Impact of social advertising

Executive Summary
Social marketing as a field of marketing has been in existence for around 40 years yet
it is only relatively recently that it has gained popularity in the Australian government
marketing context. As a management practice, social marketing is based on the
adoption of the marketing philosophy, and adaptation of marketing tools and
techniques, to assist in facilitating behavioural change. Key areas where the social
marketing approach has been employed include health, road safety and physical
activity.
Social marketing, as the name implies, is grounded in commercial marketing theory
and practice. However, given that the application of social marketing is predominantly
in non commercial sectors, social marketing practice draws on a range of related
disciplines including sociology, psychology and other social welfare related activities.
As it grows in acceptance, social marketing has continued to evolve. Currently it is a
highly dynamic field with new emphases and perspectives emerging, particularly in
relation to the role that social marketers can play in contributing to structural change.
This monograph was commissioned to give a current snap shot of the state of social
marketing and its potential application to the activities of government in Queensland.
The paper looks at the development of social marketing and its applications from a
theoretical and a practical perspective and covers the following key elements.

Marketing

Marketing is a two way process

Marketing strives to achieve mutually beneficial exchanges or sales

Marketing is not a value free management tool

The individualistic philosophical underpinning of the marketing discipline can aid

and can also conflict with the role of the public sector in serving the public
interest

Impact of social advertising

Marketing in Government

Limited understanding of what marketing is often equates it with advertising and

promotion.

Marketing has developed a poor reputation as a result of the unethical behaviour

of a minority and misconceptions as to the power of marketing for changing
peoples behaviour

Limited duration campaigns with low level funding are given unrealistic
expectations and targets

Use as a quick fix solution limits the value to be gained from marketing

Key techniques such as market segmentation can have negative political

connotations.

Marketings role in the public sector is best suited to the development of suitable
implementation strategies designed to maximise both effectiveness and efficiency

Definition and Domain

Social marketing requires the adaptation of commercial marketing techniques and

tools, and the adoption of the marketing philosophy

Social marketing is not an education campaign or legislative change.

Not all public sector marketing is social marketing

There is a considerable overlap between social marketing, not for profit

marketing, profit marketing, pro-social marketing, cause marketing and other
forms of marketing. Social marketing can coexist with other forms of social
change agendas

Components of Successful Social Marketing

Marketing consists of three levels of philosophy, strategy and tactics.

Using ad hoc elements of the marketing mix, marketing strategies and tactics will
not result in the level of success than can be attained from a holistic approach to
marketing

The marketing mix consists of price, product, promotion, place, people, process
and physical evidence.

Impact of social advertising

Each element of the marketing mix consists of sub components for example, price
consists of both financial and non financial costs.

Concepts of Social Change Campaigning

Weibes Five Forces Model of change campaigning illustrates the process a person
goes through in order to react to a social campaign.
o Force is the pre-existing motivation and desire to comply (or reject) the
campaign message
o Direction is the knowledge of how to act on the campaign message and is
closely associated with social promotion and education programs.
o Mechanism is the actual action, and the associate products, support
services or activities involved in carrying out the behaviour endorsed by
the campaign. It involves the whole of the social marketing mix, with
particular emphasis on product, people and place.
o Adequacy and compatibility are the extent to which the campaign delivers
on its promised benefits by undertaking the endorse activities. It is closely
associated with product and physical evidence
o Distance is the amount of effort required to performance the actions
required by the social change message, and is closely associated with
social price and social product

Social marketing operates in the macro and micro environment

o Micro environments include organisational culture, lobby groups, media
and general public.
o Macro environments include social environment, economic environment,
technological environment, legal environment, and competitive
environment.

Where social marketing fits with other approaches

Social marketing is not always the best mechanism for social change

Education, law, and social marketing are each appropriate for some forms of
change, but none are universally applicable as a solution to every problem

Social change can be implemented at a individual, community and society level,

with different methods required for each level and approach.

