Is it social marketing? The benchmarks meet the social marketing indicator

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic Wettstein ◽  
L. Suzanne Suggs
Keyword(s):  
Social Marketing ◽  
Empirical Test ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Marketing Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Marketing Campaigns ◽  
Current Practices

Purpose – This paper aims to describe the comparison of two tools in assessing social marketing campaigns. Design/methodology/approach – Using data collected from the campaign planners of 31 alcohol misuse prevention campaigns, two tools were compared; the Social Marketing Indicator (SMI) and Andreasen’s Benchmark Criteria. Findings – In the case of the benchmarks, 26 per cent of the campaigns fulfilled four or more criteria and no criterion was fulfilled by more than 70 per cent. The main differences between current practices and social marketing are the often-missing segmentation and an explicit exchange. The SMI found a lower degree of resemblance between current practices and social marketing. In this case, the major differences lie in the use of behavioral theory and the absence of an exchange. Research limitations/implications – The SMI allows a more precise description of an intervention. This represents an advantage, as a campaign’s resemblance to social marketing can be reported by directly pointing out the process steps that make the difference. This is important for understanding the research evidence base in social marketing. Practical implications – Although the benchmark criteria are based on a conceptual approach, the SMI is built around a core procedure. The SMI can thus help program planners from the onset of a project to make sure they do social marketing as it is defined. Originality/value – This is the first empirical test comparing a new tool against the well-established, frequently critiqued, Benchmark Criteria, in gauging “social marketing” practice in health campaigns.

But I AM normal: safe? driving in Vietnam

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duong Trong Hue ◽  
Linda Brennan ◽  
Lukas Parker ◽  
Michael Florian
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Social Marketing ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Injunctive Norms ◽  
Marketing Practice ◽  
Safe Driving ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Marketing Campaigns

Purpose – This paper aims to elucidate perceptions of safe driving and social norms in relation to driving motorbikes in the Vietnamese context. Design/methodology/approach – A series of focus groups was undertaken in relation to driving practices from a number of groups: adolescents, families and adult males and females. The discussion centred on how driving behaviours were socialised within the various groups. Findings – The research highlighted some very interesting social dynamics in relation to how safe driving habits are established and supported within the social context. In particular, the separation of descriptive and injunctive norms and the role such norms play in socialising driving behaviours, safe or otherwise. Practical implications – The implications for social marketing practice are considerable, especially in the Vietnamese context where injunctive norms are difficult to portray, given the dynamics of the media landscape. Social marketing campaigns will need to have a broader consideration of how to establish descriptive norms, bearing in mind the social milieu in which the behaviours occur. Originality/value – This research is the first of its kind in the Vietnamese context. While much practice-led innovation is occurring in the region, there is little extant research on the topic of social norms and the socialisation of behaviours within the Southeast Asian region.

Beyond rhetoric: re-thinking entrepreneurial marketing from a practice perspective

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Gross ◽  
David Carson ◽  
Rosalind Jones
Keyword(s):  
Social Practice ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Practice Theory ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Marketing Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Entrepreneurial Marketing ◽  
The Social ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose the application of social practice theory for the investigation of entrepreneurial marketing (EM) practices. Design/methodology/approach – A theoretical gap has been found between scholarly efforts to explain the nature of EM practice and the actual marketing practice or marketing doings of small firms. Findings – The paper covers some of the EM literature and perspectives and examining the notion of “practice” in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and entrepreneurship research. Based on an increasing focus on practice in the social theory literature and the contributions of key social theorists, a discussion is framed in terms of how EM practice can be studied through the investigation material and bodily observations and common interpretations. Research limitations/implications – The paper offers a proposal that the observations of practitioners’ actions and activities and the investigation of common interpretations can be conceptualized to explain the nature of EM practice. It also gives avenues for future research. Practical implications – The paper suggests that marketing comprises a wide scope of activities or practices and, in the case of a small firm, is all-pervasive. It also suggests that scholars engage in understanding the collective, distributed, situated, ongoing and tacit nature of EM. Originality/value – The paper provides a fresh conceptual approach about how EM practice can be studied through the investigation material and bodily observations as well as common interpretations.

