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Social Marketing in Action pp 59–78Cite as

Theory in Social Marketing

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Part of the book series: Springer Texts in Business and Economics ((STBE))

Abstract

As scientists, we try to derive theories to provide predictions on why things operate as they do. That is, we hope to understand a phenomenon by understanding the underlying system. In its most ideal form, we try to understand the general principles which underpin the phenomenon—to allow us to explain not only when something occurs and when it does not, but why. Ideally, this understanding will lead us to be able to make predictions not only about the particularistic phenomenon but lead up to generalizable knowledge about similar phenomena. In Chap. 4, we discuss the use of research and evaluation in social marketing. We address the nature of research, when it should be conducted, and how. The appendix offers online resources that provide further guidance into conducting research and evaluating your program.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dhillon School of Business, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada

    Michael D. Basil

Authors
  1. Michael D. Basil
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Correspondence to Michael D. Basil .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dhillon School of Business, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada

    Debra Z. Basil

  2. Faculty of Economy, Business and Tourism, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

    Gonzalo Diaz-Meneses

  3. Dhillon School of Business, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada

    Michael D. Basil

Appendix: Theories Used in Social Marketing

Appendix: Theories Used in Social Marketing

  • Michael Basil

  • Debra Z. Basil

This appendix provides supplementary information for the theories described in Chap. 4. A brief description of the link contents and a few online links are provided for each theory. We note that on the internet things change rapidly, therefore it is likely that some of the links provided will no longer be working. We hope that the benefit of having a set of curated online resources is worth the risk of frustration in accessing a broken link.

  1. 1.

    Co-creation

This is a short primer on co-creation from the Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2011/02/co-creation.html

This article discusses the value of co-creation, and approaches to take. It is written from a commercial marketing perspective but the concepts can easily be applied to social marketing. https://timreview.ca/article/302

This is a relatively long article from Strategy + Business. It discusses co-creation in quite a bit of detail. It takes a commercial marketing perspective, but the concepts can be easily applied to social marketing. https://www.strategy-business.com/article/18458?gko=f472b

  1. 2.

    Community Readiness Model

This short article from the Rural Health Information Hub provides a clear summary of the community readiness model. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/toolkits/health-promotion/2/program-models/community-readiness

This chapter from Community Tool Box summarizes the community readiness model. https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/overview/models-for-community-health-and-development/community-readiness/main

This short article from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration clearly summarizes the nine possible stages of community readiness. https://www.samhsa.gov/capt/tools-learning-resources/stages-community-readiness

  1. 3.

    Diffusion of Innovations

This link from Boston University School of Public Health provides a concise summary of the diffusion of innovations theory, along with limitations of the theory. http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/SB/BehavioralChangeTheories/BehavioralChangeTheories4.html

This is an easy-to-read guide from Enabling Change which goes into greater detail on diffusion of innovations. https://twut.nd.edu/PDF/Summary_Diffusion_Theory.pdf

This reader from the Univeritat Hohenheim summarizes Everett Rogers’ book on diffusion of innovations, chapter by chapter, on pages 37-53. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anja_Christinck/publication/225616414_Farmers_and_researchers_How_can_collaborative_advantages_be_created_in_participatory_research_and_technology_development/links/00b4953a92931a6fae000000/Farmers-and-researchers-How-can-collaborative-advantages-be-created-in-participatory-research-and-technology-development.pdf#page=37

  1. 4.

    Extended Parallel Process Model

This short article from SCE tool provides a brief summary of the extended parallel process model (EPPM). http://wiki.scetool.nl/index.php?title=Extended_parallel_process_model_(EPPM)

This one-page article from the Health Communication Capacity Collaborative offers a concise yet comprehensive overview of the extended parallel process model (EPPM) for fear appeals. It includes a very short case study for illustration. http://www.healthcommcapacity.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Extended-Parallel-Processing-Model.pdf

This one-page article from the Health Compass is similar to the previous example. It also provides a concise summary of the EPPM and includes a short case study for illustration. https://www.thehealthcompass.org/sites/default/files/strengthening_tools/Research%20101%20-%20Extended%20Parallel%20Process%20Model.pdf

  1. 5.

