Domain Of Social Marketing Research Articles

Why dropping intention of attention to YouTuber channels?

PurposeSocial participation and user-generated contents have engendered an era when “any receiver can be a provider.” Although studies have emphasized on increasing the number of subscribers conducive to platform success, the issue regarding why viewers drop their registered YouTuber channels has been less addressed. This article aims to present and empirically test a causal model to account for the pattern of discontinuous intention of attention to YouTuber channels.Design/methodology/approachInspired by the expectation–disconfirmation theory, the study proposes and examines a research model by using an empirical quantitative approach. The proposed model considers channel and YouTuber facets, as well as potential moderation effects of viewing seniority.FindingsAnalysis of a sample of 406 questionnaires revealed that ads interference is not a significant reason for discontinuation of viewing a channel, in contrast to insufficient playfulness and inconsistency. Regarding YouTubers’ features, both interaction inadequacy and negative self-disclosure are significant determinants of perceived dissatisfaction and discontinuation of viewing. The effects of determinants of discontinuity depend on viewers' seniorities, except for negative self-disclosure.Originality/valueWhile existing studies have focused mainly on revealing the determinants associated with the behavioral intention of viewing YouTuber channels to increase self-media performance, this research contributes insights into the literature investigating why existing viewers stop following a certain YouTuber channel. From a psychological perspective, this study demonstrates the value of modeling discontinuous behaviors toward YouTuber channels in the domain of social marketing.

Partnering for UN SDG #17: a social marketing partnership model to scale up and accelerate change

Purpose The United Nations (UN) 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) places partnerships as a vital mechanism, which strengthens the implementation of change strategies. The SDG targets are ambitious; acknowledging the interconnected multifaceted issues that are currently facing society. Similarly, social marketing thought is transitioning to embrace systemic change strategies, realising no one organisation can have an impact on the emerging grand challenges. Partnerships are the 5th P in the social marketing mix, however, partnerships is also a nebulous term which has been criticised for lacking theoretical development. This study aims to answer the call from both the UN and social marketing community for further research to guide the development and implementation of impactful transformative partnerships. Design/methodology/approach A robust mixed method approach to develop and test a social marketing partnership model is presented. Trust and relationship commitment are at the forefront of successful partnership exchanges. Morgan and Hunt’s (1994) trust and relationship commitment model is extended into the social marketing domain. Findings The findings validate Hasting’s (2003) call for social marketers to listen to their commercial marketing counterparts, positioning trust and commitment as essential to change strategies. As the degree of complexities in the multifaceted world continues to accelerate, partnerships for change (UN SDG #17) will pay off, driving more effective and smarter collaborations amongst a diverse range of stakeholders at different levels in different networks. Partnerships will elevate social marketing to deliver systemic transformation for complex problems with far reaching collective and sustainable consequences. Research limitations/implications With trust/mistrust critical to successful exchanges and exchange central to social marketing, quantitative measurement of the antecedents to and outcomes of partnerships can inform the evaluation, impact and management of social marketing interventions. Practical implications Three contributions are made, which support the selection, implementation and evaluation of social marketing partnerships. Key social marketing partnership characteristics are operationalised supporting the partnership selection process. Measurement scales are developed to assist in evaluating partnership relationships over time. The model is empirically tested to investigate the relationships between key mediating variables of social marketing partnerships. Originality/value This paper presents a validated 5th P Partnership model for social marketers, accelerating social marketing’s capacities to deliver systemic transformation for complex problems with far reaching collective and sustainable consequences and UN SDG #17.

“Set yourself free!” Exploring help-seeking motives in at-risk gamblers

Purpose With limited research on help-seeking in the social marketing domain, this research takes a unique perspective through the lens of McGuire’s psychological framework examining the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations (or perceived help-seeking benefits) influencing help-seeking attitudes and behaviour in at-risk gamblers. This paper aims to examine the role that response efficacy has on the relationship between perceived help-seeking benefits and help-seeking behavioural intentions. Design/methodology/approach Study 1 used focus groups to explore the positive influence of help-seeking in at-risk gamblers. Studies 2 and 3 used online surveys to further test the direct and indirect impacts of perceived help-seeking benefits on attitudes and behavioural intentions. Structural equation modelling with multi-group analysis (low/high response efficacy) tested the hypotheses. Findings Both cognitive and affective psychological motives manifest as distinct intrinsic (well-being, self-esteem and self-control) and extrinsic motivators (social influence) that influence at-risk gamblers’ help-seeking attitudes and intentions to seek professional services. These perceived benefits influence help-seeking intentions directly (for those high in response efficacy) and indirectly via serial attitudinal mediators. Practical implications The results provide a guide for practitioners to enhance the promotion of professional help. Practitioners should develop marketing communication messages centred on the specific psychological needs of at-risk gamblers to encourage help-seeking behaviour including an emphasis on assertion, affiliation, independence, utilitarian, tension reduction, ego defence and consistency. Originality/value This research is the first, to the knowledge, to examine the psychological motivations that encourage help-seeking in at-risk gamblers, demonstrating that both preservation and growth motives influence help-seeking attitudes and the decision to act.

