Social Marketing:
A Tool for Health Education  

Robert J. McDermott, PhD, FAAHB  

Objective: To list the features of social marketing, speculate as to why health educators have not embraced it more, and suggest future applications. Methods: Although social marketing has been available as a health education tool for more than a decade, its incorporation in program planning and execution is still a rare phenomenon. Some of the apparent reluctance to employ it may be due to health educators' lack of a clear understanding of its customer-driven nature, the segmentation of audiences, competing behaviors, and key intervention components (product, price, place, and promotion). Results: Previous social marketing interventions have resulted in significant health behavior and social change in groups often described as "hard-to-reach." Conclusion: Improved understanding of social marketing's elements and more experience with its application equip health educators with a valuable intervention tool.

Am J Health Behav 2000;24(1):6-10