Impact of social advertising

Ethical Issues in Social Marketing

Social marketing campaigns starts from a presumption of superiority over the

target audience since the campaigner believes that the target audience is either
engaged in an inappropriate behaviour, or not engaging in a 'superior' alternative
lifestyle

Ethical considerations for a change campaign include

whether to provide full information, partial information or only the most

persuasive information to the target adopter

the conflict between appropriate product strategies for the target market, and the
social values of other community groups.

clashes between appropriate promotional messages, and appropriate use of the

most effective or most efficient message channels, and wider community
perceptions of advertising and promotion.

Social marketing needs to consider both the intended and possible unintended
consequences of the campaign when assessing the ethics of the social change
program

Impact of social advertising

Marketing: An Overview
Marketing is a well established core discipline of business and, as such, has become
incorporated into the functional activities of organisations of all types, whether they
fall within the profit or not for profit sector. Governments have been slower to adopt
marketing practices for a variety of reasons. However even within this sector there is
increasing acceptance that marketing has a role to play and can contribute to the
development and implementation of high quality responsive public policy.
Although the government is charged with operating "for the public interest", the
public sector is not a single homogenous organisation. Different departments and
agencies have differing objectives, and the extent to which marketing is accepted as
an appropriate tool will depend in part on the function of the specific government
entity that uses it. Research into the role of marketing as a public sector activity
confirms that marketing is consider to be more appropriate the closer the functions of
the government agency is to the private sector. For example, commercialised business
units within government departments and government owned corporations are more
likely to employ explicit marketing tools and techniques than more socially oriented
departments.
However, despite opposition to the use of 'marketing', a majority of agencies express
strong support for the use of the underpinning philosophy of marketing. In many
cases, core marketing tools are being effectively used throughout the public sector but
are not labelled as being a part of marketing. The challenge for marketers is to educate
their public sector colleagues as to what constitutes marketing practice and the
marketing discipline.
Confusion over the definition and domain of marketing practice constitutes much of
the opposition to its explicit incorporation as an element of managerial practice in the
public sector. In addition, the appropriateness of the marketing orientation is
questionable in specific circumstances. Unlike many other management tools,
marketing has an implicit ideological and philosophical underpinning which means

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6
that, at times, it is not the most appropriate approach to conducting government
business and in some instances arguable should not be used.

Core Principles: Exchange Theory

The core concept which underpins marketing, and which simultaneously is the
ultimate objective of all marketing activities, is the creation of mutually beneficial
voluntary exchanges. In commercial marketing exchange is easy to define with a
simple transaction of "I have money to exchange with you for goods and services". In
public sector, non profit and social marketing the exchange process is typically more
complex, often involving a chain of exchanges for the realisation of the final
exchange. For example, a complex exchange process may develop as follows:

Exchange 1: A company sponsors a charity dinner for the homeless as a tactic to

be seen as socially responsible and caring (which in turn should attract more
clients who share the same 'beliefs') the charity needs the money to carry out its
programs and to maximise the benefits of the relationship, acknowledges the
sponsors financial contribution, and then encourages supporters to support the
company commercially;

Exchange 2: The charity uses the money to provide food and clothing to the
homeless along with an offer for counselling or other assistance the clients
benefit from the charity's services;

Exchange 3: The charity benefits as it is praised for its work via public awards or
other recognition which in turn draws more donations - society benefits as the
charity provides the homeless with basic needs for survival which in turn reduces
the publics perceived risk of theft or muggings (no need to steal for food) and
increases the well being of the majority in that they feel less guilt in that the
homeless are being taken care of.

Marketing is a two way process, not a one way approach to benefit distribution. For
some people involved in the social and public sector this model is incompatible with
the way that they perceive their role and the role of their agencies. It is often hard for
those in the social sector to accept the idea that the ultimate objective of their

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7
activities is to be involved in an exchange or 'sale' where both parties benefit. This is
one of the key ideological bases of marketing which operates against its use in the
social sector.

