Social Marketing: Strategies for Changing Public Behavior

The author of this detailed primer take a no-nonsense approach to social change, arguing that marketing strategy will determine the outcome of any campaign, whether its goal is to reduce alcoholism or cigarette smoking, encourage family planning, improve dietary habits or promote environmental protection. Such efforts are analyzed here in terms of product-market fit, positioning, distribution channels, mobilization of influence groups, and so forth. Mini-case histories sprinkled throughout cover a wide spectrum, from Amnesty International's support for prisoner's rights and Project Head Start's health services to preschoolers, to the TV series Sesame Street' s promotion of literacy, and campaigns for AIDS prevention, energy conservation and combating teenage pregnancy. This textbook-like guide by two marketing professors (Kotler is at Northwestern, Roberto teaches in Manila) also focuses on direct mail, mass media, developing a marketing plan and program evaluation. A book for professionals, this is unlikely to interest general readers. (Oct.)