What are the most important elements in a successful social marketing initiative?
Traditionally, when organizations or government agencies have wanted to influence people’s behaviors, they have used either an educational or policy approach. The educational approach presumes that if you just give people the facts, they will make the rational decision to take action; all they need is information. Unfortunately, education is necessary but may not be sufficient to bring about behavior change. The sheer number of doctors who smoke and overweight public health professionals illustrates this fact. Policies that legislate a particular behavior under threat of jail or a fine, such as avoiding drinking and driving or not smoking in a public place, can be very effective. But I don’t think we want to live in a world where all our health or social behaviors are regulated. So social marketing has emerged as an effective way of persuading people to voluntarily adopt healthy and pro-social behaviors for issues that may require more than just laying out the facts. The key elements i