Going with the flow

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 314-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hue Trong Duong ◽  
Lukas Parker
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Social Marketing ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Marketing Practice ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Safety Attitudes ◽  
Social Marketing Campaigns

Purpose This paper aims to examine motorcycle driving norms and their implications for social marketing practice. It investigates whether misperceptions of descriptive norms related to motorcycle speeding behaviour are prevalent among young motorcyclists, and whether there is an association between these misperceptions with their speeding behaviour. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey of 541 young motorcyclists was carried out as the second phase of a larger project, which examined the role of social norms related to road safety attitudes and behaviours. Findings The results showed misperceptions of perceived speeding norms among both male and female young motorcyclists. There was an association between normative misperceptions and speeding behaviour, and between speeding behaviour and approval to speeding behaviour by young motorcyclists. In addition, peer presence was found to moderate the relationship between misperceptions of speeding norms and speeding behaviour. Originality/value The study contributes to addressing the call for study of social norms marketing and health risks in non-Western contexts. Further, the results provide support for social marketers to consider the use of social norms approach in designing social marketing campaigns to promote safe motorcycle driving behaviours.

scholarly journals The case for social support in social marketing

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuno Baptista ◽  
Helena Alves ◽  
José Pinho
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Behavior Change ◽  
Social Exchange ◽  
Social Marketing ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
Marketing Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Long Term Behavior

Purpose This paper aims to reinforce the arguments for applying the social support concept in social marketing. Design/methodology/approach This paper aims to conceptually outline the potential positive contribution of social support for social marketing practice as a tool to induce behavior change. Findings This paper focuses on the philosophical principle of social exchange, highlights the consumer-centered perspective of social marketing, which implies the natural evaluation of the social networks of influence and support and presents social support as a mechanism to induce long-term behavior change. Research limitations/implications No empirical (qualitative or quantitative) investigations were used to test the application of the concept in practical interventions. Practical implications This paper provides significant insights for intervention developers that can be used to program and theoretically justify future social marketing interventions applying the social support concept. Social implications Empirical research concluded for a positive relation between social support and human health and well-being. Thus, increasing the use of the concept in social marketing can serve to attain these social goals. Originality/value The concept of social support has gained considerable interest in the areas of behavioral medicine and health psychology. Despite such interest, it is still not clear how it can be approached in social marketing as there is a lack of conceptual literature discussing social support from a social marketing perspective, the number of social marketing interventions operationalizing the concept is limited and, till date, no research has focused in comprehensively establishing a theoretical rationale to operationalize the concept in social marketing.

scholarly journals The social marketing theory-based (SMT) approach for designing interventions

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamini Manikam ◽  
Rebekah Russell-Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Social Marketing ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Marketing Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Step Process ◽  
The Social ◽  
Conceptual Paper ◽  
Marketing Intervention ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Social Marketing Theory

Purpose – Despite the importance of theory as a driving framework, many social marketers either fail to explicitly use theory as the basis of designing social marketing interventions or default to familiar theories which may not accurately reflect the nature of the behavioural issue. The purpose of this paper is therefore to propose and demonstrate the social marketing theory (SMT)-based approach for designing social marketing interventions, campaigns or tools. Design/methodology/approach – This conceptual paper proposes a four-step process and illustrates this process by applying the SMT-based approach to the digital component of a social marketing intervention for preventing domestic violence. Findings – For effective social marketing interventions, the underpinning theory must reflect consumer insights and key behavioural drivers and be used explicitly in the design process. Practical implications – Social marketing practitioners do not always understand how to use theory in the design of interventions, campaigns or tools, and scholars do not always understand how to translate theories into practice. This paper outlines a process and illustrates how theory can be selected and applied. Originality/value – This paper proposes a process for theory selection and use in a social marketing context.

