What Is Social Marketing? | Feedough
Ever since the term was coined by Philip Kotler and Gerald Zaltman in 1971, there has been a steep rise in social marketing campaigns. Yes, the internet didnt actually exist at that time, and no, social marketing is not even slightly related to the term social media marketing.
Social marketing is a distinct marketing discipline which uses commercial marketing principles and techniques to advance a social cause and influence the target audience behaviors to improve their lives or the society in which they live.The characteristics which distinguish social marketing efforts from other marketing efforts are:
Unlike other marketing efforts where the ultimate gainer is the marketer, social marketing efforts aim at benefitting the society at large. This is the most important characteristic of social marketing.
Social marketing is all about influencing behaviors of the target audience. The marketing efforts may be used to:
Social marketing uses all the commercial marketing techniques. The only difference is that the ultimate beneficiary is the target audience.
In most cases, social marketing techniques are used by the national and international public welfare organizations and offices responsible for public welfare like WHO, centers for disease control and prevention, department of health, environmental protection departments, national highway departments etc.
Not-for-profit organizations also involve themselves in social marketing activities of those causes which align with their organizations missions. For example, Kaiser Family Foundation promotes getting tested for HIV disease by promoting their Know HIV/AIDS campaign.
For-profit organizations sometimes indulge in social marketing activities rather than cause marketing activities to fulfill their corporate social responsibility and build their brand image through better community relations strategies.
Cause related marketing is a form of marketing where a for-profit organization teams up with a not-for-profit or a charitableorganization to raise awareness and/or tackle a social or environmental problem and create business value for the organization at the same time.
Usually, a brand markets its product in affiliation with one of the societal causes and pledges to donate a portion of the proceeds from the sales to the cause. Other cause marketing strategies include:
However, social marketing doesnt benefit the organization in monetary terms. In fact, it involves spending money for the betterment of the society and not the organization.
Water Use It Wisely was a water conservation campaign started in 1999 to promote water conservation ethics in Arizona. Today, the campaign is active in nearly 400 towns, cities, states, utilities, and public and private organization and is one of the largest conservation educational outreach programs in the world.
The piano staircase was an initiative by Volkswagen which tried to change peoples behavior by transforming the staircase of the subway station into a piano keyboard. The initiative resulted in motivating 66% more people to use the stairs instead of the escalators.
TheBorder Roads Organisation(BRO)develops and maintains road networks in Indias border areas and friendly neighboring countries. The organization uses social marketing techniques to promote safe driving on the mountain roads.
Did we miss something? Come on! Tell us what you think about our article in the comments section.
A startup consultant, dreamer, traveller, and philomath. Aashish has worked with over a 50 startups and successfully helped them ideate, raise money, and succeed. When not working, he can be found hiking, camping, and stargazing.
Continue reading here:
What Is Social Marketing? | Feedough
- Reddit Brings Automated Bidding to Brand Awareness and Reach Campaigns - Social Media Today - July 30th, 2025 [July 30th, 2025]
- Social media marketing ethics in the age of AI - Sprout Social - July 30th, 2025 [July 30th, 2025]
- YouTube added to under-16 social media ban in Albanese Government crackdown - Marketing-Interactive - July 30th, 2025 [July 30th, 2025]
- Google Adds AI Summaries of Business Reviews to Chrome URL Displays - Social Media Today - July 28th, 2025 [July 28th, 2025]
- Promising Social Media Stocks To Research - July 28th - MarketBeat - July 28th, 2025 [July 28th, 2025]
- Microsofts layoffs apparently wrecked World of Warcrafts social media marketing as Midnight looms - Massively Overpowered - July 28th, 2025 [July 28th, 2025]
- Pinterest Shares Tips on How To Maximize Marketing Efforts - Social Media Today - July 28th, 2025 [July 28th, 2025]
- Skincare and social media: 13 Investigates the dark side of product marketing for tweens - WSET - July 27th, 2025 [July 27th, 2025]
- Meta to Stop Serving Political Ads in the EU in October - Adweek - July 27th, 2025 [July 27th, 2025]
- Social media the industrys biggest questions, answered - The Drum - July 24th, 2025 [July 24th, 2025]
- The Changing Interests and Social Media Habits of 12-15-Year-Olds - MarketingProfs - July 24th, 2025 [July 24th, 2025]
- HyperTargeted Social Media Ads Market Will Hit Big Revenues In Future| Pinterest , Google Ads , Amazon Advertising - openPR.com - July 24th, 2025 [July 24th, 2025]
- Be Antibiotics Aware Partner Toolkit: Social Media - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | CDC (.gov) - July 24th, 2025 [July 24th, 2025]
- Brands Are Losing Relevance Without Social Media Marketing - Here's Why You Should Act Now - openPR.com - July 24th, 2025 [July 24th, 2025]
- Whats really changing in social media? Start with these 10 trends - The Drum - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Social media trends shaping the future of real estate marketing - Realtor.com - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Caffeine pouches: The controversial new energy alternative teens are using like Zyn - NBC News - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Pinterest Taps Ben Wood to Lead Agency Sales in Europe - Adweek - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Understanding the Impact of Social Media on Indian Stock Trends Premium Investment Recommendations - Outstanding risk-reward balance -... - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Understanding the Impact of Social Media on Indian Stock Trends Market Trend Prediction Tools - Breakthrough capital growth - PrintWeekIndia - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Coinbase steps into consumer market with stablecoin-powered 'everything app' that goes beyond trading - CNBC - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Understanding the Impact of Social Media on Indian Stock Trends Financial Market Trend Insights - Free Stock Movement Tracking - PrintWeekIndia - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Marketing Media Money: Advertising & marketing in the age of social media influencers - CNBC Africa - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Understanding the Impact of Social Media on Indian Stock Trends Expert Selected Market Trends - High-yield portfolio picks - Autocar Professional - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- The music licensing blind spot in social media marketing - Mumbrella - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Reddits ad revenue is growing x3 faster than the wider social media market: WARC Media - MediaNews4U - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- In Graphic Detail: Inside the state of the creator economy industrial complex - Digiday - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Understanding the Impact of Social Media on Indian Stock Trends Market Trend Insights - Free Stock Chart Pattern Guide - Jammu Links News - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- University Communications and Marketing wins national recognition for social campaign and content - Ohio University - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- PINS vs. SNAP: TD Cowen Picks the Better Social Media Stock Ahead of Q2 Earnings - TipRanks - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- Reddits CMO on why community marketing will drive its next wave of growth - Marketing Week - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- An Overview of LinkedIns Ad Options and Targeting Tools [Infographic] - Social Media Today - July 14th, 2025 [July 14th, 2025]