    Health Belief Model

This link from Boston University School of Public Health provides a concise summary of the health belief model (HBM), along with limitations of the model. http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/SB/BehavioralChangeTheories/BehavioralChangeTheories2.html

This short article from the University of Twente offers a concise yet complete summary of the HBM. https://www.utwente.nl/en/bms/communication-theories/sorted-by-cluster/Health%20Communication/Health_Belief_Model/

This link from Changingminds.org provides a clear summary of the components of the HBM. http://changingminds.org/explanations/belief/health_belief_model.htm

  1. 6.

    Hierarchy of Effects and AIDA Model

This short article from MBA Skool summarizes the basic principles of the original hierarchy of effects model. Although it is positioned for commercial marketing, the concepts are equally applicable to social marketing. https://www.mbaskool.com/business-concepts/marketing-and-strategy-terms/12173-hierarchy-of-effects-theory.html

This article from MBA Knowledge base offers somewhat more detail regarding the hierarchy of effects. https://www.mbaknol.com/marketing-management/hierarchy-of-effects-model/

This short article by Smart Insights summarizes the AIDA version of the hierarchy of effects model. https://www.mbaknol.com/marketing-management/hierarchy-of-effects-model/

  1. 7.

    Self-efficacy Theory

This short article from Positive Psychology summarizes Bandura’s four sources of self-efficacy beliefs. http://positivepsychology.org.uk/self-efficacy-definition-bandura-meaning/

This is a somewhat longer article from the Positive Psychology Program that offers an insightful and accessible understanding of self-efficacy. The article effectively differentiates self-efficacy from related theories. It offers examples and a scale for measuring self-efficacy, as well as useful resource suggestions for further study. https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/self-efficacy/

This article from the American Psychological Association provides background on self-efficacy and applies it to the issue of HIV. It also offers teaching and learning guidance for understanding the concept. http://www.apa.org/pi/aids/resources/education/self-efficacy.aspx

  1. 8.

    Social Cognitive Theory

This link from Boston University School of Public Health provides a concise summary of the social cognitive theory, along with limitations of the theory. http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/SB/BehavioralChangeTheories/BehavioralChangeTheories5.html

This short article from the University of Twente offers a clear summary of social cognitive theory. It includes a visual model and an example. https://www.utwente.nl/en/bms/communication-theories/sorted-by-cluster/Health%20Communication/Social_cognitive_theory/

This is a short summary of social cognitive theory from Rural Health Information Hub. It includes links to examples of actual programs which were implemented for behavior change. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/toolkits/health-promotion/2/theories-and-models/social-cognitive

  1. 9.

    Social Norms Theory

This link from Boston University School of Public Health provides a concise summary of social norms theory, along with limitations of the theory. http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/SB/BehavioralChangeTheories/BehavioralChangeTheories7.html

This article from the Brookings institute discusses social norms and their importance in public policy. https://www.brookings.edu/research/social-norms-and-public-policy/

This very short article from changingminds.org includes a summary of other forms of norms, to allow differentiation between social norms and other types of norms. http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/social_norms.htm

  1. 10.

    Theory of Planned Behavior

This link from Boston University School of Public Health provides a concise summary of the theory of planned behavior (TPB), along with limitations of the theory. http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/SB/BehavioralChangeTheories/BehavioralChangeTheories3.html

This short article from the University of Twente summarizes the theory of planned behavior and provides a visual model. https://www.utwente.nl/en/bms/communication-theories/sorted-by-cluster/Health%20Communication/theory_planned_behavior/

This two-page article from the Health Communication Capacity Collaborative offers a clear summary of the TPB and includes a very short case study example. https://www.healthcommcapacity.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/theory_of_planned_behavior.pdf

  1. 11.

    Transtheoretical Model

This is a short definition of the transtheoretical model from the Oxford Research Encyclopedia. http://communication.oxfordre.com/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228613-e-324

This link from Boston University School of Public Health provides a concise summary of the transtheoretical model, along with limitations of the model. http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/SB/BehavioralChangeTheories/BehavioralChangeTheories6.html

This article from Pro Change offers a clear summary of the transtheoretical model. It includes assumptions of the model and a brief historical overview of model advancement. https://www.prochange.com/transtheoretical-model-of-behavior-change

  1. 12.

    Utility of Theory

United States National Institutes of Health, Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research:

http://www.esourceresearch.org/tabid/724/default.aspx

University of Southern California:

http://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/theoreticalframework

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Basil, M.D. (2019). Theory in Social Marketing. In: Basil, D., Diaz-Meneses, G., Basil, M. (eds) Social Marketing in Action. Springer Texts in Business and Economics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13020-6_4

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