This has brought to light again the importance of the social marketing, one of the many specialist areas of the marketing discipline, keener on human progress/social good through the push of positive/healthy behaviours, more than on the pure sales efforts. I think many of us have in mind the Government sponsored ads displayed on TV about alcohol, driving carefully, HIV…well, that’s it, but that’s just the bottom line of social marketing.
But social marketing ain’t all just about communication. It’s a complex world of strategies and tactics with the main purpose to achieve a strong change in everyday lifestyle or habits. If you think at the specific audience these marketers want to talk to, it’s then easy to understand how tough is the challenge: disadvantaged or socially troubled people, who are that part of our reality we often don’t see but that dramatically need the change, that need a message of hope and help; people who sometimes are very troubled just because of the pressures they receive in their own everyday environment, which prevent and defeat the will of change.
But data from the Research and Information magazine, show us how successful these campaigns are.
And this only should lead us, “normal marketers” to ask ourselves questions, in order to understand the expertise of these social professionals and comprehend their tactics on one side and the attention they pay to the community on the other side.
Because these are the experts of the behavioural change, the “graal” holders for a strong and powerful brand, which becomes to be credible, accepted and trusted in everyday relationships within a specific community.
Not convinced? Then have a ride on Youtube, in search of their works, and check the effects on yourself.
UK bike - campaign
Alcohol campaign
HIV campaign
HIV campaign (2)
I think it’s quite clear the importance these strategies have in today’s and tomorrow’s world: social topics are very important, in UK like elsewhere, and especially in the financial markets where apparently there’s not a clear and deep comprehension on what is important to the community....
The push towards a world where it’s stakeholders’ and not just shareholders’ interests that matters is everyday stronger, the evidence of such a world where people – even if not represented in the companys’ annual meetings – can bring power to brand or destroy it, according to how well the company comply with social good and profit, is becoming a reality, day by day.
It’s very interesting to see how this shift in blurring the line between ‘social marketing’ and ‘social media marketing’, how the once defined line between the two disciplines is now blurred, leading to a brand new definition of “social marketing,”, something that has not been written yet.
But this is another story; I’ll go through it next week.
Have your say chaps!!!
