Basics of Social

Marketing

From Prof Sameer

Kulkarni
For Chanakya, Mumbai-
India
What is Marketing?
 Marketing is the process of planning and executing
the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of
ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that
satisfy individual and organizational objectives.

 Marketing is an organizational function and a set of

processes for creating, communicating and
delivering value to customers and for managing
customer relationships in ways that benefit the
organization and its stakeholders (AMA, 2004)
The Concept of Exchange
 Two or more parties are involved
 Each seeks value to satisfy needs
 Each is willing to offer something of value

to the other
Marketing ….
 is a managerial process
 aims to create voluntary exchanges
 comprises 4 components often referred to as
the “4 P’s”:
 product
 pricing
 promotion
 place (distribution)
 What Is Social Marketing?
 “The application of marketing technologies
developed in the commercial sector to the solution of
social problems where the bottom line is behaviour
change.”

 It involves “the analysis, planning, execution and

evaluation of programs designed to influence the
voluntary behaviour of target audiences to improve
their personal welfare and that of society.”

 From: Andreasen, A.R. (1995) marketing social change - changing Behaviour to promote health, social development, and
the environment. Jssey – bass publishers, san Fransisco, Cal.
 The Social Marketing Difference
 The objective →
 Social marketing seeks to influence and change social
behaviours to benefit the target audience and the
society.

 Can be carried out by anyone.

 It’s different from education in that its ultimate goal
is to influence behaviour (later in the continuum of
change – after inform or change attitudes – slide
to follow).
 May seek to change values and attitudes as a
means of influencing behaviours.
 A call to action is essential
The Social Marketing Approach
 Social marketers must create an exchange
situation.
 Target audience will perceive the benefits of changing behaviour as
superior to the costs (not always $) involved.
 Requires adopting a customer orientation – you analyze behaviour
from the point of view of target audiences so you must know about
them (not make assumptions).
 Recognizes markets are comprised of market segments requiring
different marketing strategies to generate desired behaviour
change.
 Requires research – lots of research – much available at no cost.
 Requires development of strategy around 4 P’s
Social Marketing Planning
 Major Steps:
1. Decide what you want to do
2. Analyze environment (your own organization's
S&W’s, potential target audiences,
competitors or competing behaviours)
 Understand behaviour of your intended
clients/ targets - identify barriers and
benefits to your desired activity from their
viewpoint
3. Develop a strategy that utilizes tools shown to
be effective in changing behaviour

5. Evaluate the strategy once it has been

implemented or during implementation –
change might be required
The Four Stages of Behaviour
Change…
 To adopt a new social behaviour, the
target audience evolves through 4
stages:
 1. Pre-contemplation stage (need awareness)
 2. Contemplation stage (have awareness –

moving to understanding/motivation)
 3. Action stage (involvement/input leads to

informed decisions and actions)

 4. Maintenance stage (they’re doing it)

Note - can go back & forth through these stages

 Remember the Purpose of
Social Marketing…
 If don’t understand what the target
audience wants and how they think, feel,
and make decisions, you are unlikely to
develop a successful social marketing/
behaviour-change program.
 The target audience is central to social
marketing
Who is the Target Audience?
 The target audience can be individuals and/or
groups such as families or organizations/sectors
(private sector or public sector)
 You need to learn/understand the differences
then do research to confirm where the you will
get the best return on investment (don’t pick the
audience that won’t change no matter what, pick
the ones that are ready for change – the low-
hanging fruit - go after the more difficult ones
later)
Scope & Focus of Social Marketing

