Social marketing for sustainability

Social marketing is an established approach to social and behaviour change. It is used in behaviour and social change programmes that are designed to benefit individuals, communities, society and the environment, and is an important approach towards a more sustainable future. This chapter illustrates the evolution of social marketing thinking, by tracing its trajectory from the traditionalist paradigm to social-ecological and critical paradigms. The chapter presents perspectives on how social marketing can foster social change for sustainability and further discusses three key approaches: Community Based Social Marketing, social marketing to shift unsustainable consumption patterns and systems social marketing for sustainability. To illustrate these approaches, four case examples are used to demonstrate the use of social marketing and its impact in tackling versatile types of sustainability problems. These examples relate to fostering better sustainability in large events, fashion, travel, and marine ecosystems. The chapter highlights the potential of social marketing for sustainability especially when using innovative theories and interdisciplinary research. It underlines the importance, but also the challenges, of more systemic approaches that involve various stakeholders, including businesses. By engaging in critical reflexive thinking, drawing from theoretically innovative and rigorous consumer research, and building upon the field’s strong expertise in developing social value exchange, the role of social marketing can be vital in planning and managing sustainability related social programmes. Social marketing is a thriving field of scholarship and practice and as such, it holds significant potential to foster social change for sustainability.