Social ‘marketing’ could be defined, in a summarized way, as the use of marketing techniques to spread ideas that benefit society. Its objective is for people to adopt positive ideas or behaviours and/or avoid attitudes that are considered harmful.
Philip Kotler considered the father of modern ‘marketing’, defined social ‘marketing’ as “the design, implementation and control of programs that seek to increase the acceptance of an idea or social cause in certain target groups”. To achieve this purpose, social ‘marketing’ uses the same tools as traditional ones, such as advertising or market research, but with objectives that go beyond the sale of a product or a service. The report "Marketing of social causes" by Cristina Olarte (University of La Rioja), Eva Marina Reinares (Rey Juan Carlos University) and Manuela Saco (CEU San Pablo University), establishes the steps of a 'marketing plan to achieve the social purposes of the company.
Diagnose the problem
The company must make its target audience aware that, by consuming its product or service, it is benefiting the population or the environment. Therefore, the first thing to do is identify a social problem and study it thoroughly to find a solution. For example, if the problem is the degradation of the ecosystem, the company must investigate the technical, political and economic causes of the
environmental aggressions.
Get informed by heart
In this phase, it is convenient to collect the information and contrast it to detect the lines of action. Only when the company knows the objective causes of the problem, will it be able to formulate the correct hypotheses and establish viable solutions.
Actin and out
According to researcher Miguel Ángel Moliner Tena, in his book "Social Marketing, the management of social causes", ‘marketing’ covers three major areas that a company should not neglect.
Internal social ‘Marketing’: if the members of the company themselves do not believe in the cause, it is difficult for them to transmit it effectively to others. The company must promote cultural change from within and in its own workers to be able to communicate with the outside in an effective way.
External social 'Marketing': these are advertising actions to publicize the cause, campaigns, events ... Those is all the strategies that are carried out to publicize the values and attitudes promoted by the company, create opinions and invite others to get involved.
Interactive social ‘Marketing’: the recipient is conceived as an active agent with critical capacity and tools to interact with the company and give their ‘feedback’. Social ‘marketing’ does not neglect the client who assumes the cause as his own and takes him into account as one more agent of the campaign.
Get underway
Now is the time for action: it is time to determine what the company is going to do to address the conflict. These are the options set by social ‘marketing’:
Inform or educate: There are many social causes that aim to inform or teach the population. It is, therefore, about carrying out educational programs such as hygiene and nutrition campaigns, awareness of environmental problems, etc.
Stimulate actions that benefit society: It is about making an appeal for the greatest number of people to carry out a certain action during a certain period of time. For example a solidarity race.
Change harmful behaviours: raise awareness so that people abandon a habit that is causing them harm. For example campaigns against drug use or in favour of a healthier diet.
Favour a vulnerable social group: segment the population so that campaigns are more effective, instead of covering more general causes.
BBVA Momentum, BBVA's social entrepreneurship support program, encourages companies that aim to improve the world, giving them the tools they need to expand their radius of action. In this new edition, which has been launched in Colombia, the United States, Mexico and Turkey, social 'marketing' will have its place in the training that entrepreneurs receive, since it is so important to have a cause to work for, such as knowing to transmit it. In this way, with a correct ‘marketing strategy, they will be helped to grow, improve their impact and generate new opportunities.