Social Marketing

Social Marketing – Behavioural Change Programme

  Social marketing commonly used in Public Healths settings and not to be confused with social media is not new and is a well-recognised and highly effective marriage that combines traditional marketing skills and disciplines, with exemplary creative talent all firmly grounded in social sciences.

Part of everyday life, it’s part of our fabric and is used to educate, change or moderate public behaviour through public messaging campaigns, from fastening seatbelts to stopping smoking, reducing our alcohol intake or addressing obesity. 

 

Regardless of the focal point of behavioural change, social marketing utilises a full spectrum of traditional marketing skills, and techniques by one group (the Client) in order to influence and/or modify the behavioural change of another (A Defined Target Audience).

 

Okay, sounds simple, but it’s not the end.

 The bottom line is making sure it achieves pre-identified SMART outcomes, and critically its for public and social good.

 

 So what does this involve?

A key feature of a good social marketing campaign involves being rooted in social anthropology to support the brokering of a voluntary behavioural change of either individuals or societal groups. People typically change their behaviours based on risk and reward strategies. For campaigns to be truly effective, understanding key drivers, social linkages and motivators of human behaviour is fundamental, to crafting the right message and treatment.