Implications For Social Marketing Research Articles

A Vision of the Future: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Strategic Social Marketing

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming much of society in a short time. Regardless of whether we know it, we interact with AI systems when we seek information online, shop, work, and engage with social media. AI has massive potential to promote human wellbeing but also poses considerable risks, as set out in an open letter signed by leaders in the field, such as Geoffrey Hinton, the “Godfather of AI”. This paper examines how AI can be used as a powerful tool to change pro-social behaviors as part of social marketing programs. We examine opportunities to build on existing efforts to use AI for pro-social behavior changes and the challenges and potential risks that AI may pose. The specific aims of the paper are to explore how AI can be used in social marketing policy, strategy development, and operational delivery. We also explore what this means for future social marketing practice. We present an overview of case studies from the social marketing field and the application of AI in the past, present, and future. We examine the following key question: can these new technologies can be used to promote social good, and if so, how? Through examples from policy, strategy development, operations, and research in social marketing, we examine how AI has been used and successfully applied to improve consumer outcomes and analyze its implications for social marketing. We conclude that AI has substantial promise but also poses some challenges and has potential negative impacts on efforts to promote pro-social behavior changes. Used well, AI may enable social marketers to more rapidly assess how to modify programs of action to ensure maximum efficiency and effectiveness. We suggest future research and programs within this field.

The Impact of Temperature Sensations on Donation Intentions: Exploring the Role of Need for Affiliation and Empathy

The research presented in this paper delves into the fascinating realm of how temperature, both physical and psychological, can influence human behavior, specifically in the context of charitable donations. It offers valuable insights into the intricate relationship between our sensory experiences and our motivations to engage in prosocial acts. Throughout the four comprehensive studies conducted, the authors shed light on the intricate dance between temperature and our innate need for social warmth and connection. They explore how feeling physically cold or being primed with cold imagery can trigger a desire for social affiliation and empathy, ultimately leading individuals to engage in charitable acts, such as donations. The studies provide robust evidence that when individuals experience the discomfort of cold, whether through physical touch or psychological priming, they are more inclined to seek remedies to rectify their feelings of loneliness and social isolation. This leads to a heightened desire for social connectedness, which, in turn, fosters increased levels of empathy and a greater likelihood of making charitable donations. In essence, the act of donation becomes a compensatory mechanism to counterbalance the perceived social deficit caused by feeling cold. Moreover, the research extends beyond the laboratory setting by conducting a field study in a coffee shop, demonstrating the generalizability of the findings. It reveals that the link between temperature, empathy, and charitable acts holds true in real-world scenarios. These findings offer valuable implications for social marketing and public service announcement campaigns, suggesting that the timing and context of these messages should be carefully considered. In conclusion, this research provides a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between temperature, social warmth, and charitable behavior. It highlights the significance of considering individuals’ psychological states when designing campaigns or interventions aimed at promoting prosocial actions. Ultimately, it emphasizes the power of empathy and social connectedness in driving positive social change.

Is brand reputation a banner for social marketing? A social enterprise product consumption perspective

AbstractSocial enterprises (SEs) use various business models to pursue a balance between commercial profit and their social mission. This study uses quantitative and qualitative research methods to assess consumer purchasing decisions related to SEs and the impact of brand reputation on these decisions. Study 1 uses quantitative data to perform a multilevel analysis of consumer and corporate perspectives to examine the hypothesized relationships. We conduct study 2 to enable the robust generalization and further explanation of study 1's results by employing qualitative research. The results indicate that perceived contribution positively affects perceived behavioral control, while ethical self‐identity and product knowledge positively affect consumer attitudes. At the group level, brand reputation weakens the relationship between perceived contribution and perceived behavioral control; however, it strengthens the relationship between perceived risk and perceived behavioral control. These findings demonstrate that brand reputation is an important signal regarding SE products or services consumption and has significant implications for social marketing and brand strategy.

