Medical Journal of Malaysia

MJM, Vol 70 Supplement 1 September 2015

The application of social marketing principles in community health risk reduction interventions

Jananezwary Kanapathy

International Medical University, Malaysia

ABSTRACT

Social marketing is defined as the systematic application of marketing and other concepts and techniques to achieve specific behavioural goals for social and public good. This adaptable approach is increasingly being used to achieve and sustain behaviour goals on a range of social issues. In the case of health-related social marketing, the ‘social good’ can be articulated in terms of achieving specific, achievable and manageable behaviour goals, relevant to improving health and reducing health inequalities. This presentation provides a broad overview of eight social marketing principals, 1) customer orientation; 2) behaviour and behavioural goals; 3) theory; 4) insight; 5) exchange; 6) competition; 7) intervention mix and 8) audience segmentation. This paper will also explore successful social marketing campaigns which has been implemented to reduce community health risk by designing interventions to tackle childhood obesity, smoking, illicit drug use and cardiovascular disease.