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Social Marketing

Among the important marketing concepts are:

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  The ultimate objective of marketing is to influence action;
  
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  Action is undertaken whenever target audiences believe that the benefits they receive will be greater than the costs they incur;
  
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  Programs to influence action will be more effective if they are based on an understanding of the target audience's own perceptions of the proposed exchange;
  
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  Target audiences are seldom uniform in their perceptions and/or likely responses to marketing efforts and so should be partitioned into segments;
  
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  Marketing efforts must incorporate all of the "4 Ps," i.e.:
  
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    Create an enticing "Product" (i.e., the package of benefits associated with the desired action);
    
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    Minimize the "Price" the target audience believes it must pay in the exchange;
    
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    Make the exchange and its opportunities available in "Places" that reach the audience and fit its lifestyles;
    
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    Promote the exchange opportunity with creativity and through channels and tactics that maximize desired responses;
    
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  Recommended behaviors always have competition which must be understood and addressed;
  
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  The marketplace is constantly changing and so program effects must be regularly monitored and management must be prepared to rapidly alter strategies and tactics.