Social Marketing

Social marketing is a big deal and a big problem. 5 Reasons why social marketing is a mess! is one example (see also the filter bubble). But if your business isn't doing it then you'll be one of the few who aren't. 88% of US companies will be using social media in 2012 (image link). The 2011 Super Bowl ads play the social-media game as well. The following is a student article on the topic reproduced without changes.

Social Marketing: A Controversial Growing Trend

By: Tina Elhindi

The Progression of Spreading Information

Way back in the day, how was it that news traveled? It was simply by word of mouth. Then things advanced and people started becoming creative; the latest trends and technologies were introduced to markets, and ads on billboards, magazines and even on radio and tv commercials began attracting prospective customers. But now things have almost gone into hyper-speed. Everyone is getting up to the minute information and receiving ads through their mobile phones which suggests constant marketing. This idea of social marketing has been up in the air for over a decade, but because of its rapid growth it has finally caught notice of the general public. Within this paper I will be discussing what social marketing is in respect to Web 2.0 and how its use affects businesses; furthermore, what the new social marketing techniques are and the ethical controversies that are arising as a result.

What Social Marketing Is:

Social Marketing will be defined as “the use of marketing principles and techniques to influence a target audience to voluntarily accept, reject, modify, or abandon a behavior for the benefit of individuals, groups, or society as a whole” (Kotler, Roberto, & Lee , 2002, p.5). According to Alan R. Andreasen’s book titled Marketing Social Marketing in the Social Change Marketplance, “social marketers, both scholars and practitioners, have come to accept that the fundamental objective of social marketing is not promoting ideas (as Kotler and Zaltman [1971] suggest) but influencing behavior (Andreasen, 2002)”. For the most part marketers aim at improving or increasing awareness of social issues such as safe sex, HIV/AIDS, global warming, obesity etc. Their general objective is to improve human behavior which would decrease such issues. The key word in Kotler, Roberto, & Lee’s definition is that this whole act is “voluntary.” Consumers may or may not follow through with actions desired by social marketers.

Social Marketing Techniques:

The new techniques of social marketing involve taking advantage of Web 2.0. According to David’s School of Relativity, a Youtube video, David says “In a Web 2.0 world, social marketing leverages your business with audio, video, and text. As an example, blogging may very well turn out to be one of the most ingenuous marketing strategies for anyone who has an online business and is willing to commit to its process.” In addition, David continues to say that social marketing benefits businesses when used in Web 2.0 because it allows the marketer to get the information they need, gives them the ability to act with their market base, gives them feedback instantly and constantly from users, and is easy and affordable to direct and keep traffic to their sites.

The internet plays a crucial role in the advancement of social marketing. As the majority of the world gets connected and stays connected for a number of hours, social marketers have an opportune moment to influence users and possibly alter their behavior through online social marketing. In essence, data storage and data communication have no cost. As a result social marketers are free to create web pages and even ads on web pages that allow them to voice their concerns to the general public or target audience about pressing topics. Facebook is one of the most powerful web sites that a social marketer could use. It is extremely simple for one doesn’t necessarily have to create an ad and then pay for it, but instead could use their own Facebook account to advertise through videos, photos, tags, posts and what not, all for free. This would still be reaching out to a good majority of the continuously growing 500 million users Facebook already has.

Controversy:

The issue is clear. Kotler and Zaltman state that social marketing has basically evolved from the selling of goods and services to the selling of ideas. When has it become ok for ideas to be imprinted on society? Our abilities to do critical thinking are diminishing every second. Someone or something is making the decisions for us. Companies attempt to market their ideas through price, product, place, and position, all of which have an effect on society (Weinreich, N.K., 2006). Andreasen puts it bluntly when he says “selling Coca-Cola is not the same as selling sexual abstinence”. What he is trying to describe is the fact that social marketing becomes difficult because it crosses morality and beliefs. It’s not just an idea, it is usually a taboo idea, something that is “morally offensive or politically incorrect” (Andreasen, A. R., 2001). Furthermore targeting particular audiences may pose issues. Unintended audiences may still see or hear these ads and be offended. How can we prohibit fabrication, exaggeration, offensiveness, invasion of privacy and the freedom of choice to behave the way you want and do what you want to do when social marketing is excelling to an uncontrollable rate and invading all areas of entertainment. Whether we like it or not there are going to be consequences to what is put out there by social marketers, intended or unintended.

References:

Andreasen, A. R. (2001), Ethics in social marketing, Georgetown University Press., Washington D.C.

Andreasen, A.R., Marketing Social Marketing in the Social Change Marketplace. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing,21(1). Available from: http://public.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/courses/mba/mba260e/Andreasen_JPPM.pdf [Accessed: January 10, 2011].

Bloom, P.N. & Novelli, W.D. (Spring 1981), "Problems and Challenges in Social Marketing", The Journal of Marketing, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 79-88.

David's School of Relativity (2007), You Tube - 5 Reasons Why Social Marketing is a Must. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhfUIuVCh_w [Accessed: January 10, 2011].

Kotler, P., Roberto, N. & Lee, N. (2002), Social marketing: improving the quality of life, 2nd ed, Sage Publications Inc., Oaks.

Kotler, P. & Zaltman, G. (1971), Social Marketing: An Approach to Planned Social Change. Journal of Marketing. Available from: http://www.sfu.ca/cmns/faculty/laba_m/425/07-fall/documents/Kotler-Zaltman.PDF [Accessed: January 10, 2011].

Rothschild, M.L. (2001), "Building Strong Brands", Social Marketing: Book Review - Quarterly, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 1-5

Taylor, P. (2009), Web 2.0 Marketing - hubs and lenses - Ideas for Marketing. Available from: http://www.ideas-for-marketing.com/web-2-marketing.php [Accessed: January 10, 2011].

Vebtraffic Inc., . Available from: http://www.vebtraffic.com/content_images/social_marketing.gif [Accessed: January 10, 2011].

Weinreich, N.K. (2006), What is Social Marketing. Available from: http://74.125.155.132/scholar?q=cache:gQhaiJi4tEIJ:scholar.google.com/+social+marketing&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5 [Accessed: January 10, 2011].