Social Marketing for the Environment: Using Information Campaigns to Promote Environmental Awareness and Behavior Change

Proposes social marketing (SM) as an approach for developing solutions to many environmental problems currently facing the world. The SM approach applies generic marketing and marketing research strategies to the promotion of social programs or products. Guiding principles that may be used in developing environmental information campaigns are developed for prosocial communication. The principles include adoption of a consumer orientation, mutual exchange between marketer and audience, establishment of appropriate and realistic campaign objectives, analysis of channels of communication, use of behavioral theory, creation of a marketing mix, and establishment of a time frame that facilitates institutionalization of the campaign goals. Attention to these principles will help campaign and policy planners translate growing environmental concern among the world populations and governments into effective environmental action.