Fresh ideas: services thinking for social marketing

Rebekah Russell-Bennett, Matthew Wood, Jo Previte, Ross Gordon
2013 Journal of Social Marketing  
is a lecturer in the UQ Business School at The University of Queensland. Her research focuses on social marketing and a critical marketing analysis of gender, technology, and marketplace behaviours. Abstract Purpose: Service theory is a rich, but largely overlooked, resource for social marketers. Our purpose is to demonstrate how service thinking can provide ideas and theories to inform the development of a social marketing program. In doing so we position services thinking as a midstream
more » ... ch and propose four services marketing principles. Design/methodology/approach: This is a conceptual paper that proposes service theory as a midstream approach to social marketing. Findings: For effective uptake and impact of social marketing services amongst people and populations, social marketers need to design programs that consider the service experience, the service employee, service quality/customer value and the active role of the customer in value creation. Research Limitations/implications: Services marketing is a well-established sub-discipline of marketing which, until recently has not been explicitly incorporated in social marketing. The extension and application of services theory for social marketing can enrich and propel the social marketing discipline forward. Further research is recommended to evaluate how service principles can be applied in practice and encourages further theory development. Practical Implications: Given that social marketing services tend not to be accessed in sufficient numbers by the people who most need them, social marketers need to develop strategies and tactics that go beyond technical, cognitive, and organisationally-focused goals when designing social services. Originality/value: This paper identifies key service theories that social marketers should understand and use and is thus a source of fresh ideas for social marketing theory and practice.
doi:10.1108/jsocm-02-2013-0017 fatcat:tvrmr2flj5acdfaxhzu2omyigm