Core Principles: Customer Orientation

A second core principle of marketing is the customer orientation. Effective marketing
relies on finding out what individuals want, and then supplying them with that
product to the extent that that company can do this at a profit. Marketings focus on
the primacy of the desires of the individual ahead of needs of the broader society is
another area of potential conflict. Public policy is generally designed to serve the
public interest. In cases where there is a perception that a policy unfairly benefits an
individual or small group (known to marketers as the target market and considered
to be a good thing), public and media reaction is usually highly political and
extremely negative.

Core Principles: Three Levels of Marketing

Marketing as a managerial practice involves a multiple level approach which
encapsulates

the philosophy of client centredness,

strategic allocation of resources through market research and market

segmentation, and

tactical development of integrated programs of product distribution and

service delivery including the promotion of these programs.

The application of the three levels of marketing in a social marketing context is

discussed later in this monograph. Within the public sector, the most common use of
marketing tools is at the tactical level.

Marketing: A Summary

Marketing is a two way process

Marketing strives to achieve mutually beneficial exchanges or sales

Marketing is not a value free management tool

Impact of social advertising

Role of Marketing in the Public Sector

A brief overview of the issues related to adopting any form of marketing in the public
sector is needed to fully appreciate the potential for social marketing to contribute to
the development of effective public policy aimed at attitudinal and behavioural
change. Historically public sector agencies have had a tendency to use various
marketing tools, particularly communication tools, on an as needs basis rather than
adopting the whole of the marketing concept. In taking this approach, government
agencies miss out on the full strength of marketing as a managerial tool.

Failure of the Public Sector to use the holistic approach to marketing

There are a number of reasons why the Public Sector does not perceive marketing as a
holistic exercise. These include

A limited understanding of the nature of marketing

Poor reputation of marketing by the unethical actions of the few

Unrealistic and often unreasonable expectations for success rates for short
term, low cost campaigns.

Problems with the use of market segmentation

Limited access to involvement in the development of products which

marketing is later required to market to the end consumer

Misconceptions about the nature of Marketing

First, as referred to previously, many public sector employees have a limited
understanding of what marketing is and equate it with advertising and promotion.
Promotion, which includes advertising, is both the most visible element of marketing
while simultaneously tending to be the most expensive. As the most publicly
conspicuous element of the program, the promotional activities associated with a
marketing program are also the element that is most open to media and public
scrutiny. Complaints about the cost of government marketing campaigns are a
'standard' media story which recurs on a regular basis irrespective of the content of the
campaign or the perceived need for the program in the wider community.

Impact of social advertising

Poor reputation of marketing

Second, marketing has developed a poor reputation as a result of the unethical
behaviour of a minority. Marketing is perceived by some as manipulative and
deceptive. Again, much of marketings negative reputation is based on a
misunderstanding of what marketing is and what it can do. While marketing can be a
powerful tool when appropriately used, it is limited and cannot force anyone to buy,
eat or do anything against their will. Misconceptions as to the power of marketing
form the basis of a number of the arguments used by critics who see marketing as
inappropriate for use by government which already wield significant power in the
community.

Market Segmentation
Fourth, market segmentation - dividing the overall population into smaller, targeted
groups for special attention - can have negative political connotations. Whenever a
government policy explicitly benefits a defined group in society, regardless of
whether the policy is economically or socially motivated, the government is open to
criticism that it is playing political favourites. Commercial marketing does not attempt
to be all things to all people. Rather the basis of marketing is to recognise individual
and small group differences and to customise marketing activities to best match the
needs of these small groups. For those who are committed to serving "the public
interest" the argument that serving sectional interests in the short term may result in
the long term public interest, is often difficult to sell. This is particularly true when the
beneficiaries of the policy are considered to be already socially advantaged. This
occurs, for example, when economic incentives are offered to major businesses to
relocate, an activity which results in an immediate financial benefit to the business but
a sustained benefit to the community through increased employment.

