Jeff French

Why nudging is not enough

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the possible contribution of “nudging” as a tactic and “form” of exchange and suggest two new frameworks to aid in the description of four “forms” of exchange and “types” of intervention that can be used in social marketing.Design/methodology/approach – Discursive review of the contemporary impact of liberal paternalistic thinking on policy and operational delivery of social change programmes. The paper also considers the tensions within social marketing regarding voluntary and involuntary change including the use of incentives and disincentives in social change programmes and presents a model that seeks to describe the range of options available.Findings – It is concluded that in addition to restricted, generalised and complex exchanges, as defined by Bagozzi there are basically four basic “forms” of exchange that can be used by governments and public institutions who apply a marketing approach to brining about positive social change. These “forms” of exch...

Some reasonable but uncomfortable questions about social marketing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the scope of social marketing by re-examining some of its core concepts: the balance between the “wants” of individuals with the “needs” of society; the nature of exchange; the inclusion of techniques not explicitly considered part of the panoply of marketing; techniques available to social marketing, such as “nudge” style techniques, regulation or behavioural conditioning; the view that behaviour change must be its definitive goal; the ethical and political dimensions of social marketing; and the definition of social marketing. Design/methodology/approach – The authors pose seven questions based on these concepts which they debate. Findings – The authors conclude that a more inclusive view of what constitutes social marketing is required: one that avoids absolutism or defining the field in terms of the tactics it employs. The paper calls for a set of ethical codes which would enable social marketers to better defend approaches that deploy more implicit an...

From Snake Oil Salesmen to Trusted Policy Advisors: The Development of a Strategic Approach to the Application of Social Marketing in England:

In 2004 the government in England decided to undertake a review of social marketing to assess its potential to guide the development and implementation of its future health promotion efforts. This decision was taken despite the fact that England does not have a strong tradition or a welldeveloped social marketing infrastructure. Moreover, there is skepticism about the value and principles of social marketing in some segments of the public health workforce. In June 2006 the government accepted the recommendation of the review that social marketing should be used to guide all future health promotion efforts directed at achieving behavioral goals, and it has begun to adopt a national approach to systematically applying social marketing principles to guide its efforts. This article sets out the history and policy-drivers for this dramatic change. The article also sets out the findings and a summary of the recommendations. It also discusses some of the key lessons learned about developing a national strategic approach to the application of social marketing and some of the tactics employed to ensure social marketing is adopted. The article ends with a prediction about why social marketing will be increasingly adopted by governments. CASE STUDIES 29 SMQ / VOL. XII / NO. 3 / FALL 2006 D ow nl oa de d by [ FH I 36 0] , [ M r M ic ha el W ill ia m s] a t 1 1: 47 1 6 Se pt em be r 20 11

The nature, development and contribution of social marketing to public health practice since 2004 in England

Social marketing is a highly systematic approach to health improvement that sets out unambiguous success criteria focused on behaviour change. This paper reviews the key concepts and principles of social marketing and its recent rapid development across government in England in the public health field. This paper outlines the role of the National Social Marketing Centre and concludes with a discussion of the probable future impact of social marketing on public health practice. The paper argues that there is a close ideological match between social marketing and liberal democratic imperatives. Social marketing’s focus on outcome, return on investment and its emphasis on developing interventions that can respond to diverse needs, means it is probable that social marketing will increasingly be required by governments as a standard part of public health programmes.

A hierarchical model of social marketing

Purpose – This paper aims to set out a new hierarchical and differentiated model of social marketing principles, concepts and techniques that builds on, but supersedes, the existing lists of non-equivalent and undifferentiated benchmark criteria. Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual paper that proposes a hierarchical model of social marketing principles, concepts and techniques. Findings – This new delineation of the social marketing principle, its four core concepts and five techniques, represents a new way to conceptualize and recognize the different elements that constitute social marketing. This new model will help add to and further the development of the theoretical basis of social marketing, building on the definitional work led by the International Social Marketing Association (iSMA), Australian Association of Social Marketing (AASM) and European Social Marketing Association (ESMA). Research limitations/implications – This proposed model offers a foundation for future research to exp...

