– Plus holiday healthcare tips
As a healthcare professional, whether you specialise in public health or not, you have likely applied social marketing hundreds of times in your practice without even realising it. I first encountered social marketing six years ago while exploring an intersection between my passion for marketing and communications and my enthusiasm for public health. My interest deepened during my postgraduate studies in Public Health, where the curriculum included mandatory credits in Mass Communication and Social Medicine. It was during this time that I learned about communication theories and behaviour change models—and I have been hooked ever since.
So, the question is: what is social marketing?
“To achieve anything, change the behaviour of the stakeholders.” – Onyinye Chiekwe, 2024
The concept of social marketing is far from new. It has been part of public health practice since 1969 but is now gaining traction at an unprecedented rate, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, as countries grapple with worsening health indices. An example of such challenges is Nigeria’s double burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases.
Efforts to promote healthcare have shifted from simply proclaiming “health is wealth” to actively ensuring behaviour change. This is where social marketing steps in. Social marketing applies marketing principles to create, communicate, and deliver value to influence target audience behaviour for the benefit of both society (public health, safety, the environment, and communities) and the audience itself.
For instance, a campaign to discourage smoking benefits both the environment (reducing the harms of secondary smoke) and the smokers themselves. At its core, social marketing uses marketing strategies to design and implement programmes that promote socially beneficial behaviour changes.
Targets of behaviour change in social marketing
Social marketing focuses on influencing behaviours. Just as commercial marketers sell products and services, social marketers sell behaviours.
Unlike commercial marketing, which persuades the audience to buy a product or subscribe to a service, social marketing aims to change the behaviour of individuals or communities. These changes can be categorised into five key goals:
Accept a new behaviour: For example, adopting vaccination, practising handwashing, wearing masks, or adhering to medication.
Reject a potentially undesirable behaviour: For example, avoiding binge drinking or the misuse of antibiotics.
Modify an existing behaviour: For example, increasing physical activity levels.
Abandon an undesirable behaviour: For example, drinking and driving or leading a sedentary lifestyle.
Maintain an existing behaviour: For example, staying active, drinking adequate water, or consuming alcohol in moderation.
By targeting these changes, social marketing demonstrates its remarkable benefits in public health.
Behavioural Issues Addressed by Social Marketing
Social marketing finds applications in numerous public health contexts, including:
Health promotion: Addressing issues like teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, binge drinking, high cholesterol, breastfeeding, hypertension, and diabetes.
Injury prevention: Promoting the use of seatbelts, discouraging drinking and driving, and tackling suicide and domestic violence.
Environmental protection: Reducing waste, promoting proper waste management, curbing air pollution, and encouraging energy conservation.
Community mobilisation: Encouraging blood and organ donation and teaching first aid skills.
Social marketing is integral to public health practice. In future editions, we will explore what social marketing is not, its key elements and principles, its relationship with and differences from social media marketing, how to plan social marketing campaigns, and much more!
Holiday health tips: Ending the year healthy and starting 2025 with vigour
The year is drawing to a close. Celebrations are in the air, and many of us are already diving into the excitement of the festive season. However, it is essential to prioritise your health. As a healthcare provider, you should continuously counsel your clients and patients to make health-conscious decisions.
Here are some holiday healthcare tips:
Renew and refill prescription medications, especially if you are travelling.
Do not drink and drive.
Get adequate sleep.
Stay active.
Stay hydrated.
Pack a first aid kit if you are travelling.
Avoid overeating, no matter how tempting.
Limit alcohol intake.
Be mindful of your environment.
And once again: do not drink and drive!
Let us make this December one to remember. See you in January!
Pharm. (Dr) Onyinye Chiekwe Bridget, PharmD, MPH, ABMP
pharmbree25@gmail.com
