Social Marketing Essay

The definition of social marketing goes back years, Baker (2013 Pg3) cites Kotler and Zaltman first introduction of the concept as a method to planning social change in 1971. Social marketing has remained as the alternative approach to overcome the negative impact of sales orientation as a marketing approach (as cited in Baker 2003). They defined social marketing as the design, implementation, and control of programs intended to influence the acceptability of social ideas, and involving concerns of product planning, pricing, communication, distribution, and marketing research. Later, Baker, he cites Alan Andreasen social marketing change as "an application of concepts and techniques that come from the commercial sector to promote changes in

Overall social marketing is the use of marketing tools to help solve health, social and other problems, which brings positive social change. Social marketers such as; commercial marketers are involved in activities that bring behavior change to accomplish their goals. However, commercial marketers measure their success on product sales, brand recognition or market share, while social marketers prefer results that will improve individuals and societal well-being. Social marketing motivation is not based on the success of profit, but the improvement of public good (Donovan 2011). Social marketing is considered to promote public health and community and to influence consumers to engage in healthy

stop smoking); 2) refusing an undesirable behavior (e.g. start drinking): 3) changing current behavior (e.g. increase of physical activities; and 4) removing an old undesirable behavior (e.g. talking on cell phone while driving). In addition, they mentioned the biggest issues of social marketing that can influence the consumer and society in regards to health behaviors (tobacco use, obesity, cholesterol, diabetes), injury prevention related behaviors (drinking and driving, school bullying) environmental behaviors (waste reduction, air pollution); community involvement behavior (organ donation, voting); and financial behavior (bankruptcy, fraud) (Lee and Kotler 2011).

Baker introduces the many definitions for social marketing. However, as many others have defined social marketing he explains that there are three common aspects they all have. To begin with, they all focus on voluntary change. Second is that social marketers motivate for that voluntary behavior by applying the exchange recognition theory, where there is a benefit for the consumer if the change occurs. Finally, consumer-oriented market research, segmentation and the classic marketing mix should be used, as it is used in classic marketing (Baker