Which of the following is a characteristic of social marketing but not commercial marketing?

Civilian opened its doors in 1999. Back then, we called ourselves AdEase. We promoted local restaurant chains, residential developments, and insurance firms.

But soon our focus shifted. We began to use our marketing, advertising, and community outreach tools to promote public health, conservation, transportation equity and economic development. With the shift came a renewed passion for the work and a shared commitment to positive change. In 2015 we made the change official with a new brand and a strategic focus on prioritizing social change work for the common good.

We often get asked how we’re different from commercial marketing agencies and their in-house counterparts. It’s tough to tell sometimes because social marketers use many of the same tools as commercial marketers. But social marketing is an inherently different discipline and must be approached in a unique way.

Commercial marketing and social marketing differ fundamentally in their purpose. Commercial marketers seek to influence purchasing decisions – most often for financial gain. Social marketers seek to influence behavior usually for the good of community or society. (And yes we realize commercial marketing can have positive social effects, too, and Civilian helps businesses invest in corporate social marketing.)

Differing Approaches to Timing, Target Audiences and Metrics

Commercial and social marketing also differ in the way they approach their audiences. Commercial marketers target consumers while social marketers focus on people likely to make, influence, or encourage behavior change. Often the people who most need to change are the least likely to want to do it, as in the case of an anti-smoking campaigns. For this reason, social marketing’s intended audiences are typically broader, more diverse, and harder to reach.

Commercial and social marketers also have different priorities. Commercial marketers prioritize efficiency and time-to-impact measured by leads, sales or cost per acquisition. Social marketers must account for the often slower pace of behavior change and plan for social equity. A socially just campaign must work equally well for multiethnic, multilingual, low-income, or otherwise underserved audiences and success is often measured months or years later using metrics such as mortality rates, increased transit access and family-level economic impact to understand whether actual and sustainable change has occurred.

Another important difference relates to funding and the sharing of information. Commercial marketing campaigns are privately funded. Their strategies and results are proprietary. Most social marketing campaigns, however, are publicly funded, which leads to sharing of best practices and published results. Social marketers can benefit from this access to in-depth research but are also compelled to publicly share results of both their successes and failures.

Finally, although social marketing targets specific individuals, its highest aim is to effect a level of social change that transcends any single contribution. Achieving this goal often requires patience and the application of more marketing tools including community education, public advocacy, influencer engagement, and partnership building. Their success is often highly dependent upon cultural and political circumstances making it crucial for social marketing campaigns to have a realistic timeline, a multifaceted approach, political momentum, and the right partners to make lasting change.

These distinctions may seem subtle or abstract and we are in no way suggesting one is more valuable than the other. Social marketing is the work that gets us the most fired up and our specific focus continues to attract like-minded people. As social marketers who are equally fluent in commercial marketing, the Civilian team truly thrives tackling the most complex issues affecting our communities, determined to make a difference by doing work that matters.

Marketing, which may be thought of as inducing demand for a good or service by publicizing its availability to potential buyers, is not only a common practice but crucial to the growth of any business. One of the most common forms of marketing is promoting and selling goods and services to consumers to make a profit. However, there are also forms of marketing that do not seek financial gain but instead seek to influence consumer or societal behavior.

Social marketing, for instance, aims to encourage consumers to maintain existing behavior patterns or adopt new ones that benefit society. Social and commercial marketing have some common ground but also important disparities.

What is Social Marketing?

This approach has the potential to be used to bring about and maintain societal-level behavioral changes, and it does so in a way that is both enduring and economical. Your efforts will benefit not just individuals, but all of society. While social marketing's initial application was in the medical field, its scope has broadened to include environmental protection, good government, schooling, commerce, and financial literacy.

Because of the difficulties in influencing people's behaviors, social marketers have loftier goals than traditional marketers, making it more difficult for them to be realized.

Examples of social marketing causes include −

• Consequences of smoking

• The value of practicing safe sexual practices

• Dangers of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol

• Methods and processes for protecting the environment

• Keeping a healthy weight through a combination of nutrition and exercise is crucial.

Some examples of businesses that engage in social marketing include

• Institutions of the State

• Those groups that don't make a profit

• Entities that provide medical care

• Corporates

• Schools

• Government-related businesses

The benefits of social marketing to society cannot be denied.

What is Commercial Marketing?

Marketing is the art of persuading customers to buy a company's goods or services by demonstrating their worth. Potentially done to maintain and grow patronage.

To guarantee the success of any commercial marketing initiatives, conducting market research is crucial. This is useful information for learning about the intended market, particularly about their purchasing habits and requirements. Consequently, the following steps should constitute the commercial marketing process −

• Research on the market

• Market segmentation

• Target market selection

• An investigation of the aims and targets

• Position

• The four pillars of marketing: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion

• Implementation

• The monitoring and analysis of results

Commercial marketing, the most common kind of promotion, is often used by profit-making businesses. Businesses that want to succeed should put their efforts into creating items that appeal to their ideal customers and using fair pricing strategies.

Similarities − Social Marketing and Commercial Marketing

• Customers are first for each of these companies.

• Products, prices, places, and promotions (the "four Ps") are all used in both of these approaches.

• Both were written with specific readers in mind.

Differences − Social Marketing and Commercial Marketing

The following table highlights how Social Marketing is different from Commercial Marketing −

Definition

Sustainable and low-cost methods of influencing and maintaining social norms are collectively referred to as "social marketing."

A company's bottom line depends on its ability to maintain and grow its profit margins, and commercial marketing is the process by which that margin is influenced by persuading consumers to buy more of the company's products and services.

Product

Through the strategic use of social media, the desired behavior may be marketed and sold.

Ultimately, commercial marketing aims to generate revenue from product sales.

Target

Social marketers aim their efforts at persuading those who can make a difference in getting others to adopt new habits or who are already doing so to do so.

A company's marketing efforts are most effective when directed at a certain demographic of consumers who are highly inclined to purchase.

Objective

Motivating people to change their actions in a way that benefits society is what social marketing is all about.

The fundamental goal of participating in the commercial market is to raise one's financial standing via the acquisition and resale of various products and services.

Funding

Government agencies are able to access funds for use in social marketing.

Businesses rely on private investors to support their marketing efforts.

Conclusion

Sustainable and low-cost methods of influencing and maintaining social norms are collectively referred to as "social marketing." promotes the desired action and target individuals who are most likely to initiate, support, or spread it throughout the community.

In contrast, "commercial marketing" is the process of persuading consumers to buy a product or service by highlighting its benefits to them. This is done with the goal of increasing or maintaining a company's financial gain. It sells both physical products and intangible services because it places a premium on making money through these channels.

How social marketing is different from commercial marketing?

What are the 4 principles of social marketing?

What is social marketing and explain its characteristics?

Which of the following is an example of social marketing?