Revisiting Precipitation-Induced Smoking: The Role of Hedonic Versus Utilitarian Advertising Message on Smoking-Related Intervention

Background: Smoking-related intervention remains an important social marketing challenge. This article investigates the role of precipitation in driving smoking initiation and, by extension, examines how the nature of the persuasive appeal of anti-smoking messages can mitigate this effect. Focus of the Article: Research and Evaluation, Insights on Social Marketing-Mix (i.e., 4Ps). Research Question: This article aimed to investigate the role of precipitation in driving smoking initiation as well as to examine how the nature of the persuasive appeal of anti-smoking messages might moderate this effect. Importance to the Social Marketing Field: This research extends prior literature exploring how external factors might impact cigarette consumption. Also, this study brings a new understanding regarding the role of affect in everyday consumption and enriches the literature studying downstream consequences of negative affect and emotion regulation. Moreover, this research contributes to the theory of consumption motive and yields managerial implications into the social marketing domain regarding curbing precipitation-induced smoking. Methods: This research utilizes a survey (Study 1) and a controlled laboratory experiment (Study 2). Results: The results provide converging evidence that precipitation tends to induce one’s negative mood, which in turn triggers urges to smoke (Study 1—marginally significant main effect of weather: p = .058). Furthermore, the hedonic (vs. utilitarian) anti-smoking message is more likely to mitigate the precipitation-induced cigarette smoking (Study 2—significant interaction between weather and persuasion type: p = .04). Recommendations for Research or Practice: This research deepens the understanding of how natural environment, and precipitation, in particular, is linked to cigarette-smoking behavior and contributes to the literature on cigarette consumption and affect regulation. For social marketers and policy makers, the findings offer actionable insights into leveraging social marketing-mix (i.e., 4Ps) in the context of smoking-related interventions. Limitations: Conceptualization of negative mood was broad. Future research should investigate the specific types of negative moods (e.g., anger, depression, sadness) for a more nuanced understanding of the precipitation effect.

A Review on Fear Appeals in Social Marketing: Setting Future Research Agenda

In marketing as well as in social marketing communication, fear appeals have been used as persuasive tools to influence behavior change and have extensively been used for various behavioral change programs. A comprehensive literature review was conducted related to fear appeals in the domain of social marketing from scientific journals of repute. Such type of systematic literature review on fear appeals in social marketing has not been extensively conducted to set future research to set agenda for bringing sustained behavior changes. Although fear appeals have influenced behavior changes, they were not being proved effective for a longer period. The group centered approaches using the group as a unit of analysis has shown better results as compared to one-way communication based on emotional fear appeals. This research paper sets an agenda for future research using group centered and participatory paradigm to make fear appeals more effective in the long run.

Advancing the Field of Social Marketing Through the Lens of Group Dynamics: An Overview and Research Agenda

Social marketing is an emerging sub-discipline of marketing. Social marketing deals with attitudinal reconstruction and helps to augment behavioral changes to address various social issues. Social marketing also uses conventional elements of 4Ps to influence behavior change. In this study, a systematic literature review was examined from peer-reviewed journals on social marketing. The focus of this literature review was on important theoretical contributions and theories used in the social marketing domain. Social marketing employed the theories initially developed in psychology and social psychology to study the phenomenon of behavior change as a function of intra-individual processing, persuasive techniques, and one-way communication. Individual centered approaches have been used in this context. The role of group dynamics a strategic tool has not been explored in the domain of social marketing. The research paper has identified possible future research areas in the domain of social marketing in the context of group dynamics.

Analysis of implementation intentions in healthy eating

This is a summary of the author’s PhD Thesis. The aim of this research is to promote healthy eating behaviours through the understanding of the consumer behaviour mechanisms underlying in healthy-eating diets. The study of the promotion of healthy eating habits is included in the social marketing domain and it seeks business, academic and social benefits.

Exploring Catholic Social Teaching in a Social Marketing Context

Social change through the use of social marketing has often grappled with the principle of “social good”. Building on the tradition of Klein and Laczniak (2009, 2012) in applying Catholic Social Teaching (CST) to commercial marketing, this paper outlines the points of similarity and divergence of contemporary social marketing frameworks with CST. As social marketing theory and practice moves away from its marketing parent discipline roots, this paper argues that CST with its focus on human dignity, subsidiary and the common good provides an increasingly relevant and compatible framework with which to evaluate ethical issues emerging in the social marketing domain. There is potential for social marketers to draw on the intellectual work underpinning CST to inform social marketing practice in engaging in the delivery of social benefit independent of the religious tradition.

