Based from what I’ve read, in short words, the Social Marketing theory focuses on the promotion of a said “product” that will be able to persuade or influence people. These products do not only mean tangible things but also principles, behaviors, beliefs, and ideas that are to benefit the society into thinking about certain issues.
The website (http://communicationtheory.org/social-marketing-theory) explains that there are 6 special features in Social Marketing:
- Creating Audience Awareness
- Targeting the Right Audience
- Reinforce the Message
- Cultivate Images or Impressions
- Stimulate Interest
- Induce Desired Result
to explain it, the features are steps to manipulate people. It starts from the person, company, or influencer to think of something to take a lead on –which is something or someone new to the audience or just a bigger picture to raise awareness for and give it attention. With the right awareness to start on, the target audience is very important. The media that is going to be used can be included in this (2nd) step. Since the millennials are technologically inclined about and how they get news, they should know how to raise awareness in the proper place for the target audience to see. If for example, they want to target people who uses their phones while driving, they should study the people who are most likely to have the capability to drive cars and the ones who always uses their phones.
The next step, which is Reinforcing the Message, does not only explain the meaning of why and how they’re doing it but also the message that could touch the people and relate them into the issue –that probably affects their lives and the lives of others. If the concept, audience, and the message is there, the visual side should also be a focus since a lot of people tend to believe and stay connected with what they’re seeing. Examples are the campaigns we see on television. When the 2016 elections in the Philippines started early 2016 and even late 2015, some of the candidates that are running for congress payed a lot of money to television networks to air their advertisements that shows a lot of their “character” as they may say. But in my opinion, it’s just an image that they want the voters to see –they needed it anyway to get votes. The Stimulation of Interest and Induce Desire Result step is very connected to each other because it just means that you must get people’s attention that the awareness you’re promoting will work.
In relation to the example of the campaigns used by the candidates, they should stimulate the interest of the voters using the image they created and act upon it with real actions showing that they will be able to live up to what they’re showing in the commercials. Our current President had commercials saying that he will end people who are using drugs and not let anyone stop him. He did live up to what he said but a lot of people are having negative thoughts because of the consequences from his “iron fist”.
All the 6 special features are important to make marketing to the society very effective. Informing everyone does not only mean speaking up but it also means understanding what, how, and why people are speaking up. We all see the Social Marketing Theory every time we see commercials or advertisements. Filipinos tend to create commercials that are very heart warming and family oriented because these characteristics are also seen in the average Filipino family or person. It doesn’t create the idea that Filipinos doesn’t have the capability to create another type of genre to commercials, it’s just that the people who do want to promote something, knows how to get the attention of people and they can make people buy into it and believe it.
Theory logs 