Multilevel implications for anti-consumption social marketing within the public policy framework for SDG realization: a systematic literature review

This systematic literature review analyzes the topic of anti-consumption within the framework of public policy and discusses the multilevel implications for social marketing. Previous research provides a broader scope of analysis based on cases suggesting public policy implications of anti-consumption. However, the topic broadens into social issues and calls for the discussion of the social role and the relationship to sustainability. Building on the goal number 12—Responsible Consumption and Production—of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the authors analyzed 42 peer-reviewed papers to assess the relationship quantitatively and qualitatively between public policy and anti-consumption, pointing to future avenues of research. The results show how policymakers can address either disruptive or transitional approaches by considering systemic changes. Public infrastructure and public management are important factors to support policies aiming to achieve sustainable and replacement consumption. However, participatory and transparency mechanisms are needed to effect this social change, which reaffirms the importance of stakeholders and the analysis of their relationships. The impact of anti-consumption on macro and structural changes may be hard to measure, but should not be dismissed. This paper calls for a broad approach to anti-consumption and the mapping of stakeholders – including individuals, organizations, governments, researchers and the media – by applying a social marketing perspective to sustainability concerns. By linking anti-consumption both with social marketing and the contemporary challenge of environmental sustainability reflected on the SDGs, this paper bridges the gap between individual analysis of anti-consumption and its impact and potential to address sustainability challenges.

Explore Moderated Mediation of Trust in Social Commerce on Links Between a User’s Perceived Past Negative Experiences and Social Commerce Engagement

Due to the impact of the pandemic (COVID-19) crisis and the inflation threat, not only do companies change their production models, but also their operating modes. The purchase mode of consumers, moreover, are changed. These changes make social commerce (SC) more popular. However, there exist problems in SC. Therefore, not only is the purpose of this study to examine the role of a user’s perceived past negative experience (PPNE) in social commerce (SC) and the impact of trust in SC on a community user’s social commerce engagement (SCE), but is also to explore the moderating effects of perceived information credibility (PIC) on the relationship between a user’s PPNE and trust in SC. 349 valid samples were collected from the target population in Taiwan and analyzed data by AMOS 22 and SPSS PROCESS to examine a conceptual model and three hypotheses. Of the three hypotheses, all hypotheses were supported. The findings not only confirmed the psychological perception and effects of a user’s PPNE on trust in SC and the impact of trust in SC on user’s SCE, but also identified PIC as the moderating role in a virtual user’s PPNE – trust in SC chain. Besides the need for empirical confirmation of the hypotheses given, finally, there are several practical implications for social marketers and future research directions for scholars.

Serial coping to anxiety under a pandemic and subsequent regulation of vice food and beverage consumption among young adults

AbstractThe COVID‐19 pandemic has prompted great anxiety for most people worldwide. Building on the coping literature and two studies, this research examines the effect of such anxiety on young (18–35 years old) adults' consumption of vice food and beverages. Specifically, in an online experiment using a UK sample (N = 211), we first identify the feeling of helplessness as the reason why anxious people accept a situation less and reinterpret it less positively. Then, in a large study in France (N = 1006), we show that these coping mechanisms of acceptance and positive reinterpretation explain why individuals engage in unhealthy consumption as a response to their anxiety. From this serial coping explanation of the effects of anxiety, this article then offers implications for social marketers and public policymakers, particularly with respect to young people's well‐being and physical health.

Social marketing AS pedagogy

PurposeThis study aims to share the use of social marketing as pedagogy and provide a transformative social marketing pedagogy for social marketing educators. By this, the authors mean the same principles used by social marketers to improve the well-being of a person or group are used as a pedagogic tool to bolster students’ learning and understanding of social marketing. In the described course, students are asked to choose one area of their lives to try and change using concepts taught to them in class. They are then asked to reflect on their personal change journey and apply it to others in the form of a social marketing plan.Design/methodology/approachThe authors share a conceptual journey using social marketing as pedagogy following the evolution of a marketing for behavioural change undergraduate course. Benchmark criteria for social marketing are used to discuss and conceptualise a transformative social marketing pedagogy. The authors take a reflexive approach to explore course development, motivations, assumptions and activities to expand on their approach.FindingsSocial marketing as pedagogy suggests that behaviour change is not just taught through course content but also embedded throughout the course as a learning tool and outcome. A social marketing course can encourage individual behaviour change by asking students to critically reflect on their own behaviour change journey to fully experience and understand the underpinnings and implications for social marketing. In this way, the authors adopt transformative learning as the outcome of social marketing AS pedagogy. The authors suggest through experiential learning, including active learning and reflexivity, students are able to change their frame of reference or how they interpret the world around them, in regard to complex social issues, which may encourage behaviour change.Originality/valueAs social marketers, the authors must reflect not only on what they teach students (Kelly, 2013) but also on how they teach them. Previous literature has not provided any unique pedagogy for how to teach social marketing. This article provides the first pedagogy for social marketing education – the Transformative social marketing pedagogy which views social marketing AS pedagogy. The authors present the value of experiential learning as a three-pronged approach incorporating Interpretive Experiences, Transformative Experiences and developing Praxis, which includes elements of feeding forward and authentic assessment. This approach provides a unique contribution to the area by providing a pedagogical approach that goes beyond mere knowledge acquisition to transformative learning.