Limited involvement in the product development process

Finally, as well as promotion, marketing is also intimately involved in the
development of products based on the expressed desires of the marketing public. In

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the case of government the product is policy or a specific program. While
marketing contributes indirectly to policy development via advice based on a

Application of Marketing in the Public Section

Marketings role in the public sector is more appropriately directed at the
development of suitable implementation strategies designed to maximise both
effectiveness (getting the program to the target clients in the way that will best fulfil
program objectives) and efficiency (reducing costs by developing highly targeted
implementation strategies designed to minimise waste).
Public sector marketers are normally presented with a pre-determined policy or
program and then required to 'market' it. This is one of the major misconceptions
regarding the process of marketing - that it is a a short term set of tactics which can be
called in as a quick fix. Public sector marketers are often called in to 'market' a
product or program when the public or media turn against a policy, or when the
government needs to justify itself in the mind of the voting public.
The use of marketing as a quick fix, or short term solution, limits the value the public
sector can gain from marketing. Marketing personnel should be involved at all stages
of the product development and deployment, rather than just being presented with a
product and expected to perform a social change miracle with limited resources.

Marketing in Government: A Summary

Limited understanding of what marketing is often equates it with advertising and

promotion.

Marketing has developed a poor reputation as a result of the unethical behaviour

of a minority and misconceptions as to the power of marketing for changing
peoples behaviour

Limited duration campaigns with low level funding are given unrealistic
expectations and targets

Use as a quick fix solution limits the value to be gained from marketing

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Key techniques such as market segmentation can have negative political

connotations.

Social Marketing: Definition and Domain

Social marketing is a defined sub discipline of marketing. In the Australian context
the majority of social marketing activity is undertaken by, or funded by, government
agencies. While social marketing is an important part of government marketing, not
all government marketing is social marketing and not all social marketing is
undertaken by government. To clarify what is meant by "social marketing" the
following section defines the term, the uses of social marketing and the limits of what
constitutes social marketing. For those not familiar with marketing and social
marketing terminology Appendix 1, provides a list of definitions of key terms.

Definition
Social marketing has had a range of definitions over the past thirty years, from the
foundation definition in 1971
Social marketing is the design, implementation, and control of programs calculated to
influence the acceptability of product planning, pricing, communication, distribution
and marketing research. (Kotler and Zaltman, 1971) through to the definition used
most widely and consistently which defines social marketing as:
"the application of commercial marketing technologies to the analysis,
planning, execution, and evaluation of programs designed to influence the
voluntary behaviour of target audiences in order to improve their personal
welfare and that of their society." (Andreasen, 1993)
Due to the substantial differences in the environment within which social marketing
operates, and the issues or causes which form the focus of campaigns, it is not
possible to import commercial marketing practice wholesale into the social marketing
environment. Consequently, social marketing involves the simultaneous adoption of
marketing philosophy and the adaptation of marketing tools to develop programs
which, in the eyes of the social marketer, will lead to socially beneficial outcomes. In
essence, social marketing is the adaptation, rather than direct transference, of
marketing tools and techniques for social change campaigns.

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What social marketing is

Social marketing is a part of the overall field of strategic marketing management, and
draws its underpinning philosophy and core theoretical frameworks from the
marketing discipline. It aims for voluntary behaviour change based on providing a
superior alternative to a specific current behaviour. Social marketing does not coerce
individuals into changing their behaviour. Instead, the new behaviour is 'sold' to target
adopters as a preferable lifestyle choice. Change therefore is based on persuasion. As
a result of being focused on individual voluntary change, the practice of social
marketing is client, rather than expert driven. It is this emphasis on client driven
solutions which is the key defining principle of social marketing.

Expanding the marketing aspect of social marketing

As part of the overall marketing discipline, social marketing shares common traits
with broader commercial marketing applications. These are:

the adoption of the customer centric marketing philosophy which puts the
needs of the client at the centre of organisational activities;

market research based decision making and tracking of campaigns;

segmentation of target audiences;

the creation of mutually beneficial exchanges between the organisation and its
client base;

the use of all elements of the "marketing mix"; and

careful attention to positioning the organisations "product" relative to its

competition.

