education Programs and Stanford University used the concept of social marketing effectively in 1980s to show the risks of cardiovascular problems. Similarly, another example is Victoria Cancer Council of Australia using social marketing to conduct anti-tobacco campaign in 1988.

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Social Marketing Theory - Businesstopia