Introduction to Social Marketing

What is “Social Marketing”?

A number of definitions of the social marketing construct have been offered (Lefebvre & Flora, 1988). Kotler (1975), for instance, defines social marketing as “the design, implementation, and control of programmes seeking to increase the acceptability of a social idea or practice in a target group(s). It utilises concepts of market segmentation, consumer research, idea configuration, communication, facilitation,incentives, and exchange theory to maximise target group response.” Andreasen (1995) defines social marketing as “the application of commercial marketing technologies to the analysis, planning, execution,and evaluation of programmes designed to influence the voluntary behavior of target audiences in order to improve their personal welfare and that of their society.”

These and other definitions share more commonalities than distinctions. First, the “social marketing” label is typically applied to causes judged by persons in positions of power and authority to be beneficial to both individuals and society. Second, unlike commercial marketing, the agent of change does not profit financially from a campaign's success. Third, the ultimate goal is to change behaviors believed to place the individual at risk, not simply increase awareness or alter attitudes. Fourth, the optimal social marketing campaign is tailored to the unique perspective, needs, and experiences of the target audience, hopefully with input from representative members of this group. Fifth, social marketing strives to create conditions in the social structure that facilitate the behavioral changes promoted. Sixth and most fundamentally, however,is reliance upon commercial marketing concepts. It is often said that there is poetic justice in using the very marketing concepts employed by such “disease peddlers” as the tobacco and fast food industries to combat their negative influences.

Social Marketing Vs. Product Marketing

The selling of healthier behaviors and the selling of products have much in common. Even so, neither health nor brotherhood can be sold like soap. Practitioners remind us that there are significant differences between social and product marketing. These differences include the following:

Promoted Change: Health campaigns typically seek to change behaviors. Product marketing can strive for behavioral change, but is just as likely to attempt to activate a favorable disposition. In addition, social marketing can also seek environmental and systems change,something that product marketing rarely attempts to accomplish.

Expectations: Social marketers strive to change the unhealthy behaviors of a large percentage of the target audience. Product marketers are usually delighted with small increases in market share.

Salience: The attitudes and behaviors targeted by social marketers are often fundamental to the people targeted; product marketing more often than not targets less involving behaviors.As such, social marketers must often overcome attitudes and values that are central to the person's identity. Product marketers typically deal with self-constructs that are more peripheral to the person's identity.

Certainty of Gratification: Social marketers promise only an increased probability that benefits (e.g., a lower risk of cancer) will come to the person who adopts recommended changes. It cannot be proven with certainty that the behavior change advocated will produce a particular health outcome. In contrast, product marketers usually offer unequivocal gratifications, and may even provide a guarantee that benefits promised will result. The causal link between the purchase and these satisfactions is seldom in doubt.

Timing of Gratification: It may take months or years for the health benefits offered in social marketing campaigns to result. Indeed, many of the benefits sold are preventive in nature,resulting in the absence of an event (e.g., the non-development of cardiovascular disease).Product marketers offer benefits that are realised soon or immediately after purchase of the product.

Presentation: Social marketers must strive for an “informational tone” and avoid overselling the benefits of recommended changes. With product marketing, overselling, and even some deception, may be accepted by consumers.

Trust: Greater trustworthiness is typically attributed to the sponsors of a social marketing campaign than to the sponsors of product marketers. This trust advantage may be due to the belief that social marketers have no vested interest or other hidden motive, other than the desire to do good. Thus, in social marketing, “purchase” of the product benefits primarily the consumer; in product marketing, the sponsor is the chief beneficiary of the consumer's decision to make a purchase.

Budgetary Constraints: Social marketers must usually attempt to achieve their goals with small budgets. In-kind services, volunteerism, and donations of other resources may add to the available resources, but the social marketer can seldom match the resources available to product marketers. As a corollary, product marketing campaigns tend to be supported by more extensive formative and summative research and more professional and extensive communications with the consumer.

The Five P's

The marketing concepts employed in information campaigns based upon the social marketing approach are numerous. The “5Ps” are perhaps the best known among these. The purpose of the 5Ps is to develop a message strategy that offers consumers the optimal “marketing mix” of product, price, place,promotion, and positioning. When applied to social marketing, these concepts can be conceived of as follows:

Product: the behavior or health idea that the campaign planners would like the targeted individuals(a.k.a., “consumers”) to adopt. The product can be an action (e.g., performing breast self-examinations regularly) or material item (e.g., fat-free dairy products).

Price: the costs associated with “buying” the product. Costs can involve sacrifices related to psychological well being (e.g., increased anxiety), sociality (e.g., possibility of ostracism), economics (e.g.,financial sacrifice), or time (e.g., inconvenience).

Place: the distribution channels used to make the product available to target audiences. When the product is a physical item, it must be easily obtainable by consumers. When it is an idea, it must be“socially available” – supported within the consumer's social sphere. The target audience must be informed of where, when, and how it can obtain the social marketing product(s). An important placement issue is the competition for finite space in the marketplace for food products, healthy and otherwise.

Promotion: the efforts taken to ensure that the target audience is aware of the campaign. These publicity efforts should be designed to cultivate positive attitudes and intentions regarding the product that pave the way for behavior change.

Positioning: the product must be positioned in such a way as to maximise benefits and minimise costs. “Positioning” is a psychological construct that involves the location of the product relative to other products and activities with which it competes. For instance, physical activity could be repositioned as a form of relaxation, not exercise. Serving low-fat meals to one's family could be positioned as an act of love.

Marketing Concepts

The 5 Ps only begin to touch upon the marketing concepts employed by the social marketer. The following concepts also deserve mention:

Consumer Orientation: The social marketing programme is founded upon the reality (beliefs, attitudes,values, practices, etc.) of the target audience. The consumer's involvement with the product is a primary facet of his or her orientation.

Audience Segmentation: The target population is segmented into homogeneous groups that are uniquely targeted with messages tailored to their shared qualities. The social marketing product may also be modified for different target audiences. At minimum, the product will probably require a different positioning for varying groups.

Channel Analysis: An effort is made to identify through research the communication channels most likely to reach each segment and the times when these individuals will be most receptive to the message.

Strategy: The strategic concepts that offer the highest probability of achieving established goals are employed throughout the planning, design, and implementation of the campaign.

Process Tracking: Research and other mechanisms are used to ensure that the programme is implemented as planned and to provide feedback about programme revisions that may be required.

It is instructive to consider what social marketing is not. Social marketing is not a theory. It does not tell ushow to change a person's behavior. Rather, it is an approach to thinking about and structuring a social change programme – one that is consumer-driven. Within this framework a number of social and behavioral theories can be drawn upon to develop a strategic course of action.

Excerpted from Alcalay, R. and Bell, RA. Promoting Nutrition and Physical Activity through Social Marketing: Current Practices and Recommendations. Center for Advanced Studies in Nutrition and Social Marketing, University of California,Davis, CA, 2000.

Funding for the Center is provided by the Cancer Research Fund, California Department of Health Services, Cancer Research Program pursuant to Statutes of 1997, Chapters 755 and 756 (AB 1554 and SB 273).