The introduction of random breath testing has had an overall impact of increased
responsible driving behaviour with the initial incentive to change being the fear of
losing the capacity to drive for a defined period. However there is a subset of former
drink drivers who see the alternative of "drugged driving" as acceptable in that their
intoxication wont be picked up by standard breathalyser testing. By understanding
the motivations of drink and drugged drivers, social marketing campaigns can
supplement existing policies to maximise voluntary conformity.

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What social marketing is not

Social marketing is not the only approach used to encourage behavioural change
amongst target groups. Governments may use alternative methods to social marketing
to enforce changes in behaviour, with two of the more common approaches identified
by Rothschild (1999) as education programs and legislative interventions.

Social Marketing is not an education program

Social marketers do not assume that people are rational. Education programs differ
from social marketing in that they implicitly assume that, when presented with the
relevant facts about an issue, individuals will make a rational decision to change their
behaviour. In reality this approach does not work for a large number of people.
As a result of in-school education programs few, if any adolescents, are unaware of
the potential dangers associated with smoking yet each year thousands of teenagers
take up the habit. Similarly speeding, drink driving and other road safety issues have
not been resolved simply by educating the public as to the dangers. Whilst education
may be part of the process of introducing behavioural change, it is not the whole of
the process. Consequently, it is possible for an education campaign to be 100%
effective in creating awareness and improving knowledge about an issue, yet result in
an increase in the behaviour targeted for reduction.
Education programs are primarily of value where there is a gap in the target markets'
knowledge about an issue. An inappropriate use of an education campaign would be
in the reinforcement of well established and accepted 'facts' about an issue without
furthering the knowledge base of the target adopters.

Social Marketing is not Legislative Intervention

The second societal level approach adopted by governments to change behaviour is to
pass legislation. While this is a very effective way of ensuring significant shifts in
behaviour in a short time frame, it is not social marketing even if the change is
heavily advertised in that the decision to change the behaviour is not voluntary.
Rather it is a coercive approach which makes it outside of the domain of social
marketing practice.

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Upstream Marketing
A new trend in social marketing practice which should be mentioned at this point is
that of upstream social marketing. Traditionally social marketing has been directed
down stream to the individuals whose would benefit from a change in behaviour.
Upstream social marketing focuses the marketing activities at the policy makers and
institutions that create the environments within which the behaviours take place. An
example of upstream social marketing would be the targeting of legislators to place a
ban on smoking in all entertainment venues rather than simply focus on trying to stop
individuals smoking in recreational situations. Philosophically upstream social
marketing activity still involves a degree of voluntary compliance, although on the
part of the legislator rather than the user.
Given the relatively new emphasis on the upstream approach, a full debate of the
implications of the changing emphasis has not yet been possible. At this point a clear
definition of upstream social marketing and how this differs from traditional lobbying
activities or stakeholder management has not yet been developed however it is
important to acknowledge this trend within the context of legislative intervention
often the outcome of a successful upstream campaign.

Differences between Social and Commercial Marketing

Social marketing draws its framework from the standard strategic marketing
frameworks employed by business however there are a number of key differences in
the application of marketing tools and techniques in social marketing. These are
summarised in Table 1.
Table 1 Differences between social and commercial marketers

Social Marketers
Want to do good
Funded by taxes and donations
Publicly accountable
Performance hard to measure

Commercial Marketers
Want to make money
Funded by investments
Privately accountable
Performance easily measured in profit,

Long term behavioural goal

Often targets controversial behaviours

market share
Short term behavioural goal
Typically targets non-controversial

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behaviours, may elect to target
Often choose high-risk, hard to reach

controversial products
Choose most accessible low risk target

targets
Risk-averse management
Participative decision marketing
Relationships based on trust
Decisions influenced by political

Risk-accepting management
Hierarchical decision making
Relationships based on competition
Decisions made on Return on Investment

imperatives

or profit imperative