If you are trying to create change in your community on substance abuse issues, you know firsthand how difficult it can be. Since the 1970’s, social marketing has been a strategic tool for the prevention field, even though it is often underestimated or misunderstood.

The goal of social marketing is to influence behavior in order to improve health or benefit society. It’s more than just hanging posters or handing out pamphlets. It entails establishing partnerships, creating leverage, embedding messages and advancing policy to increase understanding. It combines research and evidence-based practices with powerful communication principles (product, price, place and promotion) to help people answer the question, “Why should I care?”

An effective strategy involves sustaining your efforts until the point you see the desired change in perception, attitude and behavior. The aim is to get below the surface, to interrupt behavior, to engage in a new way and to facilitate change.

If you have questions related to your social marketing efforts or would like to find out how we can help, contact us at 1-888-822-3223.