Social marketing

Social marketing is the systematic application of marketing, along with other concepts and techniques, to achieve specific behavioral goals for a social good. Social marketing can be applied to promote merit goods, or to make a society avoid demerit goods and thus to promote society's well being as a whole. For example, this may include asking people not to smoke in public areas, asking them to use seat belts, or prompting to make them follow speed limits. Although 'social marketing' is sometimes seen only as using standard commercial marketing practices to achieve non commercial goals, this is an over simplification. !he primary aims of 'social marketing' is 'social good', while in 'commercial marketing' the aim is primarily 'financial'. !his does not mean that commercial marketers can not contribute to achievement of social good. "ncreasingly, social marketing is being described as having 'two parents' a 'social parent' # social sciences and social policy, and a 'marketing parent' # commercial and public sector marketing approaches. $eginning in the %&'(s, it has in the last decade matured into a much more integrative and inclusive discipline that draws on the full range of social sciences and social policy approaches as well as marketing. Social marketing must not be confused with Social media marketing.

Applications of social marketing

)ealth promotion campaigns in the late %&*(s began applying social marketing in practice. +otable early developments took place in Australia. !hese included the ,ictoria -ancer -ouncil developing its anti tobacco campaign ./uit. 0%&**1, and .SunSmart. 0%&**1, its campaign against skin cancer which had the slogan Slip! Slop! Slap!. 2orkSafe ,ictoria, a state run 3ccupational )ealth and Safety organi4ation in Australia has used social marketing as a driver in its attempts to reduce the social and human impact of workplace safety failings. "n 5((6, it ran ')omecomings', a popular campaign that was later adopted in +ew South 2ales, /ueensland and 2estern Australia, and named the 5((' Australian 7arketing "nstitute 7arketing 8rogram of the 9ear :anceSafe followed the ideas of social marketing in its communication practices. 3n a wider front, by 5((', ;overnment in the <nited =ingdom announced the development of its first social marketing strategy for all aspects of health. !wo other public health applications include the -:-'s -:-ynergy training and software application, and S7A>! 0Social 7arketing and Assessment >esponse !ool1. 8rof. <ma Sankar 7ishra, Asst. 8rofessor, "$-S, S ?3@ A <niversity, $hubaneswar

Social marketing theory and practice has been progressed in several countries such as the <.S, -anada, Australia, +ew Aealand and the <=, and in the latter a number of key ;overnment policy papers have adopted a strategic social marketing approach. 8ublications such as '-hoosing )ealth' in 5((B, '"t's our healthC' in 5((6D and ')ealth -hallenge England' in 5((6, all represent steps to achieve both a strategic and operational use of social marketing. "n "ndia, especially in =erala, A":S controlling programmes are largely using social marketing and social workers are largely working for it. 7ost of the social workers are professionally trained for this particular task.

Types of social marketing

<sing the benefits and of doing 'social good' to secure and maintain customer engagement. "n 'social marketing' the distinguishing feature is therefore its 'primary' focus on 'social good', and it is not a secondary outcome. +ot all public sector and not for profit marketing is social marketing. 8ublic sector bodies can use standard marketing approaches to improve the promotion of their relevant services and organi4ational aims, this can be very important, but should not be confused with 'social marketing' where the focus in on achieving specific behavioural goals with specific audiences in relation to different topics relevant to social good 0egF health, sustainability, recycling, etc1. As the dividing lines are rarely clear it is important not to confuse social marketing with commercial marketing. A commercial marketer selling a product may only seek to influence a buyer to make a product purchase. Social marketers, dealing with goals such as reducing cigarette smoking or encouraging condom use, have more difficult goalsF to make potentially difficult and long term behavioral change in target populations. "t is sometimes felt that social marketing is restricted to a particular spectrum of client the non profit organi4ation, the health services group, the government agency. !hese often are the clients of social marketing agencies, but the goal of inducing social change is not restricted to governmental or non profit charitable organi4ationsD it may be argued that corporate public relations efforts such as funding for the arts are an example of social marketing. Social marketing should not be confused with the Societal 7arketing -oncept which was a forerunner of sustainable marketing in integrating issues of social responsibility into commercial marketing strategies. "n contrast to that, social marketing uses commercial marketing theories, tools and techniques to social issues.

