Health Technology Assessment in Action · Published 2026-01-04 · DOI 10.18502/htaa.v9i4.20672
Social marketing aims to address public health challenges by promoting positive behavior change through the application of marketing principles and techniques. This approach involves the creation, communication, and delivery of value-based interventions designed to drive social change and enhance public welfare. By leveraging commercial marketing concepts and tools, social marketing advances social objectives and improves societal well-being. It emphasizes understanding and addressing the needs, wants, and motivations of the target audience to effectively influence behavior. This method involves the systematic planning and execution of campaigns aimed at achieving specific social goals, such as improving health outcomes, promoting environmental sustainability, and encouraging civic engagement. Social marketing plays a crucial role in healthcare by reaching diverse populations, raising awareness, changing attitudes, and ultimately motivating individuals to adopt healthier behaviors. Notable applications include smoking cessation, promoting vaccination uptake, combating obesity and encouraging healthy eating habits, raising mental health awareness and reducing stigma, HIV/AIDS prevention, road safety and injury prevention, controlling the spread of pandemic, and increasing awareness about organ donation.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
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