Krzysztof Kubacki

A systematic review assessing the extent of social marketing principle use in interventions targeting children (2000-2014)

Purpose – This study aims to review the extent that social marketing principles are applied in interventions targeting children published in peer-reviewed journals between 2000 and 2014. Design/methodology/approach – A systematic literature review was conducted to identify peer-reviewed social marketing studies targeting children under the age of 12 years as their main audience. Twenty-three interventions were identified and analysed using Andreasen’s (2002) social marketing benchmark criteria including behavioural objective, audience segmentation, formative research, exchange, marketing mix and competition. Findings – All of the interventions analysed in this review targeted behaviours associated with either physical activity or healthy eating among children under the age of 12 years. Sixteen of the studies reported positive behavioural outcomes. None of the studies used all six of the Andresean (2002) benchmark criteria. Social implications – With growing concerns about the prevalence of obesity among c...

College binge drinking: a new approach

Purpose – The proportion of young people binge drinking continues to grow despite extensive research efforts aiming to reverse this growing trend. Binge drinking has typically been viewed as the consumption of five or more standard drinks or units in a single drinking session. Research on binge drinking is US centric and largely quantitative. This paper, using qualitative methods, aims to gain richer insights into binge drinking.Design/methodology/approach – Seven focus groups involving 36 participants were conducted in Poland and Canada. Focus group data were transcribed and analysed.Findings – Three distinct types of binge drinking were identified. The authors termed these initiation, indulgence and moderation. The paper details how each type of binge drinking can be distinguished through different attitudes and drinking behaviours.Research limitations/implications – Any observations made in this paper are restricted by the sample used and the methodology employed, and therefore cannot be uncritically g...

‘They don't want us to become them’: Brand Local Integration and consumer ethnocentrism

Abstract This paper investigates whether positioning strategies of foreign brands that integrate both foreign and ‘localised’ dimensions of country-of-origin (COO) appeals shape perceptions and attitudes of domestically biased consumers. Ethnocentric consumers hold strong favourable attitudes towards local-perceived brands. At the same time, brand positioning strategies of local brands acquired by multinational corporations and of foreign brands entering the local market often integrate foreign COO appeals with locally relevant manufacturing and/or symbolic appeals. The results indicate that foreign brand identities that integrate ‘localised’ appeals communicating respect of local traditions (through the use of local images, symbols, and recipes) and contribution to the local societys well-being (through local manufacture, employment, use of local ingredients) lead to more favourable consumer perceptions. In distinguishing between ‘purely foreign’ and ‘locally integrated foreign brands’, consumers perceive the latter to be more acceptable for consumption. The paper concludes by considering the implications of the findings and outlining directions for further research.

Using two-step cluster analysis to identify homogeneous physical activity groups

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to: first, illustrate how market segmentation using two-step cluster analysis can be used to identify segments in the context of physical activity; second, identified segments are used to offer practical implications for social marketers working in the area of physical activity. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 1,459 respondents residing within 20 kilometres of the Melbourne Central Business District participated in an online survey. The questions in the survey included items relating to respondents’ health perceptions, health knowledge, attitudes, intentions to start a new physical activity, demographics, place of residence and self-reported physical activity. Two-step cluster analysis using the log-likelihood measure was used to reveal natural groupings in the data set. Findings – This research has identified four distinctive segments in the context of physical activity, namely: Young Disinteresteds, Successful Enthusiasts, Vulnerables and Happy Retirees. R...

Social Marketing Physical Activity Interventions Among Adults 60 Years and Older: A Systematic Review

This article describes results of a systematic review of social marketing physical activity interventions targeting adults 60 years and over. Thirty-four articles covering seven social marketing interventions were identified following systematic literature review procedures. None of the identified interventions gave evidence that they addressed all six social marketing benchmark criteria; three interventions addressed five social marketing benchmark criteria and a further three interventions addressed four social marketing benchmark criteria. Four interventions reported positive behavior change, and no negative behavioral changes were reported among all seven social marketing interventions. Previous research shows that social marketing interventions employing all six benchmark criteria offer greater potential to change behaviors, yet none of the interventions in this review used all of the benchmark criteria. Audience segmentation and exchange were used by only three interventions.

