Everyday, people all over the world experience a barrage of media campaigns that promote a certain product or service that could possibly make them feel younger, happier, healthier or even sexier than the rest of humanity. From beauty products to massage services, the media proclaims that having or owning such products means quality life. However, there are also more pressing issues that must be addressed by NGOS, government sectors and other institutions like sustainability, global warming, increased prevalence of diseases like AIDS, negative habits like drunk driving and a lot more. Social marketing campaigns are effective in reaching out to the public especially when it’s a community based social marketing campaigns.

Social marketing campaigns are applications from the social marketing theory. The National Social Marketing Centre 2006  defined social marketing as “systematic application of marketing, along with other concepts and techniques to achieve specific behavioral goals for a social good”. So if statistics reveal that smoking  cause respiratory diseases that cuts productivity, then health agencies can launch social marketing campaigns that would eventually discourage the public from smoking. This has been currently done is some Asian countries where packs of cigarettes contain unpleasant images of sick lungs.

Social marketing campaigns can deliver effective messages and promote awareness to the public especially when the medium used is powerful As an example, London’s media ad using social marketing campaigns directed towards use of seatbelt was very effective. This happens because they present gruesome accidents that can create behavioral change among drivers. However implementing social marketing campaigns is not that easy because people do not often change behavior especially when it’s a habitual act like smoking, drinking or reckless driving. It is very crucial then for social marketing campaigns to identify barriers to behavior so the public can be persuaded to show changes. Statistical research for social marketing campaigns are also necessary for data increase validity of reports. Also, using community based social marketing campaigns are quite efficient since they reach out to the people on a more personal level. Cost is another thing to consider since people measure the price of giving up or starting a habit. Technology like the Internet has also been popularly used for creating social marketing campaigns. Nonetheless, regardless of strategy adopted, social marketing campaigns are good for the rest of humanity.