 SM - the domain of government and not-for-

profit organisations
 Focus on health promotion, road safety,
environment protection, and improving
citizens’ quality of life
Purpose of Social Marketing
 Social marketers are not promoting a
particular organisation but rather seeking
socially positive benefit and prevention
of social harm caused by human
behaviour
Goals ,Tools and Process of SM
 SM: Govt. and non-profit sectors,
Goals: to influence social behaviour: driving,
purchasing, donating, voting, protecting the
environment, preserving health
 Tools: communication, information, persuasion
techniques and theory
 Process for campaigns: 1. situation analysis,
research to identify publics, problems,
opportunities 2. strategic plan 3. action and
communication 4. evaluation 5. follow-up
Origin of SM & PR
Social Marketing
 father: marketing = confusing identity with the
commercial sector, extensive use of market research
and advertising
 mother: social justice = positive reputation
Public relations
 father: journalism and media studies = spin,
manipulation of public opinion,
 mother: management, (CSR) = recognition as a partner
of the dominant coalition
 Line of Difference: PR & SM
 Kotler & Andreasen (1966) argue that:
 PR seeks to influence attitudes, whereas marketing tries
to influence specific behaviours
 PR is organisation- centred instead of audience-
centred
 PR relies on communication approaches: raising
awareness and influencing attitudes
 Social marketers are involved in actually creating
benefits and providing services to consumers as a
way to influence behaviour
Confusion with CSR
 Corporations sometimes initiate SM campaigns
as part of CSR programme but the goal is the
business bottom line through improved image.
Success is not measured in social change
 Example: Dove’s “real beauty” campaign
promoting sales of cosmetics
 Social marketers goal for a similar campaign
would be: reducing anorexia
What is a Social Marketing
Plan?
 “A written document containing the
guidelines for the organizations social
marketing programs and allocations over
the planning period”.
 Social Marketing Plan
 I. Executive Summary
 II. Strategic Analysis
 Situation
 Target audiences – barriers and benefits of the desired
behaviour
 Competitors/competing behaviours
 Organizations current/past strategies
 Organizations internal strengths and weaknesses (SW of
SWOT)
 External environment (OT of SWOT)
 Partners (potential or pre-determined)
 PEST (political, economic, social, technological)
 Strategic Gap Identification
Social Marketing Plan
 III. Mission and Objectives, Goals
 IV. Strategy and Plans
 Segmenting markets and selecting target audience(s)
 Product strategy
 Pricing strategy
 Promotion strategy
 Place (distribution) strategy
 V. Action Plans – we won’t cover this today BUT you
will see how they are developed based on all the info
you’re collecting (they’re a next logical step)
 VI. Evaluation
 VII. Budget
Challenges to SM
 In commercial marketing the target audience makes a
trade, or exchange, between benefits and costs
 In SM it can be hard to portray the benefits, and costs
are usually very high
 Inspired by commercial marketing SM relies heavily on
advertising
 Therefore SM campaigns are short term and not
enough to sustain the behavioural change
 Social Marketers are not usually communication
experts
How PR Can Support SM ?
 PR is not just about media relations and raising
awareness
 From early childhood it developed expertise and
theory in fundraising, lobbying, community
relations, employee relations, and other
functions
 Andreasen’s 21st Century SM recently
“discovered” them and called them “upstream
interventions” essential success of SM
campaigns
How PR Can Support SM ?
 In education, PR is well set, almost global in
education and practice; SM is still new and
marginal
 In professional terms, PR is stronger but both
face challenges
 In theoretical literature and research PR is
better established than SM
 In professional reputation, PR is a disaster
whereas SM enjoys positive association with
social justice
Future Trends in SM
 Andreasen (2006, p. 11): “next level” of SM: to
be able to influence “legislators, foundation
officers, TV news directors, or members of street
gangs?”
 “do we need new concepts and tools, new kinds
of education and training? New research? Or
new measures of success to permit effective
diffusion of social marketing into these new
contexts?”
Future Trends in SM
 The future needs greater equity & eco-justice
 Given government cuts, shortfall likely to need
an enterprise framework & new funding sources
 Social marketing growing and becoming more
essential
 Building partnership with PR will increase SM’s
effectiveness and empower PR practice and
body of knowledge
Assurance of Outcome, How?
 When aiming at social change PR practice and
campaigns should include SM approaches:
greater focus on audience and behaviour
outcomes
 SM included in PR syllabus
 PR included in SM academic education and
training courses for executives
 Social marketers rely more on PR services
Thank You!

SOCIAL MARKETING