Do better at doing good

Abstract

Managers in charge of developing marketing strategies for social change efforts often rely upon conventional consumer goods-oriented marketing approaches. However such methods are not always effective. Several major anti-drug initiatives targeted at school-age children were launched in Boston during the mid-1980s with top-caliber advertising concerns producing brief clear and informative advertisements. Market surveys conducted in 1987 however revealed that although many people remembered the campaigns they failed to bring about the desired change in behavior. Conventional marketing methods are generally designed for situations in which benefits to the consumer from choosing the advertised product or service clearly outweigh the costs. The benefits are not always so concrete in social marketing. The authors developed a framework to help social marketers determine which causes can be promoted through conventional marketing methods which need an alternative approach and what the options are in the latter case. Obstacles to marketing social change analyzing the costs and benefits of change and determining appropriate strategies are discussed.

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