Integrated marketing communications and social marketing

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 226-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan Dahl ◽  
Lynne Eagle ◽  
David Low
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Social Marketing ◽  
Marketing Communications ◽  
Commercial Application ◽  
Integrated Marketing Communications ◽  
Integrated Marketing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Social Marketing Campaigns

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the view of integrated marketing communications (IMC) by social marketing practitioners. Specifically, the paper furthers the discussion how a symbiotic relationship between IMC and social marketing can lead to both practical improvements of health-related social marketing campaigns, as well as theoretical advancement of the IMC construct. Design/methodology/approach – Based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with practitioners, the authors provide exploratory evidence for support for IMC within the social marketing community and highlight potential differences and similarities when transferring IMC from a commercial to a social context. Findings – Three main differences emerged when transferring IMC from a commercial to a social context. These include differences of customer-centric approaches between commercial and social marketing, the need to weigh out the application of IMC to the charity brand or the use of IMC at a behavioural level and, finally, different complexity levels of desired behaviour as a mediating factor. Research limitations/implications – As with all qualitative data, the findings may not be generalisable beyond the interview participants and organisations studied. Practical implications – Many practitioners expressed that they liked IMC as a concept, but they lacked guidance as to the application with a social marketing context. This paper contributes to providing this guidance and establishing a body of knowledge how IMC can be applied in a non-commercial setting. Originality/value – The paper contributes to the practical development of guidance how the largely commercially applied IMC construct can be modified to be used in a social marketing context, while correspondingly highlighting how IMC needs to evolve to grow beyond purely commercial application.

The career paths of social marketing doctoral graduates

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Dao Truong
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Marketing ◽  
Career Paths ◽  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Doctoral Graduates ◽  
Content Type ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Not For Profit ◽  
The Social

Purpose Although the social marketing field has developed relatively quickly, little is known about the careers of students who chose social marketing as their main subject of study. Such research is important not only because it reveals employment trends and mobility but also because it informs policy making with respect to curriculum development as well as raises governmental and societal interest in the social marketing field. This paper aims to analyse the career pathways of doctoral graduates who examined social marketing as the subject of their theses. Doctoral graduates represent a special group in a knowledge economy, who are considered the best qualified for the creation and dissemination of knowledge and innovation. Design/methodology/approach A search strategy identified 209 doctoral-level social marketing theses completed between 1971 and 2015. A survey was then delivered to dissertation authors, which received 117 valid responses. Findings Results indicate that upon graduation, most graduates secured full-time jobs, where about 66 per cent worked in higher education, whereas the others worked in the government, not-for-profit and private sectors. Currently, there is a slight decline in the number of graduates employed in the higher education, government and not-for-profit sectors but an increase in self-employed graduates. A majority of graduates are working in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. Overall, levels of international mobility and research collaboration are relatively low. Originality/value This is arguably the first study to examine the career paths of social marketing doctoral graduates.

Social marketing hackers

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria M. Raciti
Keyword(s):  
Social Marketing ◽  
Change Agents ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Marketing Professional ◽  
The Social ◽  
Greater Good ◽  
The Many ◽  
Behaviour Changes ◽  
Social Causes ◽  
Blind Spots

Purpose Social marketing has come of age. Today, the study is a legitimate discipline with a wealth of empirical evidence that manifestly demonstrates the ability to bring about behaviour changes for the greater good. As social marketers, the study is rapidly expanding the horizons, with a growing interest in the labyrinth of systems that influence the chosen social causes. The study has become brave and bold, but is the study now running the risk of romanticising the work and ourselves? It is time to recalibrate, to take stock and to address the elephants in the social marketing room. Design/methodology/approach Expanding on my Change 2020 Driving Systems Change panel presentation, this study is a provocation, a think piece, centred around two observed phenomena. Findings The first phenomenon observed is the many identities of the contemporary social marketer – hackers, change agents, heroes, political power brokers and master puppeteers. The second phenomenon observed is the accelerated interest in systems thinking for which the author propose three preconditions are needed – an awareness of the system(s); an acknowledgement that this study is a part of the system(s) and the need to decolonise social marketing. Originality/value This paper poses challenging questions but offers no solutions as to how social marketers should, could or do square up the blind spots, make peace with the paradoxes or unblinking the views. Not only would it be naïve to proffer solutions but it would also stifle the growth of you, the reader, in your journey to becoming an integrated person and woke social marketing professional.

