Deck 8: Social Marketing

Question 1

Describe the historical genesis of social marketing.

Answer 1

The historical genesis of social marketing is given below:
In the 1950s, G.D. Wiebe suggested that marketing might be applied to social ideas. Philip Kotler used this idea in his work in the 1960s. In the 1960s, it was used in India to promote the use of condoms. In 1971, Kotler and Zaltman first gave a definition to social marketing. In 1989, the first textbook on social marketing was released by Kotler and Roberto.
In 1994, the journal Social Marketing was started. In 1995, Andreasen gave another definition to social marketing. In 1999, the Social Marketing Institute was formed. In 2006, Alan Andreasen publishes Social Marketing in the 21 st Century.

Question 2

Differentiate between social marketing and commercial marketing.

Answer 2

The differences between social marketing and commercial marketing are given below:
The purpose of commercial marketing is to make profit while in social marketing, making behavior change for a social cause is the purpose. The expectations of commercial marketing are modest while in social marketing it is demanding. It demands the removal of a problem or behavior. Commercial marketing is usually done in the private sector while social marketing is done in the public sector.
In commercial marketing, it usually sells a known product. In social marketing, the idea might be totally new. In commercial marketing, the education level of the receivers is varied and of different levels. In social marketing, the education level of the target population is very low and usually illiterate people are targeted. In commercial marketing, the likes of the public is catered to. In social marketing, sometimes what is disliked by people needs to be addressed.
In commercial marketing, the involvement between the marketed and the public is very less. In social marketing, this involvement is very high. The benefits in commercial marketing are clearly seen in the form of profits. In social marketing, the benefits are often not visible. In commercial marketing, third parties do not come into the scene. When people use the product, they receive the benefits for themselves. In social marketing, the third parties like poor people benefit.
In commercial marketing, the rewards seen are usually external like a better product or some discount on the product. In social marketing, the rewards seen are mostly internal like weight loss.
The budget for commercial marketing is usually very high while in social marketing, the budget is limited. The funding for commercial marketing is usually by private organizations or people. The funding for social marketing is usually government resources or non-profit organizations. In commercial marketing, the customer has a wide variety of products to choose from. The choice of products in social marketing is limited.

Question 3

Define audience segmentation.

Answer 3

The term audience segmentation is defined below:
It is a process where the audience is divided into sections based on their similarities. The segmentation can be made on different factors like:
• Geography
• Demography
• Medical history
• Personality characteristics
• Attitudes
• Behaviors
• knowledge
People belonging to one place usually share some characteristics like knowledge and attitudes. The geography of the place also influences the behavior of people of that region.
Some people have different medical history even if they are in the same place. Some people have some knowledge while some are totally illiterate.

Question 4

Describe the constructs of the social marketing model.

Question 5

Apply the social marketing model to influence a health behavior of your choice.

Question 6

Discuss the limitations of the social marketing model.