Social Marketing in Promoting Sustainable Healthy Lifestyle among Student Population

Although there are some differences in healthy lifestyle measurement, physical activity is an indispensable factor within that construct. By increasing the level of physical activity of the population, the contribution to social sustainability is provided. Social marketing can be considered as a manner to promote behavior change (including increase in physical activity level). It uses commercial marketing tools in delivering social goods. In that context can be explained previous uses of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in social marketing researches aiming at increasing the level of physical activity of the population. In this paper, the modified TPB model, extended with self-identity and motivation variable, is implemented within the student population of the University of Novi Sad, Serbia, in 2019. The results show that intention to do regular physical activity in the week after the research was directly influenced by behavioral and normative beliefs and self-identity. It was influenced indirectly by students’ motivation. The motivation, however, directly affects students’ behavioral, normative and control beliefs. Nevertheless, the results differ among genders; although positive at both genders, the effects of normative beliefs and motivation on intention were significant only in female students (0.123 and 0.243, respectively). The authors also provide social marketing implications, i.e., potential activities within social marketing that could be performed in order to encourage students to be more physically active. In addition to belonging to relatively scarce similar researches in domestic context, the wider contribution of this paper can be identified from a methodological aspect, treating the behavioral, normative and control beliefs as formative constructs.

Meat Me Halfway: Sydney Meat-Loving Men’s Restaurant Experience with Alternative Plant-Based Proteins

Within the theoretical framework of psychological reactance and impression management, this study conducted in Sydney, Australia, in 2020–2021, explores the acceptance by men of alternatives to animal-based foods. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 36 men who have visited a vegan restaurant and have eaten a plant-based burger. The findings from the study show that, despite the increasing popularity of these novel food options, men are unlikely to include the plant-based alternatives as a permanent feature of their diets as explained by the theory of psychological reactance. However, the study’s male participants acknowledged the importance of women for their visit to the vegan restaurant which can be explained by impression management theory. Using excerpts from the interviews, men’s experience is highlighted, particularly as it relates to concerns linked to masculinity, dietary identity and social perception by others. The analysis reveals the complexity of transitioning to more sustainable food choices within a gender-constructed social environment. Whether the new plant-based alternatives to meat are going to be a short-lived trend or a more lasting option in the men’s diets is also discussed. Practical implications for social marketing as a tool to influence collective behaviour are drawn. They emphasise the role of women, changing social perceptions and transparency about the new plant-based products.

Let ethics lead your way: The role of moral identity and moral intensity in promoting social entrepreneurial intention

There is an ongoing debate whether or not social entrepreneurship is a manifestation of an individual's morality. In particular, it is argued that social entrepreneurship is not necessarily based on moral decisions. This study provides an alternative explanation that possibly can bridge these two opposing arguments by examining social entrepreneurial intention using individual ethical decision-making theory. By surveying 241 samples in Indonesia, this study has found that individuals with higher moral identification judge the act of establishing a social venture as a moral decision; hence, they have a more moral social entrepreneurial intention. However, the influence of moral identity on ethical judgment and social entrepreneurial intention is only significant when individuals perceive psychological proximity with the associated social problems. This study provides theoretical contributions to the literature on social entrepreneurship and ethics. In addition, the research findings have practical implications for social marketing.

Collectivism fosters preventive behaviors to contain the spread of COVID-19: Implications for social marketing in public health.

