“Social Marketing. Business Thinking for Social

Goals "

Professor Ken Peattie

Director, BRASS Research Centre,

Cardiff University

So What is Social Marketing ? ...the systematic application of marketing, alongside other concepts and techniques, to achieve specific behavioural goals, for a social good.

NSMC: French & Blair-Stevens, 2006

OLDProfessional led

Selling / tellingAwareness

Adult – ChildOne-off / transitory

DeficitProblem

Generalised audienceProject

Central command

Consumer ledMarketing / exchange BehaviourAdult - AdultSustainedAssetOpportunitySegmented audiencesProgrammeNetwork

NEW

Changing The Public Communications and Influence Paradigm

Old style ‘campaign’ paradigm

Social Marketing paradigm

Why Use Social Marketing ?

Because marketing techniques are well proven at making people engage in unsustainable behaviours – particularly related to consumption.

So why not use them to promote more sustainable behaviours involving less or different consumption ?

Social Marketing Is About ….• using research to first understand people, why they

perhaps don’t behave as we’d like, and what might help them to change their behaviour;

• using techniques like segmentation & targeting to aim the right solution at key groups;

• identifying and eliminating the barriers to change;• finding ways to maintain changed behaviours;• outsmarting the ‘competition’;• going beyond communication and awareness

raising;

Social Marketing : Goes Beyond Communication

……because sometimes sending out a message gets the right result ……

but often it isn’t enough !

Why Think in ‘Marketing’ Terms ? Because Domestic Consumption

Behaviours are Crucial75-80 % of European environmental impacts of household

consumption are linked to housing, food, home energy & personal transport;

Changed travel behaviours, food buying/preparation and home energy & waste management behaviours – could take us a long way towards SD (EIRPO Study)

Marketing works by making things:

&

But we tend to offer:

worthy sensible

healthy

adult

matureremoving

risks &

excitement

hard

challengin

g

impossible!

extra

effortless

convenient

time

consuming

facing on

my own

feel a sissyeveryone else

having fun

others think

I’m judging

them

isolatinguncool

Why Use Social Marketing ?

Because people generally don’t respond well to being told what to do, threatened or made to feel like a bad person …..

Instead Why Not Look for the Positives to Market?

Social Marketing for Sustainability: The Collision of the Social & Commercial

Commercial For-Profit Companies

Public Sector Communicators

The Consume

r

The Citizen

Marketing campaigns

Awareness campaigns

Social Marketing for Sustainability: The Collision of the Social & Commercial

Commercial For-Profit Companies

Public Sector Communicators

The Citizen

ConsumerMarketing

campaigns

Social Marketing campaigns

‘Upstream’ Social Marketing campaigns

&

Joint Campaigns

Marketing Expertise via Social

Marketing & Partnerships for

Joint Campaigns & CSR Opportunities

Unilever’s Five Levers for Change

Source: Unilever Sustainable Living Plan.

Social and Commercial Sustainability Marketing

Want to Know More?