Salient hopes and fears: Social marketing to promote human services

Abstract

The application of social marketing principles to the promotion of human services programs is illustrated in this paper. As part of a household interview survey, 176 respondents were asked to name their hopes and fears for their lives. Responses generated by these questions are reported briefly. These findings then are interpreted from the perspective of social marketing theory, and resulting implications for the design of strategies to promote human service programs are discussed. Other areas in which social marketing theory may aid the planning and delivery of human services are mentioned.