The internationalisation of social marketing research

Abstract

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the internationalisation of social marketing research. Since the social marketing concept was introduced, it has captured increased research attention of scholars. This is evidenced by a growing number of peer-reviewed publications and participation in academic conferences. Although the reasons behind the development of social marketing research have been suggested, its nature, significance and diffusion as a concept has not been examined from an international perspective. Design/methodology/approach – A review of the social marketing and related literature was conducted to identify the patterns, drivers and actors of the internationalisation of social marketing research. Findings – Different levels and dimensions of internationalisation were identified but the overall level of diffusion was relatively low. Growth is concentrated in developed countries. There appears to be a substantial gap with respect to the adoption of the concept by researchers based in the less developed countries. Originality/value – This is arguably the first paper to explore the nature and significance of the degree of internationalisation of social marketing research.

Government-led Macro-social Marketing Programs in Vietnam

“…Social marketing has developed relatively quickly during the last 45 years (Truong et al 2015). Although a growing number of studies have documented the efficacy of social marketing in promoting behavioral change in individuals, there is a need for more research into macro-social marketing interventions that seek to generate societal change.…”

“…A plethora of studies has documented the efficacy of social marketing with respect to promoting behavior change in individuals in relation to health and physical activity, recycling, tourism, poverty alleviation, and environmental conservation (Kotler, Roberto, and Leisner 2006; Lefebvre 2013; McKenzie-Mohr et al 2012; Truong and Hall 2015a, 2015b). Yet, there remains limited understanding of macro-social marketing interventions that seek to generate societal change (Kennedy 2015), particularly in developing countries (Truong et al 2015). Such knowledge is important not only because of the extent to which it should inform any behavioral intervention strategy but also because it would enrich the growing literature on social marketing’s contribution to engendering societal change other than individual change (Kennedy 2015; Lefebvre 2013; Wymer 2011).…”

Master’s thesis research in social marketing (1971-2015)

“…In addition, more governments have recognised that many critical social problems, such as climate change, are caused by human behaviours and thus could be ameliorated by behaviour change (Takahashi, 2007). Furthermore, in recent years social marketing has been accepted as a subject for study at the undergraduate (Kelly, 2009, 2013) and graduate (Truong et al , 2015) levels in many universities, allowing interested students to conduct research on social marketing.…”

Corporate Social Responsibility at LUX* Resorts and Hotels: Satisfaction and Loyalty Implications for Employee and Customer Social Responsibility

“…The current global health crisis and climate change concerns clearly reinforce the need for businesses to align with sustainable development goals [87]. To promote behavioral change in a target audience in order to engender public good, social marketing of organizations utilizes marketing techniques linked to same [88][89][90]. The growing demand from tourists for ethical and sustainable practices is an important motivating factor for CSR in business practices [91,92].…”