Measuring the Societal Impact of Behavior Choices

Social marketing has a key role to play in helping to shape the choices people make and supporting the decisions and actions that determine their health and well-being. These choices have a broad impact on society, affecting not only the quality of life of individuals and communities and the cost of public services, but also the performance of business and the economy. In this article we discuss how the impact of behavior choices and the interventions that support them can be evaluated. We briefly set out the problems of measuring the cost effectiveness of behavior choice interventions and propose an approach to these challenges. The article illustrates how a pragmatic, layered framework for evaluating cost effectiveness can be developed and applied in five fields in which positive behavior choices can prevent illness (alcohol misuse, smoking, obesity, coronary vascular disease, and mental health). The review identifies the value of a quality adjusted life year in each of these fields and uses these estimates to generate “return on investment” for typical projects, at different levels in society (individual and family, health and care services, other public sector, private sector, and wider society). Finally we propose a consensus conference to develop and apply such a framework.

Travelling alone or travelling far?: Meso-level value co-creation by social marketing and for-profit organisations

Purpose This paper aims to explore the potential contributions of the for-profit sector in integrating resources with social marketing organisations for value co-creation at the meso level (midstream) of the social marketing eco-system. The paper addresses calls for further theorisation and understanding of value co-creation beyond the micro level (downstream). Design/methodology/approach The paper draws from social marketing, value co-creation and eco-systems literature to present a conceptual model for meso-level value co-creation between social marketing and for-profit organisations. Findings The paper proposes four dimensions of resources which can be integrated: cognitive, labour, economic and network. Additionally, it is proposed that from these integrated resources, three co-creation outcomes can be achieved – co-learning, co-design and co-production – which lead to improved value propositions. Practical implications This paper offers a framework for strategic planning and evaluation regarding partnerships and collaborations with for-profit organisations, which potentially lead to greater value propositions being offered. Originality/value This paper furthers the theoretical discussions and understanding of value co-creation in social marketing at the meso level. The paper identifies a new actor – for-profits – as a potential collaborator for value co-creation with social marketing organisations and contributes new understanding about value co-creation at the meso level between social marketing and for-profit organisations. Further, the paper describes and reviews the potential contributions of for-profits to social marketing efforts.

The development of the “Water Campaign”: Combining social marketing and intervention mapping

Purpose This paper aims to present a description of the development and implementation of a combined school- and community-based intervention for the prevention of overweight among children, using the combined methods of social marketing (SMk) and intervention mapping (IM). Design/methodology/approach The SMk total process planning (TPP) framework was used, a simple but robust framework that consists of five stages: scoping, development, implementation, evaluation and follow-up. In addition, IM tools were embedded in the development stage to strengthen the development element of the campaign. Findings The use of the SMk TPP framework led to the selection of one specific target segment and behaviour. IM tools helped to select the most important and modifiable determinants and behaviours in the target segment, as well as to select and appropriately apply theoretical methods for influencing determinant and behaviour change. The resulting “Water Campaign” was aimed at Turkish and Moroccan mothers and their 6-12-year-old-children (target segment). This intervention addresses the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages through the promotion of tap water drinking (target behaviour). The systematic involvement of key stakeholders resulted in capacity-building and co-creation. Originality/value A key finding of the present work is that the SMk TPP framework and IM tools can be successfully combined in intervention development, helping to develop enhanced interventions. Combining these methods led to a theory-based and client-oriented intervention, which was directed at multiple ecological levels and which systematically involved key stakeholders. With this detailed description of the intervention development, this paper aims to assist other researchers and practitioners in their quest to develop better interventions.

Using Social Marketing to Improve Preparedness for Pandemics: The Work of the Ecom Program

The European Union (EU) funds a large health and social research program that is focused on developing guidance for member states on a wide range of social, health, and economic issues. Through this program, a consortium of academic institutions and private companies received funding for ‘‘Effective Communication in Outbreak Management: development of an evidence-based tool for Europe’’ (Ecom), a 4-year research and development program to undertake a number of related studies and develop guidance for managing communication and influencing health behaviors during future pandemics. Details of the program can be found at http://www.ecomeu.info/. The consortium includes Erasmus University, the Rotterdam public health department (Effective Communication in Outbreak Management), VU University Amsterdam, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment Preparedness and Response Unit Netherlands, Hamburg University Department of Public Health, the University of Michigan—Centre for Behavioural & Decision Sciences in Medicine, the Municipal Public Health Service Rotterdam, German-based media data company Media Tenor, U.K.-based specialist social marketing consultancy Strategic Social Marketing, and German-based digital media company. This ‘‘notes from the field’’ report will be supplemented by a second report on the final results of the project after final submission to the EU during 2016. The research consortium’s premise was that in order to develop effective public health strategies, it would be necessary to integrate social and behavioral sciences, communication, social marketing, media expertise, and civil planning responses in a more systemic way. Experts from all of these fields