Social marketing

It refers to the application of marketing priciples to advance causes and ideas, such as energy conservation, charities, and population control. Social marketing is the use of marketing tools by organizations to try to influence consumers to behave in a more socially responsible manner. For example, drinking and driving, smoking excessively, taking drugs, and refusing to recognize “safe sex” as a precaution against AIDS are some of the examples of behaviour that are not in the best interest of the consumer. An offshoot of social marketing is cause-related marketing, which involves a firm sponsoring a charity or cause that it then links to its name. Social marketing also involves sponsorship of events to assist in espousing social causes.