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6 CHAPTER 1 ■ Social Marketing for Public Health: An Introduction

Today, social marketing practice and successful social marketing campaigns can be
found all over the world. Countries active in applying social marketing techniques
to public health vary at the levels of economic and technological developments and
differ in social, cultural, and regulatory environments.
The case studies presented in this book are just a small sample of the success
stories. Here are a few “indicators” of the global scope of social marketing:

• In 1996, Alan Andreasen of Georgetown University in Washington, DC,
launched the Social Marketing Listserv, listproc@listproc.georgetown.edu, a
worldwide e-mail list for social marketers. Currently, the listserv has about
2,100 subscribers from more than 40 countries, who constantly share
information and discuss questions about social marketing research and
practice via this server. A large part of their discussions involve public
health (A. R. Andreasen, personal communication, August 12, 2009).
• On September 29 and 30, 2008, a World Social Marketing Conference
was held in Brighton, England. More than 700 delegates from all over
the world came together “to network, learn, and share knowledge and
experience” at this first global conference of its kind (World Social
Marketing Conference, 2008). During this two-day conference, many
success stories on social marketing for public health, among others,
were told.
• In the same year, the International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary
Sector Marketing ran a special issue on social marketing. Most of the
articles published in this special issue were about public health (Wymer,
2008).
• Also in 2008, a survey conducted by the U.S.–based Advertising Council,
in partnership with the International Advertising Association (IAA),
revealed that IAA members are “dedicated to promoting social causes
and advocate for increased participation across the globe” (Survey finds,
2008, p. 1). According to the survey, 66% of respondents have been
actively involved in social marketing efforts. In addition, 84% of
respondents say the media outlets in their countries support social
marketing efforts through donated media space or time. The research
also indicates that most respondents think “social marketing efforts in
other countries could be useful learning tools” and believe “working
together on issues of common interest could bring about positive social
change” (Survey finds, 2008, p. 1). More than half of the respondents
expressed interest in collaborating on social marketing campaigns
internationally (Survey finds, 2008).