BOOK REVIEW
Social Marketing: Principles and Practice
Authors: Rob Donovan and Nadine Henley
Reviewed by: Tane Cassidy
Brief Overview:
The authors of this book (Donovan and Henley) provide an insightful introduction to social marketing. I have read a few papers on social marketing but in my view this book holds the most relevance to the New Zealand context. The authors describe social marketing as the application of the marketing concept, marketing techniques, and other social change techniques to achieve individual behaviour changes and structural changes that are consistent with the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This definition recognises the importance of viewing behaviour change in relation to the individual and their social and economic circumstances, and focuses on achieving social justice. In addition, the authors suggest that the ultimate goal of social marketing is not about making a financial gain from a social issue.
The book contains a comprehensive range of topics pertaining to social marketing, including basic social marketing principles, behaviour change theories, ethical issues, sponsorship, and using media. The book also provides information about planning and developing campaigns and examples of case studies. The book distinguishes social marketing from other variants of marketing for social causes such as pro-social marketing, profit marketing, cause-related marketing, non-profit marketing and corporate philanthropy.
My only criticism of the book is the lack of examples from New Zealand but I suppose thatís what happens when we have limited documentation of our own social marketing initiatives. Overall the book is well worth reading if you are seriously interested in pursuing this line of work.
Features of the book that I really enjoyed:
Who would I recommend this book to?
Anyone interested in social marketing, including policy makers, funders, public sector workers, NGOs, academics/researchers, and anyone interested in addressing social issues from behavioural or societal structural perspectives.
Where can I get it?
IP Communications Pty Ltd
Level 1, Camberwell Rd, East Hawthorn
Victoria, 3123, AUSTRALIA
Fax 0061 3 9813 3979
E-mail: ipcomm@bigpond.com
How much does it cost?
$AU85 rrp plus pp $AUS12
(this gets cheaper if you order more)
Publisher:
IP Communications, Melbourne
Date of Publication:
2003
ISBN number:
0 9578617 5 3
This book was reviewed by:
Tane Cassidy
Manager, Special Projects
Health Sponsorship Council
Wellington