A conceptual framework of cool for social marketing

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual framework of cool for social marketing through a comprehensive literature review and integrating extant literature on cool. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive search and review of extant literature across social marketing, business disciplines, arts, psychology, social sciences and humanities was undertaken to develop an understanding of cool and its relevance to social marketing. The review permitted developing a comprehensive set of characteristics that are associated with cool. Findings A conceptual framework of cool organised according to the following dimensions is presented and discussed: deviating from norm, self-expressive, indicative of maturity, subversive, pro-social, evasive, and attractive. Originality/value This paper advances theoretical knowledge in the social marketing domain by offering a conceptual framework of cool, and by suggesting a set of guidelines to develop cool social marketing programs.

An Exploratory Study on the Use of Social Media for Social Marketing

Social media refers to the online media that allows multi-directional conversations and real time interactions such as social networking sites (SNS), blogs, discussions forums, content sharing, social bookmarks, wikis etc. Over the last decade, social media marketing has become a key focus area for both marketing practitioners and researchers. This paper focuses on the impact of social media in the domain of social marketing. For this study, we consider previous academic research in the area of social media and social marketing published in eminent research journals and management. After creating a summative background of social media and social marketing, we propose a model to understand the role of social media as a catalyst in the process of social change. Finally, we present two cases where social media played a significant role as a social catalyst.

Paradigms at play and implications for validity in social marketing research

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to shed light on concepts of validity and validation of social marketing research (SMR) with a view to enhancing SMR design and to inform SMR practice.Design/methodology/approachThe paper defines and presents concepts of validity in a manner that sheds light on the unique issues facing SMR and sets the stage for future research.FindingsThe paper introduces an integrated model representing the variety of relationships that exist amongst a range of validity concepts that will assist methodological practice and increased rigor in future studies. The authors also introduce a matrix on research paradigms that can support the integration of a range of philosophical considerations to SMR research design.Research limitations/implicationsThe “quality” of research is being determined by those at the leading edge of their own paradigm without reference to other points of view. The authors argue that these sub‐processes of determining the validity of research outcomes are a challenge to the “discipline” of SMR and that SMR is at risk of becoming too narrowly focussed. Furthermore, the authors believe this is limiting SMR's potential to contribute to the broader domain of business or social research.Social implicationsSocial marketing is an interdisciplinary practice. The paradigms of research within the social marketing domain are still being argued and are the subject of much debate. The authors believe that the conceptual frameworks developed for this paper will enhance the practices of research in the field of social marketing.Originality/valueThe paper provides a new conceptual framework for those developing SMR. This framework aims to integrate others' theories and provide a simplified framework for consideration of issues of validation in SMR.

Social marketing's mythunderstandings

PurposeUnlike other sub‐areas of marketing, such as sports marketing, business‐to‐business marketing or even religious marketing, social marketing attracts a very diverse group of disciples, many of whom have little or no background in the discipline of commercial marketing. At the same time, many with a commercial marketing background have a limited understanding of the social and environmental determinants of health and well‐being and tend to be focused on consumer marketing techniques for a situation where there is wide distribution of product and service offerings and where most target audiences have enough money to make a purchase. These circumstances have resulted in a number of myths and misunderstandings being expressed by “social marketers” which could negatively impact on the practice of social marketing and hence the effectiveness of campaigns described as such. The aim of this paper is to describe and dispel eight “mythunderstandings” commonly expressed by social marketing practitioners and others.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents Ad hoc observations on issues that arise from time to time on the social marketing listserv (listserve.social.marketing@uis‐listproc‐1.georgetown.edu) and at social marketing conferences.FindingsIt is suggested that those wishing to operate in the domain of social marketing could benefit from a look at the history of marketing and some of the basic textbooks to help dispel some of these myths.Originality/valueEight commonly expressed mythunderstandings are listed, including definitional issues, the roles of education, law and advocacy in social marketing and whether the sought behaviour change must be voluntary. While others have looked at outsiders' misunderstandings of social marketing, this paper looks at the mythunderstandings of social marketers themselves.

Social Marketing: Are We Fiddling While Rome Burns?

This article follows in the recent tradition of calls for marketers to become more engaged in social marketing. Given that public health represents the core of social marketing's domain, it is suggested that any entry into social marketing ought to begin with a review of the public health marketing literature. Such an analysis reveals that much of the work done to date has involved macroexperiments aimed at changing the individual's health‐related behaviors. This approach is linked to a more conservative structural–functional tradition. It is argued that there is a need for a more radical approach in social marketing that emphasizes efforts to change the negative or constraining social structural influences on individual behavior, particularly those that originate as a function of marketing activities. This approach is tied to the more radical critical theory paradigm. Those with interests in microexperimental design are urged to become engaged in such an endeavor.

Social Marketing: Its Definition and Domain

The author argues that social marketing has been defined improperly in much of the literature. A revised definition is proposed and the domain of social marketing defined. He concludes with suggestions for implications for future growth of the discipline.