Social Marketing for Public Health

Prologue: At a time when the Clinton administration is promoting fundamental reform of the U.S. health care system, far less attention is being paid to perhaps the most important challenge any country faces when it seeks to improve the health status of its population: changing behavior. In most instances the problems posed by excessive drinking, unhealthy diets, and the use of tobacco products and other harmful substances have more to do with a country's health status than do acute but short-lived illnesses. In this paper Diana Walsh and colleagues explore the potential of social marketing as an approach to changing behavior and thus improving public health. Walsh, who holds a doctorate in health policy from Boston University, is professor and chair of the Department of Health and Social Behavior at the Harvard School of Public Health. The department is working with the New England Medical Center to develop a joint program to study social determinants of health and well-being. Rima Rudd holds a doctorate in health education and behavioral science from The Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. She directs the educational programs within the department that Walsh chairs. Barbara Moeykens, project manager for social marketing projects in the department, holds a master of science degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. She has a longstanding interest in adolescent health promotion through social marketing and health communication. For many years Tom Moloney was senior vice-president of The Commonwealth Fund, where he funded projects in social marketing and a wide variety of other endeavors. He now directs the Health Reform Synthesis Program of the Institute for the Future in New York City, which is organized to analyze changes in the ways that medical care is provided and paid for by the American people. Abstract: Marketing techniques and tools, imported from the private sector, are increasingly being advocated for their potential value in crafting and disseminating effective social change strategies. This paper describes the field of social marketing as it is used to improve the health of the public. A disciplined process of strategic planning can yield promising new insights into consumer behavior and product design. But the “technology” cannot simply be transferred without some translation to reconcile differences between commercial marketing and public health.