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Social Marketing

SOCIAL MARKETING
The term social marketing was first coined by Philip Kotler
and Gerald Zaltman in their 1971 article “Social Market-
ing: An Approach to Planned Social Change.” Social mar-
keting is the application of marketing concepts and
principles by government agencies, for-profit businesses,
and nonprofit organizations to influence individual
behavior to improve the well-being of both the individual
and society as a whole.
Traditional and social marketing campaigns differ in
three distinct ways: competition, gain, and product. First,
with traditional marketing, the competition is identified Billboard on Interstate 293 near Hookset, N.H., part of
as those businesses offering similar products and services Vermont’s “Click it or Ticket” campaign, May 16, 2005. AP
for sale. By contrast, with social marketing the individual IMAGES
behavior that is to be modified for the well-being of the
individual and society is considered to be the competition.
Second, monetary gain is the goal of traditional marketing
campaigns for businesses involved in selling products and
Avenue NW, Suite S-852 Washington, DC, 20009; or
services. In comparison, societal gain is the goal of social
http://www.social-marketing.org.
marketing.
Lastly, the product of traditional marketing cam-
paigns is the goods and services offered for sale. By con- WEB SITES OF INTEREST
trast the product of social marketing is the social change For examples of the U.S. Coast Guard
that occurs because of the campaign. Traditional and boating/water safety social marketing campaigns:
social marketing campaigns are similar in that they apply http://www.uscgboating.org
the four Ps of marketing (product, price, promotion, and
place), develop marketing campaigns based on market For more information regarding the social market-
research, and segment target audiences. ing campaigns of the Anheuser Busch Compa-
nies:
Numerous examples of government agencies, for-
profit businesses, and nonprofit organizations that have http://www.anheuser-
adapted social marketing are available. One government busch.com/Citizenship/default.htm
agency that applies social marketing is the U.S. Coast For more information regarding the American Heart
Guard. The Coast Guard applies social marketing with its Association heart health programs:
various boating/water safety programs that are designed to http://www.americanheart.org
reduce death and injuries. A for-profit business, Anheuser For more information about the social marketing
Busch Companies, also applies social marketing through campaigns of the Ad Council of America:
its various responsible-drinking campaigns. Lastly, the http://www.adcouncil.org
American Heart Association, a nonprofit organization,
applies social marketing through its various heart health SEE ALSO Marketing; Social Responsibility and Organiza-
programs. tional Ethics
In addition, the Ad Council of America has devel-
oped a number of social marketing campaigns to address BIBLIOGRAPHY
a variety of issues such as adoption, blood donation, Boone, Louis E., and Kurtz, David L. (2005). Contemporary
marketing 2006 (12th ed.). Eagan, MN: Thomson South-
booster-seat education, bullying prevention, child asthma-
Western.
attack prevention, obesity prevention, drunk driving pre-
Davidson, D. Kirk (2002). The moral dimension of marketing:
vention, emergency preparedness, emergency
Essays on business ethics. Chicago: American Marketing Asso-
preparedness, energy efficiency, environmental conserva-
ciation.
tion, high school dropout prevention, math and science
Goldberg, Marvin E., Fishbein, Martin, and Middlestadt, Susan
for girls, parental involvement in schools, reducing gun
E. (Eds.). (1997). Social marketing: Theoretical and practical
violence, secondhand smoke and children, underage perspectives. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
drinking prevention, and wildfire prevention. More infor-
Kotler, Philip, and Armstrong, Gary (2006). Principles of market-
mation regarding social marketing may be obtained from: ing (11th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice
The Social Marketing Institute, 1825 Connecticut Hall.
672 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BUSINESS AND FINANCE, SECOND EDITION