Social Marketing and the Sustainable Development Goals: Scoping Review (2013–2021)

Abstract

As social marketing interventions are effective in solving social problems and the deadline to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is coming closer, it is vital to see to what extent the field of social marketing is contributing to achieving the SDGs by 2030. Therefore, this scoping review mapped the social marketing literature from 2013 to 2021 while also aligning the SDGs and looking at the topical evolution. The results first show the topical dominance of public health and ‘SDG 3: Good health and wellbeing’, although its share has decreased over the years. Furthermore, the study demonstrates the increasing share of environmental issues in social marketing research, which is something that the field has long called for. However, the number of articles on energy and mobility has decreased over the last eight years. Then, the study highlights which SDGs need increasing attention in social marketing research. The study found four SDGs which were barely studied. Most of these are poverty-related SDGs: ‘SDG 1: No poverty’, ‘SDG 9: Industry, innovation, and infrastructure’, ‘SDG 4: Quality education’ and ‘SDG 14: Life below water’. Furthermore, the results highlighted that the share of ‘SDG 10: Reduced inequalities’, ‘SDG 5: Gender equality’, and mostly ‘SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy’ has decreased, which is troublesome amid an energy crisis. This study is relevant to social marketers because it is the first scoping review to map social marketing and the SDGs (2013–2021). It will guide future research and interventions to help achieve the SDGs on time.