The Promise of Social Marketing ─ A Powerful Tool for Changing the World for Good

Social marketing is generally considered to be what takes place in the domain where human interests override commercial ones.The Promise of Social Marketing examines the potential for social marketing to address local and global issues associated with the human plight, clarifies the philosophies that underpin good practice in social marketing and highlights its pervasive relevance to all human activities.

There is an on-going debate about the nature of marketing and whether it is able to fulfil or adapt to both commercial and humanitarian or social objectives. The unifying view is that marketing is a tool that can be used for individual, organisational or social benefit. Marketing can be used by private, public, or third sector organisations, either to sell cigarettes or unhealthy food with damning results on the one hand, or to promote products and behaviours that encourage people to adopt healthier lifestyles on the other. There is, nonetheless, also a view that social marketing approaches are different from those adopted by commercial marketers, or from what is called generic marketing.

In this book the author asks, if marketing is a tool, when does the purpose of the tool make it another tool? With specific examples as diverse as the marketing associated with HIV/AIDS prevention and the promotion of social enterprise, this volume explains the precursors and development to date of social marketing, the philosophies associated with it; the tools deployed in its practice, and the direction it might take in the future. This book is of interest to those who study marketing management, business ethics and public policy.

Dr Chahid Fourali, PhD, FRSA, FCIM, FInstSMM, has backgrounds in psychology, education and marketing. He spent several years leading research in educational psychology and marketing. He published many papers and advisory/training material in all these areas and has most recently co-edited a successful book entitled Education and Social Sciences He is a member of the board of editors for the International Journal of Research in Post-Compulsory Education and a member of the Executive Committee for the Further Education Research Association. Dr Fourali led the consultation with the UK Government to set up the Marketing and Sales Standards Setting Body which he then led for eight years. He also led the development of the world-class occupational standards in marketing and sales which are now the basis for all nationally recognised qualifications in marketing and Sales. Following this development, Dr Fourali also led the development of the first Standards for Social Marketing. Dr Fourali joined the Management, Strategy and Leadership group at the London Metropolitan Business School in September 2011 as Senior Lecturer in Professional Sciences and Marketing. He is currently involved in lecturing in several areas including marketing, management and the interface between psychology and business. Dr Fourali is a Fellow/professional member of several organisations including CIM, RSA and BABCP (Psychotherapy).