Page 80 - MYM 2015

The Role of Social Marketing
One of the main problems facing those who wish
to utilize marketing theory and practice to improve the impact and ef ciency of social programs and social business is the major underutilization and misinterpretation of marketing in not for pro t organizations. Thankfully this situation is now slowly changing. Social Marketing is increasingly being accepted as a core function of many social programs and is also being
used as part of CSR programs and by many social businesses to help them deliver their business model in an effective and targeted way. For example, as a key strategy amongst social franchise business to promote uptake of their services.15
on many social issues and that marketing is needed to inform all of this work. In addition Donovan (2011) has argued that there is a need to embrace strategies that are not always grounded in voluntary change. These contributions and many others indicate that there is a lively debate about what kinds of intervention constitute elements of Social Marketing. Social Marketing is neither an exact science or set of exclusively de nable elements, it is what Peters (1973) would call a ‘ eld’ of study rather than a ‘form’ of study like physics, in this
It should be acknowledged that in general terms the world is getting wealthier and healthier more educated and more
respect Social Marketing is
very similar to the concept of social business. However, authors increasingly agree that Social Marketing has a number of key principles and concepts that include; using customer insight, competition analysis and action, the use of target audience segmentation, developing valued exchanges, and the application
However Social
Marketing is still
too often viewed
by the not for
pro t sector as
being about sales
promotions media
and advertising
rather than an
approach driven
by the belief that
successful social
and commercial
activity needs to be built around an understanding of the citizen and consumer and a desire to engage and delight them. Social Marketing is about using data, evidence and insight to create policy, systems, environments, products and services that make the positive social choice the easy, desired and valued choice.
of a mix of interventions. Social Marketing is also widely accepted to be a systematic planning
and delivery methodology, drawing on techniques developed in the commercial sector but also drawing on experience from the public and not-for-pro t sectors about how to achieve and sustain positive behaviors and how to construct, deliver and evaluate effective programs of action.
The growth in the uptake of Social Marketing and its growing evidence base, Gordon et al (2006), Stead et al ( 2007), CDC ( 2013), represents a substantial opportunity to apply a set of tested theoretical and planning constructs that can enhance social program
Social Marketing is a rapidly developing eld in terms of both its practice and its theoretical base. For example Janet Hoek and Sandra Jones (2011) argue that there is a need for both up-stream and down-stream action
15 http://www.socialfranchising.coop/
connected.
80 I October 2015