Many writers and practitioners spend little time thinking about where social marketing came from and how it fits into the broader domain of marketing thought and research. Often this doesn't occur because we're just too busy to reflect (disclosure: I have been accused of being a 'reflective practitioner' by more than two people over the years). Other times it is because it is a laborious process to pore over the body of work and make sense of it.
Last May I came across a review article in the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing that, while not easy reading, was insightful for me. Here's what I thought about it then with the link to the article.
Formally, social marketing differs from traditional marketing in aiming to benefit the target audience directly (e.g., AIDS awareness, childhood immunization) or society as a whole (e.g., recycling programs, blood donations) rather than the firm sponsoring the program.
The article provides a useful context for what we do and some ideas on how we might reflect on it.
Technocrat Tags: Marketing and Society, Marketing Theory, Social Marketing
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