8rof. <ma Sankar 7ishra, Asst. 8rofessor, "$-S, S ?3@ A <niversity, $hubaneswar

Social marketing applies a Gcustomer orientedH approach and uses the concepts and tools used by commercial marketers in pursuit of social goals like Anti Smoking -ampaigns or fund raising for +;3s.

What is Social Marketing?

by Nedra Kline Weinreich !he health communications field has been rapidly changing over the past two decades. "t has evolved from a one dimensional reliance on public service announcements to a more sophisticated approach which draws from successful techniques used by commercial marketers, termed .social marketing.. >ather than dictating the way that information is to be conveyed from the top down, public health professionals are learning to listen to the needs and desires of the target audience themselves, and building the program from there. !his focus on the .consumer. involves in depth research and constant re evaluation of every aspect of the program. "n fact, research and evaluation together form the very cornerstone of the social marketing process. Social marketing was .born. as a discipline in the %&'(s, when 8hilip =otler and ;erald Aaltman reali4ed that the same marketing principles that were being used to sell products to consumers could be used to .sell. ideas, attitudes and behaviors. =otler and Andreasen define social marketing as .differing from other areas of marketing only with respect to the obIectives of the marketer and his or her organi4ation. Social marketing seeks to influence social behaviors not to benefit the marketer, but to benefit the target audience and the general society.. !his technique has been used extensively in international health programs, especially for contraceptives and oral rehydration therapy 03>!1, and is being used with more frequency in the <nited States for such diverse topics as drug abuse, heart disease and organ donation. Jike commercial marketing, the primary focus is on the consumer on learning what people want and need rather than trying to persuade them to buy what we happen to be producing. 7arketing talks to the consumer, not about the product. !he planning process takes this consumer focus into account by addressing the elements of the .marketing mix.. !his refers to decisions about %1 the conception of a 8roduct, 51 8rice, K1 distribution 08lace1, and B1 8romotion. !hese are often called the .Four 8s. of marketing. Social marketing also adds a few more .8's.. At the end is an example of the marketing mix.

8rof. <ma Sankar 7ishra, Asst. 8rofessor, "$-S, S ?3@ A <niversity, $hubaneswar

Product !he social marketing .product. is not necessarily a physical offering. A continuum of products exists, ranging from tangible, physical products 0e.g., condoms1, to services 0e.g., medical exams1, practices 0e.g., breastfeeding, 3>! or eating a heart healthy diet1 and finally, more intangible ideas 0e.g., environmental protection1. "n order to have a viable product, people must first perceive that they have a genuine problem, and that the product offering is a good solution for that problem. !he role of research here is to discover the consumers' perceptions of the problem and the product, and to determine how important they feel it is to take action against the problem. Price .8rice. refers to what the consumer must do in order to obtain the social marketing product. !his cost may be monetary, or it may instead require the consumer to give up intangibles, such as time or effort, or to risk embarrassment and disapproval. "f the costs outweigh the benefits for an individual, the perceived value of the offering will be low and it will be unlikely to be adopted. )owever, if the benefits are perceived as greater than their costs, chances of trial and adoption of the product is much greater. "n setting the price, particularly for a physical product, such as contraceptives, there are many issues to consider. "f the product is priced too low, or provided free of charge, the consumer may perceive it as being low in quality. 3n the other hand, if the price is too high, some will not be able to afford it. Social marketers must balance these considerations, and often end up charging at least a nominal fee to increase perceptions of quality and to confer a sense of .dignity. to the transaction. !hese perceptions of costs and benefits can be determined through research, and used in positioning the product. Place .8lace. describes the way that the product reaches the consumer. For a tangible product, this refers to the distribution system including the warehouse, trucks, sales force, retail outlets where it is sold, or places where it is given out for free. For an intangible product, place is less clear cut, but refers to decisions about the channels through which consumers are reached with information or training. !his may include doctors' offices, shopping malls, mass media vehicles or in home demonstrations. Another element of place is deciding how to ensure accessibility of the offering and quality of the service delivery. $y determining the activities and habits of the target audience, as well as their experience and satisfaction with the existing delivery system, researchers can pinpoint the most ideal means of distribution for the offering.