Apart from personal‐ and societal‐level factors, we propose that collectivism also plays a role in the spread of COVID‐19. Results from six studies using both secondary datasets and laboratory experiments conducted in two different countries demonstrate that collectivism is: (a) negatively associated with the spread of COVID‐19 and (b) positively associated with the self‐importance/expectation to engage in widely publicized behaviors to prevent the spread of the disease, as well as with greater likelihood to vaccinate against COVID‐19. Finally, the higher likelihood of people high (vs. low) in collectivism to engage in preventive behaviors is driven by their belief that others consider it important to engage in such behaviors. The effects were robust and emerged by measuring collectivism both at the country level and at the individual level. We conclude by proposing features of public health campaigns likely to elicit compliance behavior to control the spread of COVID‐19.

COVID-19 lockdown controls and human rights abuses: the socioeconomic and social marketing implications

Background: This work is a situation analysis of reported human rights abuses that have characterized the COVID-19 controls and lockdown in some countries of the world. This is as documented by reliable mass media sources, relevant international organizations and human rights non-governmental organizations between January 2020 to April 2020. Methods: A combined content analysis, critical analysis, and doctrinal method is applied in this study in line with the reproducible research process. It is a secondary-data-based situation analysis study, conducted through a qualitative research approach. Findings: The findings revealed among other things that: COVID-19 lockdowns and curfews’ enforcement by law enforcement officers contravened some peoples’ fundamental human rights within the first month. Security forces employed overt and immoderate forces to implement the orders. The lockdown and curfew enforcements were not significantly respectful of human life and human dignity. The COVID-19 emergency declarations in some countries were discriminatory against minorities and vulnerable groups in some countries. Research limitations/implications: This report is based on data from investigative journalism and opinions of the United Nations and international human rights organizations, and not on police investigations or reports. The implication of the study is that if social marketing orientations and risk communication and community engagement attitudes were given to the law enforcement officers implementing the COVID-19 lockdowns and or curfews, the human rights and humanitarian rights breaches witnessed would have been avoided or drastically minimized. Originality: The originality of this review is that it is the first to undertake a situation analysis of the COVID-19 lockdowns and curfews human rights abuses in some countries. The study portrayed the poor level of social marketing orientations and risk communication and community engagement attitudes amongst law enforcement officers, culminating in the frosty police-public relationships.

COVID-19 lockdown controls and human rights abuses: the socioeconomic and social marketing implications

Background: This work is a situation analysis of reported human rights abuses that have characterized the COVID-19 controls and lockdown in some countries of the world. This is as documented by reliable mass media sources, relevant international organizations and human rights non-governmental organizations between January 2020 to April 2020. Methods: A combined content analysis, critical analysis, and doctrinal method is applied in this study in line with the reproducible research process. It is a secondary-data-based situation analysis study, conducted through a qualitative research approach. Findings: The findings revealed among other things that: COVID-19 lockdowns and curfews' enforcement by law enforcement officers contravened some people's fundamental human rights within the first month. Security forces employed overt and immoderate forces to implement the orders. The lockdown and curfew enforcements were not significantly respectful of human life and human dignity. The COVID-19 emergency declarations in some countries were discriminatory against minorities and vulnerable groups in some countries. Research limitations/implications: This report is based on data from investigative journalism and opinions of the United Nations and international human rights organizations, and not on police investigations or reports. The implication of the study is that if social marketing orientations and risk communication and community engagement attitudes were given to the law enforcement officers implementing the COVID-19 lockdowns and or curfews, the human rights and humanitarian rights breaches witnessed would have been avoided or drastically minimized. Originality: The originality of this review is that it is the first to undertake a situation analysis of the COVID-19 lockdowns and curfews human rights abuses in some countries. The study portrayed the poor level of social marketing orientations and risk communication and community engagement attitudes amongst law enforcement officers, culminating in the frosty police-public relationships.

Message assertiveness and price discount in prosocial advertising: differences between Americans and Koreans

