Social Marketing Theory

Social marketing theory is a theory that promotes socially valuable information and socially accepted behaviors. This theory incorporates marketing ideas, principles, tools, techniques, and concepts that are highly beneficial to society. This theory was developed in the 1970s by Gerald Zaltman and Philip Kotler when marketing techniques were recognized to sell ideas, attitudes, and behaviors unlike products. This is now being used by social and welfare organizations. It also includes the concept of “Edutainment” which is a combination of education and entertainment.

The concepts in Social Marketing Theory seeks to outline a framework that is useful in planning, designing, implementing and assessing social campaigns, spreading the information’s major objective using creativity than the usual unattractive public service announcements. This theory catches the interest of the public by understanding social and psychological factors which brings possibility of change in the society we live in. Target audience is identified based on the needed information. Due to the creative appeal, this social marketing strategy increases acceptability, response and practice of any social idea of the target organization. The information will be easily be accessible to the intended audience once it is distributed and packaged. Market Segmentation, Exchange Theory and Consumer Research are strategies of effective marketing that is used widely. The main objective of Social Marketing is Social Intervention or an organization in social affairs.

This theory allows the audience to clearly understand and comprehend how societal and psychological factors work to manipulate them successfully to increase effective mass media information campaigns. Social Marketing Theory aims to identify the numerous social and psychological barriers that hinders the information flow through the mass media deals with ideas and ways to overcome these barriers. 

Social Marketing includes two types which are: Optional Social Marketing is used to change behaviour while, the Strategic Social Marketing is used to generate new policies and strategies for further development.

There are four major components of Social Marketing that are also used as techniques known as the 4 P’s of the Social Marketing which are: Product, Price, Place and Promotion

The socially needed products are highly encouraged to buy or used by the target population for family planning, saving and credit organizations, healthy nutritional food, sustainable products which benefits the target audience and this is the goal of social marketing. The product must be useful and have a place in the society, these can be tangible products like things that’s are physical or non-tangible like services. The Price in the social marketing can be Monetary which refers to the price to buy the product which has the possibility to help the population or Non-Monetary is the psychological and social costs like changing a habit, the change is more profound if the price is minimum. The Place is where the target audience is located and can be found, where social marketing will be most useful and productive. The campaign of the product can be successful is the place is easily accessible to the beneficial audience. Social marketing is about promotions of the product or habit, through this information cascades to the intended audience. Advertisements using charts, documentaries, surveys are tools and techniques to make it effective to the public relations, media advocacy and entertainment. The more creative social marketing the more they promote the product better.

Social Marketing Theory has an intended audience which is in most need or most useful of a particular product and social change must be first analyzed according to the audience need. This creates awareness through social marketing, audiences get to be informed about the alternatives that can be adopted and benefited in the future. The first step of change is awareness.

An example of Social Marketing is promoting life insurance plans which are non-tangible among a particular group which is in need of a social campaign. Rather than advertising their product, they analyze the people’s behavior and follow after the people’s need and take effect on the emotional side of the audience. Another social marketing done today are oral rehydration such as, nutritious diet, smart driving, smoking hazards, traffic rules, use of phones while driving, drug awareness, corruption and other social issues for change.