A theoretical approach to segmenting children's walking behaviour

Purpose – This paper aims to extend research applying the principle of market segmentation to gain insight into changing the physical activity behaviour of children, particularly their walk to/from school behaviour. It further examined the utility of employing theory, specifically the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), for this purpose. Childhood obesity is a leading public health concern globally. Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was conducted with 512 caregivers of primary school children. Caregivers were targeted given their control over children’s walk to/from school behaviour. Two-step cluster analysis, based on 14 geographic, demographic, psychographic and behavioural variables, was used to investigate groupings within the data set. Findings – The analysis revealed three distinct segments of caregivers, each with unique beliefs about their children walking to/from school: short-distance frequent walkers, middle-distance sporadic walkers and long-distance non-walkers. Four variables wer...

Markets, music and all that jazz

Purpose – In recent years there has been a welcome growth of interest in learning how artists understand, engage with and respond to aspects of business practice such as marketing. In the case of music it has been suggested that artists are by no means universally motivated by commercial success, and in many cases find the practices of mass marketing repellent. However, there is general agreement that the study of attitudes of artists is still in its infancy, not just in terms of identifying the research agenda, but just as pressingly in identifying a range of appropriate methodological tools for understanding the phenomenon. This paper aims to address these issues.Design/methodology/approach – This paper describes a study where the focus was narrowed to a single genre (jazz), a single country (Poland) and a single artistic level (acts which have been successful both commercially and artistically). In total three biographical interviews were completed, involving four jazz musicians.Findings – The research...

The Employers’ View of “Work-Ready” Graduates: A Study of Advertisements for Marketing Jobs in Australia:

This study of job advertisements extends our understanding of how employers, rather than researchers, describe the specific skills and attributes sought in candidates for employment in graduate marketing roles in Australia. The article presents the findings of a content analysis of 359 marketing job advertisements downloaded in 2016, in two periods 6 months apart, from the dominant job finding website in Australia, seek.com.au. These data offer detailed primary records authored by employers, and set the research apart from most studies, which rely on generic variables imposed by academics, despite the mooted gap between academia and the business sector. The most demanded attributes included motivation, time management, communication skills, and digital marketing experience. This raises questions about the purpose of a degree, and whether marketing curricula are fit for purpose. The article explores these findings and other preconditions for being “work-ready,” and the study contributes to the underdeveloped employability research from Australia.

Innovation in social marketing research methods: what can collages add to a multimethod research project exploring alcohol consumption among young people?

Projective techniques have become increasingly popular in market research. They are often used as a part of multimethod projects. However, researchers do not always appropriately discuss the practical implications and differences between the data collected using different data collection techniques. This article attempts to describe an innovative method that can potentially help social marketers to better understand harmful alcohol behaviors among young people. It reflects upon the multi-method project approach intended to investigate alcohol consumption among students. The research was carried out in two stages: Study 1 explored the phenomenon using a combination of focus groups and diaries, while Study 2 was conducted using one of the most popular projective techniques—collages. The various types of collected data are compared and the research process is critically reflected upon, highlighting the most important advantages and disadvantages of using collages as a part of a multimethod project.

International marketing in an enlarged European Union: some insights into cultural heterogeneity in Central Europe

We inhabit a global village in which international marketers are encouraged to think and act with both global and local interests in mind. The enlargement of the European Union (EU) in January 2007 has created a 27 member state EU with a population of nearly half a billion. The purpose of this article is therefore to examine the nature of these differences in so far as they impact on the segmentation decisions made by international marketers. This article examines the literature on culture, identity, and self-concept and presents empirical results showing the diversity of these concepts within three countries that are now full EU members - the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.