The critical contribution of social marketing: Theory and application

Abstract

This paper examines the symbiotic relationship between social, commercial, and critical marketing thought. Marketers seek to influence consumer behaviour. Much ill health and many social problems are caused by human behaviour. Social marketing puts these two phenomena together and uses marketing insights to address social behaviours. In the process both arms of the discipline can benefit, and this paper illustrates this using the examples of exchange theory and relational thinking. Social marketing also recognizes environmental influences on behaviour and that commercial marketing can be an important part of this influence. The case of tobacco is used to show that this influence can be malignant, and that as a result marketing has come under unprecedented scrutiny. Social marketing's understanding of both the commercial and social sectors puts it in a unique position to provide realistic critiques of marketing and identify intelligent solutions. The paper concludes that social marketing will flourish by exploiting its twin understanding of the good and the bad that marketing can bring to society.