8rof. <ma Sankar 7ishra, Asst. 8rofessor, "$-S, S ?3@ A <niversity, $hubaneswar

Promotion Finally, the last .8. is promotion. $ecause of its visibility, this element is often mistakenly thought of as comprising the whole of social marketing. )owever, as can be seen by the previous discussion, it is only one piece. 8romotion consists of the integrated use of advertising, public relations, promotions, media advocacy, personal selling and entertainment vehicles. !he focus is on creating and sustaining demand for the product. 8ublic service announcements or paid ads are one way, but there are other methods such as coupons, media events, editorials, .!upperware. style parties or in store displays. >esearch is crucial to determine the most effective and efficient vehicles to reach the target audience and increase demand. !he primary research findings themselves can also be used to gain publicity for the program at media events and in news stories. Additional Social Marketing "P's" Publics Social marketers often have many different audiences that their program has to address in order to be successful. .8ublics. refers to both the external and internal groups involved in the program. External publics include the target audience, secondary audiences, policymakers, and gatekeepers, while the internal publics are those who are involved in some way with either approval or implementation of the program. Partnership Social and health issues are often so complex that one agency can't make a dent by itself. 9ou need to team up with other organi4ations in the community to really be effective. 9ou need to figure out which organi4ations have similar goals to yours not necessarily the same goals and identify ways you can work together. Policy Social marketing programs can do well in motivating individual behavior change, but that is difficult to sustain unless the environment they're in supports that change for the long run. 3ften, policy change is needed, and media advocacy programs can be an effective complement to a social marketing program. Purse Strings 7ost organi4ations that develop social marketing programs operate through funds provided by sources such as foundations, governmental grants or donations. !his adds another dimension to the strategy development namely, where will you get the money to create your programL

8rof. <ma Sankar 7ishra, Asst. 8rofessor, "$-S, S ?3@ A <niversity, $hubaneswar

E ample of a Marketing Mi Strategy As an example, the marketing mix strategy for a breast cancer screening campaign for older women might include the following elementsF

!he product could be any of these three behaviorsF getting an annual mammogram, seeing a physician each year for a breast exam and performing monthly breast self exams. !he price of engaging in these behaviors includes the monetary costs of the mammogram and exam, potential discomfort andMor embarrassment, time and even the possibility of actually finding a lump. !he place that these medical and educational services are offered might be a mobile van, local hospitals, clinics and worksites, depending upon the needs of the target audience. 8romotion could be done through public service announcements, billboards, mass mailings, media events and community outreach. !he .publics. you might need to address include your target audience 0let's say low income women age B( to 6N1, the people who influence their decisions like their husbands or physicians, policymakers, public service directors at local radio stations, as well as your board of directors and office staff. 8artnerships could be cultivated with local or national women's groups, corporate sponsors, medical organi4ations, service clubs or media outlets. !he policy aspects of the campaign might focus on increasing access to mammograms through lower costs, requiring insurance and 7edicaid coverage of mammograms or increasing federal funding for breast cancer research. !he purse strings, or where the funding will come from, may be governmental grants, such as from the +ational -ancer "nstitute or the local health department, foundation grants or an organi4ation like the American -ancer Society.

Each element of the marketing mix should be taken into consideration as the program is developed, for they are the core of the marketing effort. >esearch is used to elucidate and shape the final product, price, place, promotion and related decisions.

8rof. <ma Sankar 7ishra, Asst. 8rofessor, "$-S, S ?3@ A <niversity, $hubaneswar