Social Marketing

Social Marketing is defined as the use of commercial marketing concepts and tools in programs designed to influence individual’s behavior to improve their well-being and that of society (Kotler 203). Kotler also adds that social marketing includes campaigns that emphasize environmental issues, to increase awareness and promote a sustainable world.

Recently there has been more campaigns and promotion for making our world a “greener” place. With climate change and global warming being the most widely discussed issue, consumers and the public are finding ways to take small steps towards a better, more environmentally friendly lifestyle. One way is to decrease the usage of plastic bottles, which occupy landfills after they are used. A social idea and campaign for canteens have been pushed to consumers. Bottled water is essentially tap water sold at a marked up price. Companies such as Klean Kanteen have advocated from the beginning that stainless steal canteens store clean, cool water, are bpa free, cost effective, and better for the environment. This example can relate to Kotler’s meaning of social marketing because companies such as Klean Kanteen have been placing their products on university campuses to generate the notion that canteens are essential for students/people who drink plenty of water, cost conscious, and having an urge to help the world, environmentally. Posters, product placement, and ads inside magazines have displayed Klean Kanteen as a necessity for drinking water. The company itself has generated their mission to improve the well being of the world by reducing plastics in landfills, and many consumers who also believe this, have caught on.

Vincent Nguyen
Section G