PurposeProsocial advertisers widely use assertive messages to encourage prosocial attitudes and behaviors, but ironically, assertive messages may cause reactance. By applying cultural theories and the reciprocity principle, this study aims to observe whether consumers’ responses to assertive messages hold across culturally different audiences (Americans vs South Koreans) and different consumption situations (price discount vs no discount).Design/methodology/approachAmerican and Korean participants take part in three experimental studies examining the interactions of nationality, price discounts and assertive messaging for influencing consumer responses, first to a prosocial ad encouraging recycling (Study 1), the second for a campaign requesting donations for disadvantaged children (Study 2) and the third to prosocial messages encouraging water conservation (Study 3).FindingsThe three experiments strongly support the moderating role of price discounts and cultural backgrounds in the persuasiveness of assertive prosocial messages. American consumers generally dislike assertive messages, but feel reciprocal obligations if marketers include price discounts, whereas South Korean consumers accept both assertive and nonassertive messages without resistance, and discounts have no effects on persuasion.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings make two key contributions to the literature and to prosocial advertising practices. First, although many corporations have adopted philanthropic strategies, few researchers have examined how specific consumption contexts determine the effectiveness of prosocial persuasion. The findings show how price discounts and message framing potentially alter the effectiveness of prosocial messages across Eastern and Western cultures. Second, assertive language evokes reactance, but the findings suggest that reactive responses to prosocial advertising are culture-specific.Practical implicationsInternational nonprofit organizations and brands using philanthropic strategies might use the guidelines of this study for tailoring strategic, practical prosocial messages that will appeal to consumers from diverse cultural backgrounds. In particular, pro-environmental and charity campaigns targeting North American or Western European populations may consider bundling discounts into promotions to evoke reciprocity.Originality/valueFindings provide novel implications for social marketers regarding on how to couple message assertiveness and price discounts to maximize the success of prosocial messages in different cultures.

COVID-19 lockdown controls and human rights abuses: the social marketing implications

Background: This work is a situation analysis of reported human rights abuses that have characterized the COVID-19 controls and lockdown in some countries of the world. This is as documented by reliable mass media sources, relevant international organizations and human rights non-governmental organizations between January 2020 to April 2020. Methods: A combined content analysis, critical analysis, and doctrinal method is applied in this study in line with the reproducible research process. It is a secondary-data-based situation analysis study, conducted through a qualitative research approach. Findings: The findings revealed among other things that: COVID-19 lockdowns and curfews’ enforcement by law enforcement officers contravened some peoples’ fundamental human rights within the first month. Security forces employed overt and immoderate forces to implement the orders. The lockdown and curfew enforcements were not significantly respectful of human life and human dignity. The COVID-19 emergency declarations in some countries were discriminatory against minorities and vulnerable groups in some countries. Research limitations/implications: This report is based on data from investigative journalism and opinions of the United Nations and international human rights organizations, and not on police investigations or reports. The implication of the study is that if social marketing orientations and risk communication and community engagement attitudes were given to the law enforcement officers implementing the COVID-19 lockdowns and or curfews, the human rights and humanitarian rights breaches witnessed would have been avoided or drastically minimized. Originality: The originality of this review is that it is the first to undertake a situation analysis of the COVID-19 lockdowns and curfews human rights abuses in some countries. The study portrayed the poor level of social marketing orientations and risk communication and community engagement attitudes amongst law enforcement officers, culminating in the frosty police-public relationships.

Young adults' experiences with flexitarianism: The 4Cs

Meat reduction has important implications for public health and the environment. With people more likely to reduce their meat consumption than eliminate it completely, there is increased interest in flexitarian (reduced meat) diets. Young adults in particular are transitioning towards a flexitarian diet, yet there is very little research on this crucial sub-set of the population. In this research, 23 interviews are conducted with young adults aged 18–35 in New Zealand to explore their lived experiences (i.e., motivations, strategies and barriers) towards flexitarianism. The research finds young adults are encouraged to transition towards flexitarianism due to increased control, through a transition away from home which is enabled through cooking strategies, social support and experimentation. Young flexitarians are motivated to reduce meat consumption due to concern about various individual (health, variety, price, reduce social unease) and altruistic (environment and ethics) motivations. Continued meat consumption is mainly driven by a need to compromise at social gatherings, and due to positive associations with variety, nutrients and fullness as well as taste due to cravings. The findings have several implications for social marketing and public health, particularly around supportive social settings, seeing flexitarianism as a ‘not all or nothing approach’ (one does not have to be a full vegetarian or a meat eater, but can instead be something in between), positive emotions such as pride associated with meat reduction, and that documentaries and social networks are key triggers for meat reduction.