Midstream social marketing intervention to influence retailers’ compliance with the minimum legal drinking age law

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanja Kamin ◽  
Daša Kokole
Keyword(s):  
Social Marketing ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Excessive Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Drinking Age ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Minimum Legal Drinking Age ◽  
Marketing Intervention ◽  
Marketing Approach

Purpose Alcohol availability is strongly related to excessive alcohol consumption. This study aims to examine social marketing’s response to concerns about retailers’ noncompliance with the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) law by proposing and evaluating a social marketing intervention directed at sellers in off-premise stores. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a non-randomized quasi-experimental design, focusing on an evaluation of the implementation of the “18 rules!” intervention in four cities in Slovenia. Two waves of underage purchase attempts were conducted pre- and post-intervention in 24 off-premise businesses, following a mystery shopping protocol. Findings The initial rate of retailers’ noncompliance with the MLDA law in off-premise establishments was high. After the social marketing intervention, an increase with compliance with the law was observed; the proportion of cashiers selling alcohol to minors after the intervention decreased from 96 to 67 per cent. Qualitative insight suggests an existence of retailers’ dilemma in complying with the MLDA. Research limitations/implications A social marketing approach could contribute to a better understanding of the social working of the MLDA law. Practical implications A social marketing approach could complement the usual enforcement strategies and contribute to a better understanding of the social working of the MLDA law, and encourage deliberate retailers’ compliance with it while developing valuable exchanges among people and stakeholders. Originality/value The paper conceptualizes retailers’ dilemma in complying with the minimal legal drinking age law and offers social marketing response to it. Results of the study show that also solely non-coercive measures have the potential in increasing retailers’ compliance with regulations.

scholarly journals Partnering for UN SDG #17: a social marketing partnership model to scale up and accelerate change

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sinead Duane ◽  
Sinead Duane ◽  
Christine Domegan ◽  
Brendan Bunting
Keyword(s):  
Social Marketing ◽  
Relationship Commitment ◽  
Change Strategies ◽  
Measurement Scales ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Complex Problems ◽  
Partnership Model ◽  
The Social ◽  
Systemic Transformation

Purpose The United Nations (UN) 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) places partnerships as a vital mechanism, which strengthens the implementation of change strategies. The SDG targets are ambitious; acknowledging the interconnected multifaceted issues that are currently facing society. Similarly, social marketing thought is transitioning to embrace systemic change strategies, realising no one organisation can have an impact on the emerging grand challenges. Partnerships are the 5th P in the social marketing mix, however, partnerships is also a nebulous term which has been criticised for lacking theoretical development. This study aims to answer the call from both the UN and social marketing community for further research to guide the development and implementation of impactful transformative partnerships. Design/methodology/approach A robust mixed method approach to develop and test a social marketing partnership model is presented. Trust and relationship commitment are at the forefront of successful partnership exchanges. Morgan and Hunt’s (1994) trust and relationship commitment model is extended into the social marketing domain. Findings The findings validate Hasting’s (2003) call for social marketers to listen to their commercial marketing counterparts, positioning trust and commitment as essential to change strategies. As the degree of complexities in the multifaceted world continues to accelerate, partnerships for change (UN SDG #17) will pay off, driving more effective and smarter collaborations amongst a diverse range of stakeholders at different levels in different networks. Partnerships will elevate social marketing to deliver systemic transformation for complex problems with far reaching collective and sustainable consequences. Research limitations/implications With trust/mistrust critical to successful exchanges and exchange central to social marketing, quantitative measurement of the antecedents to and outcomes of partnerships can inform the evaluation, impact and management of social marketing interventions. Practical implications Three contributions are made, which support the selection, implementation and evaluation of social marketing partnerships. Key social marketing partnership characteristics are operationalised supporting the partnership selection process. Measurement scales are developed to assist in evaluating partnership relationships over time. The model is empirically tested to investigate the relationships between key mediating variables of social marketing partnerships. Originality/value This paper presents a validated 5th P Partnership model for social marketers, accelerating social marketing’s capacities to deliver systemic transformation for complex problems with far reaching collective and sustainable consequences and UN SDG #17.

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