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What is social marketing?
Social marketing is the use of marketing principles and techniques to improve the welfare of people and the physical, social and economic environment in which they live.
It is a carefully planned, long-term approach to changing human behaviour. The behaviour change may involve doing something new (covering up in the sun), doing something differently (washing the car on the grass rather than the side of the road) or stopping doing something altogether (drink driving).
Social marketing is also used to help create environments that support the desired behaviour.
Social marketing uses many commercial marketing principles and techniques. However it aims to benefit the target audience and society as a whole rather than make a financial profit.
Key features of social marketing
• Consumer focus
• Voluntary & mutual exchange
• Research
• Market segmentation
• Marketing mix
• Management
Consumer focus
Social marketing has a different orientation to traditional social change approaches. Traditional methods tend to take a top-down approach with a person or organisation deciding what is best for the target group.
By comparison social marketing is consumer-focused. It begins by understanding the needs and wants of the target group.
Voluntary & mutual exchange
In social marketing both the social marketer and the target group benefit.
When planning the strategy, the social marketer needs to ask some important questions. Why would this person change their behaviour? What’s in it for them? This principle is often called mutual exchange.
The social marketing campaign does not change the person. The person changes their own behaviour when they decide that what the social marketer is offering in exchange is worth having.
Research
Research underpins every step of the social marketing process including:
Strategy development
Target audience analysis and segmentation
Development of messages and choice of channels
Programme monitoring and evaluation
A good social marketer must know and understand the target audience extremely well. Research provides critical insights into the influences and barriers to behaviour change.
Market segmentation
In social marketing the population of interest is segmented to maximize the likelihood of success.
Different people have different needs and wants. Ideally a strategy would be developed for each individual but in most cases this is impractical.
In market segmentation people with similar characteristics are grouped together. A choice is then made about which segment(s) to focus on and appropriate strategies are developed.
Marketing mix
The marketing mix is a fundamental feature of both commercial and social marketing. There are usually four elements:
• Product
• Price
• Place
• Promotion
In social marketing there are two other Ps
• Policy
• Publics/partners
Product
In social marketing there is not usually a tangible product. This can make it difficult to conceptualise. The product on offer is an idea or behaviour. The social marketer wants the target group to ‘buy into’ the new beliefs, attitudes, values or behaviours on offer.
The old adage – it’s all in the packaging – is very relevant in social marketing. The ‘product’ must be packaged in such a way that it offers something that is of real value to the target market.
For example a social marketing campaign may aim to encourage older people to eat more fibre. The product (eating more fibre) may be packaged as a way for the target group to live to see their grandchildren grow up.
Price
Every time we buy a product we decide whether or not it is worth the price we will have to pay. The same is true in social marketing.
There is usually a cost involved in behaviour change although it may not be financial. Examples include inconvenience, loss of something that is valued and social disapproval. It is the job of the social marketer to minimise these costs and maximise the benefits for the target group.
Place
Place is where and how the target group is to be reached. The more places the target group can be reached the better.
When the social marketing offering involves a tangible product (e.g. condoms) the product must be easily available to the target group.
Positioning is also critical. It affects the way the target group perceives the offering.
Promotion
Promotion involves a range of methods used to communicate with the target group. It should foster positive attitudes and intentions regarding the ‘product’ to encourage behaviour change.
Promotion can also help build a positive social climate for the desired behaviour. Conversely it can help build a climate of disapproval for the behaviour the social marketer is trying to extinguish.
Promotion does not always mean advertising. In social marketing a person close to the target individual may be enlisted to promote the ‘product’.
Policy
People are more likely to make positive behavioural choices if the environment around them is supportive. For example, smoke-free workplaces can help support people who are trying to cut-down or give up smoking. Social marketing can assist with influencing the behaviour of policy makers and others who are in a position to change the environment.
The term ‘Policy’ is a broad one and does not just relate to high level policy such as laws. Policy changes can be made inside organisations. For example a school may set a policy that only healthy foods will be sold in its cafeteria.
Publics/partners
In social marketing it is usually necessary to develop particular strategies targeted at groups other than the primary target. Sometimes called secondary targets they include people who have influence over or direct access to the primary target group.
Examples include service delivery people, the media and friends or family. The same social marketing principles that underpin the approaches used with the primary target apply.
Management
Social marketing is a multi-faceted, long-term approach to changing human behaviour. Because of this the social marketer must be an excellent strategist.
Drawing on formative research and a thorough analysis of the environment, the social marketer develops a detailed plan. The plan identifies the programme goals and objectives, the primary and secondary target groups, the strategies and actions. All aspects of the project must work together to maximize effectiveness. Mechanisms for ongoing monitoring and evaluation are built into the strategy so that adjustments can be made as necessary.
Commercial vs. social marketing
Although social marketing uses many of the principles and techniques of commercial marketing it differs from it in several important ways. Here are some of the major differences:
Return on investment
In commercial marketing the “return” is to the shareholder. In social marketing it is the society that benefits.
Involvement
The level of involvement for the consumer is usually much higher in social marketing than in commercial marketing. For example giving up smoking is a much harder decision to make and implement than is choosing a brand of toothpaste or beer.
Competition
In social marketing organisations with similar goals are generally potential allies. In commercial marketing organisations working in the same business are seen as competitors.
Timeframes
Social marketing is often seeking a major shift in behaviour. This can mean that timeframes are much longer than is the case for commercial marketing campaigns.
Nature of offering
At times the offering in social marketing is negative and it may be opposed by the target group (e.g. not drinking and driving). This is not the case in commercial marketing.
Research
Social marketing research is far harder to do and must dig much deeper than commercial marketing research. This is a reflection of some of the differences described above (involvement, nature of offering).
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