Social Marketing Fundamentals: 40 years in the making
Happy Birthday, Social Marketing! It has been 40 years since Philip Kotler and Gerald Zaltman published “Social Marketing: An Approach to Planned Social Change” in the Journal of Marketing. [1] We have seen significant change in the last four decades in the communication tools available to social marketers (Twitter, anyone?) and in the definition of [...]
July 22, 2011User-Generated PSAs: Creating a Distinctive Voice on the Internet
Had any of us ever heard of user-generated content (UGC) ten years ago? We had by 2006. That’s when Time Magazine made “you” — translated: us — the Person of the Year, because we “control the Information Age.” And while the announcement left some of us scratching our heads, now it’s hard to imagine a [...]
June 30, 2011Decreasing Cigarette Smoking: Are Graphic Labels the Answer?
Last week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proudly announced a bold public health initiative to impact smoking behavior. Nine new graphic pictures, with warnings, will be required on every pack of U.S. cigarettes sold and in every cigarette advertisement by September, 2012. “These labels are frank, honest, and powerful depictions of the health [...]
May 19, 2011In Celebration of Community Partners in Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month
Although teen pregnancy rates have declined, there is still work to do. Today, 3 out of 10 girls get pregnant by the age of 20 and the U.S. continues to have the highest rates of teen pregnancy among comparable countries (CDC, 2011). So we welcome May as Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month. And we welcome a [...]
April 22, 2011Earth Day & A Billion Acts of Green: It takes a community to keep the wave of enthusiasm going!
It is Earth Day 2011, intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for our environment. This year’s theme, “A Billion Acts of Green,” with the tagline “It’s easy being green,” encourages each of us to take small steps that will collectively have an impact. You sports fans can think about “collective action” like “the wave.” It [...]