- This is the rare bright spot in a tough Hollywood job market - Los Angeles Times - July 14th, 2025 [July 14th, 2025]
- Snapchat Partners With American Eagle on New Map Promotion Type - Social Media Today - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Digital marketing statistics of 2025: H1 by the numbers - Marketing Dive - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Social Panga wins the marketing mandate for Neo by Nippon Paint - Adgully.com - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Labubu Marketing Masterclass: How POP MARTs Designer Toy Conquered the World - Brand Vision Marketing - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- New AI tools for mental health research and treatment - Google Blog - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- AI, Irreality and the Liberal Educational Project (opinion) - Inside Higher Ed - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- AI is changing our world. At what point will it change our reality? | Opinion - USA Today - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Sam Altmans AI Empire Relies on Brutal Labor Exploitation - Jacobin - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Protecting U.S. Tech: China Committee and Bipartisan, Bicameral Leaders Unite to Stop CCP AI Chip Smuggling - Select Committee on the CCP | (.gov) - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- The worst thing about AI? That stupid Samsung ad where the guy adds way too much sugar to his pasta sauce - The Guardian - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- She Wanted to Save the World From A.I. Then the Killings Started. - The New York Times - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- BRICS leaders to call for data protections against unauthorized AI use - Reuters - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Opinion | Are We Really Willing to Become Dumber? - The New York Times - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- The Coder Village at the Heart of Chinas A.I. Frenzy - The New York Times - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- How agencies are pricing AIand what it means for industry compensation - Ad Age - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Ukrainian Troops Struggle to Hold the Line on the Eastern Front - The New York Times - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 7, 2025 - Institute for the Study of War - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Ukraines Drone Revolution: And What America Should Learn From It - Foreign Affairs - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Russia welcomes Trumps cut to Ukraines military aid but it could be deadly for Kyiv - CNN - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Russias Child Soldiers: How the Kremlin Trains Ukrainian Kids and Sends Them to the Frontlines - UNITED24 Media - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Farmers turned soldiers, fields full of mines and a rural exodus: how Russia is punishing Ukraines countryside - The Guardian - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Zelenskyy says coalition of the willing should meet in a few days, after call with Starmer as it happened - The Guardian - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- YouTube Enables Creators to Share More Data with Brands to Secure Partnership Opportunities - Social Media Today - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- How Brands Are Taking Back Social Media From Influencers - The New York Times - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Explained: Why Greenwashing is the newest social media marketing red flag - Storyboard18 - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- KFC appoints We Are Social as social agency of record - Marketing-Interactive - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Behind Amtraks social-first marketingthe viral Train-tacular post and whats next - Ad Age - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Olipops UGC Strategy: 5 Drops and Hotel Experiences That Drove Social Buzz - Influencer Marketing Hub - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Im a social media scientist with 3.5 million followers. Heres what Ive learned about public health communication - STAT - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Currys CEO: New generation of customers discovering the brand thanks to social strategy - Marketing Week - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- TikTok Provides an Overview of Its New Brand Consideration Ads [Infographic] - Social Media Today - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Outdated AI Drains Marketing Budgets and Wastes Team Time - MarTech Cube - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Championing Growth and Enabling Teams to Thrive: Social Elements CEOs Approach to Leadership - Little Black Book | LBBOnline - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- TikTok Launches Bulletin Boards for Broadcast Messaging From Creator and Brand Profiles - Social Media Today - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Ayrshire mentor named Social Media Marketing Specialist of the Year - The Scotsman - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- The harms of social media are largely blamed on individuals instead of tech companies - USC Annenberg - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Instacart Gains Momentum With AI and Social Media Partnerships, Says Citizens JMP - Yahoo Finance - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Tunisian girl set to be repatriated after social media love marriage ends in divorce - Geo.tv - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Snapchat Shares Trend Insights for Marketers to Tap Into This Summer [Infographic] - Social Media Today - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- The next performance marketing frontier: beyond search and social - Campaign - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- 24Social Expands Southeast Asia Reach with Over 8 Years of Proven Social Media Expertise - Yahoo Finance - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- How cheap SMM panels are revolutionizing social media marketing for small businesses - London Daily News - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Risks and Rewards: A Guide to Understanding Social Media Influencer Income for Valuation Professionals - CBIZ - June 22nd, 2025 [June 22nd, 2025]
- Technology to enforce teen social media ban is effective, trial says. But this is at odds with other evidence - The Conversation - June 22nd, 2025 [June 22nd, 2025]
- Own, a new social media app, aims to tokenize the creator economy - TechCrunch - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- I've Worked With 1,000 Brands 11 Social Media Secrets Every Business Should Be Using in 2025 - Entrepreneur - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Meta to Start Including Ads in WhatsApp - Adweek - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]