Best practices in social marketing among Aboriginal people

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify, summarize and assess literature focused on developing social marketing programs for Aboriginal people. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted a literature search and review of research papers concerning social marketing and Aboriginal populations over the period 2003-2013. Findings – The research reveals very little published research (N = 16). The literature points to a wide range of findings including the importance of segmenting/targeting and avoiding pan-Aboriginal campaigns; cultural importance of family and community; the importance of multi-channels; universal value of mainstream and Aboriginal media outlets, use of print media, value of elders and story-telling for message dissemination; increasingly important role of Internet-based technology; need for campaign development to reflect Aboriginal culture; and importance of formative research to inform campaign development. Social implications – Considerable research is warranted to better develop more effective social marketing campaigns targeted to Aboriginal audiences to improve health outcomes for such groups across the globe. Originality/value – This paper provides a baseline foundation upon which future social marketing research can be built. It also acts as a call to action for future research and theory in this important field.