COVID-19 lockdown controls and human rights abuses: the social marketing implications

Background: This work is a situation analysis of reported human rights abuses that have characterized the COVID-19 controls and lockdown in some countries of the world. This is as documented by reliable mass media sources, relevant international organizations and human rights non-governmental organizations between January 2020 to April 2020. Methods: A combined content analysis, critical analysis, and doctrinal method is applied in this study in line with the reproducible research process. It is a secondary-data-based situation analysis study, conducted through a qualitative research approach. Findings: The findings revealed among other things that: COVID-19 lockdowns and curfews’ enforcement by law enforcement officers contravened some peoples’ fundamental human rights within the first month. Security forces employed overt and immoderate forces to implement the orders. The lockdown and curfew enforcements were not significantly respectful of human life and human dignity. The COVID-19 emergency declarations in some countries were discriminatory against minorities and vulnerable groups in some countries. Research limitations/implications: This report is based on data from investigative journalism and opinions of the United Nations and international human rights organizations, and not on police investigations or reports. The implication of the study is that if social marketing orientations and risk communication and community engagement attitudes were given to the law enforcement officers implementing the COVID-19 lockdowns and or curfews, the human rights and humanitarian rights breaches witnessed would have been avoided or drastically minimized. Originality: The originality of this review is that it is the first to undertake a situation analysis of the COVID-19 lockdowns and curfews human rights abuses in some countries. The study portrayed the poor level of social marketing orientations and risk communication and community engagement attitudes amongst law enforcement officers, culminating in the frosty police-public relationships.

Segmenting Excessive Alcohol Consumers: Implications for Social Marketing

While extant studies have mainly investigated differences between drinkers and non-drinkers, the literature on segmenting heavy drinkers and profiling them is surprisingly scarce. This study makes a significant contribution to the social marketing literature by illustrating a novel way of targeting heavy drinkers by utilizing their health management styles and provides useful insights into understanding how segmentation could be a valuable tool for developing effective social marketing programmes that are aimed at reducing excessive alcohol consumption. Analysis of data collected through the HINTS study reveals a two-cluster segmentation model. The two segments of heavy drinkers distinctly differ in terms of the extent of reliance and trust they place on health service professionals. Hence, the segmentation analysis provides interesting and novel insights into the level of dependence of heavy drinkers on the health care system and their health management styles. The study provides an actionable perspective for future research, public policy and social marketing.

Distracted driving prevention: an analysis of recent UK campaigns

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze message features of fear appeals in current British road safety campaigns directed against mobile phone use while driving and to discuss barriers to explicit theory use in campaign message design.Design/methodology/approachThis message-centred research takes a qualitative content analytical approach to analyze nine British web-based road safety campaigns directed against mobile phone use while driving based on the extended parallel process model. Message content and message structure are analyzed.FindingsThere still exists a gap between theory and road safety campaign practice. The study reveals that campaigns with fear appeals primarily use threatening messages but neglect efficacy-based contents. Severity messages emerge as the dominant content type while self-efficacy and response efficacy are hardly represented. Fear appeal content in the threat component was mainly communicated through the mention of legal, financial and physical harm, whereas efficacy messages communicated success stories and encouragement. As regards message structure, the threat component always preceded the efficacy component. Within each component, different patterns emerged.Practical implicationsTo enhance efficacy in campaigns directed against distracted driving and to reduce the gap between theory and practice, social marketers should include messages that empower recipients to abstain from mobile phone use while driving. Campaigns should show recommended behaviours and highlight their usefulness and effectiveness.Originality/valueThis paper adds to limited research conducted on effect-independent message properties of fear appeals. It enhances understanding of fear appeal message features across the structure and content dimension. By discussing barriers to explicit theory use in social marketing practice and offering practical implications for social marketers, it contributes towards reducing the barriers to explicit theory use in campaign message design.

Intention to Consume Junk Food: A Study of Drivers for Control Implications

Junk food has been making fast inroads in Indian market. Socio-culturally India has been a collectivist and tradition dominated society, where the concept of food is very different from junk food. This study aims to explore the rising incidence of junk food based on the theory of planned behavior and contributes to understanding the consumption drivers for possible social marketing implications. The findings suggest that out of the three constructs: attitude, social norms and perceived behavioral control, only perceived behavioral control was found to be the significant determinant of intentions. The study has implications for social marketers. For controlling the rising incidence of junk food, the strategy should focus on developing a sense of perceived control. This requires building self-belief and increasing barriers to access of junk food. This paper contributes to the body of literature in understanding consumption drivers of junk food, particularly in a collectivist and family oriented society like India and how efforts to control rising incidence of junk food can be made more effective.