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2023 | Buch

Social Marketing and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Case Studies for a Global Perspective

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SUCHEN

Über dieses Buch

This book presents high-quality cases on different social marketing campaigns that have been developed by NGOs, Public Administration, and businesses. They will be specifically focused on achieving, or contributing to achieving, the different Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by The United Nations, and how these campaigns can raise awareness and contribute to achieving the SDGs. This book takes an international approach, gathering cases developed in different countries and cultures around the world.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter
Theoretical Background: Social Marketing & Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Abstract
Social marketing is a key tool for accepting, promoting, modifying, discouraging, rejecting, or abandoning ideas, values, attitudes, or behaviors. It is used by both for-profit and non-profit organizations, as well as by public and private organizations. Social marketing is applied in different fields, such as public health and welfare, education, governance, or environmental issues. In any case, it affects people’s quality of life and seeks social good. On the other hand, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are objectives that the United Nations established in 2015 to improve the lives of people around the world, setting the year 2030 as a benchmark for achieving them. Thus, there may be a clear link between social marketing and SDGs, as the former can contribute to achieving the latter.
This theoretical chapter includes some definitions, basic concepts, and main features about SDGs and social marketing approaches and strategies, focusing on the importance of social marketing in achieving the SDGs.
M. Mercedes Galan-Ladero, Helena Alves

Part I

Frontmatter
Social Marketing for Improving Women’s Rights: The Case of Dowry in Pakistan
Abstract
UN Women Pakistan has been the first organization in this Asian country to focus on SDG 5 “Gender Equality.” In 2018, UN Women Pakistan launched a campaign against dowry culture, entitled “Stop Jahezkhori” (“Stop Dowry Mongering,” in English), which means “to stop the practice of dowry demands.” Thousands of people, women and men, wore a henna stamp on the palm of their hand, designed specifically as a symbol for this campaign. It ran from December 2018, coinciding with the wedding season in Pakistan.
The main objective of this campaign was to trigger negative perceptions about the practice of dowry and stigmatize it. Although the campaign specifically targeted those who continue to ask for dowry (appealing to their honor), it was also aimed at Pakistani society as a whole, to change attitudes and, above all, people’s behavior toward this long-standing—but very harmful and damaging—custom, which, although illegal, is still in full force today.
Given the great impact that this campaign had, and the significant results obtained, later, in 2021, UN Women Pakistan launched a second campaign, entitled “Numaish,” continuing with the same objective: “to trigger negative perceptions among people about the practice and shame dowry-seekers, also improving gender equality and women’s rights.”
With these campaigns, UN Women Pakistan seeks to ensure that the dowry culture will soon be abolished, and the long-desired gender equality can be achieved in the country, guaranteeing women’s rights and empowering them.
Hina Yaqub Bhatti, M. Mercedes Galan-Ladero, Clementina Galera-Casquet
“No es de Hombres” (“That’s Not Manly”): a Campaign for Gender Equity in Mexico
Abstract
Mexico faces a gender inequality issue stressed by sexual violence against women. There is a high probability that Mexican women experience violence throughout their lives, especially in public transport services. The campaign “No es de Hombres” (“That’s not manly”) was created to build a cultural change to tackle the harassment practices suffered by thousands of women and girls in Mexico City’s subway. It was launched in 2017 by the Mexican Government with the support of the United Nations Organization, the J. Walter Thompson (JWT) agency, and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation financing. Through social marketing strategies, it was possible to reflect the most common forms of harassment and aggression faced by women in public transport, reaching a high impact. Winner of the “Sol de Bronce” award from the Ibero-American Festival of Advertising Communication, it was evaluated as a powerful communication tool that transcends the perception of sexual harassment in Mexico.
Lucirene Rangel-Lyne, Saúl Emmanuel Alonso-Olivares, Karla Paola Jiménez-Almaguer, José Ignacio Azuela-Flores
An Open-Source Solution for Social Change: The Goodpush Alliance
Abstract
The case outlines the development of Skateistan as a concept, its launch of the Goodpush Alliance, and the organization’s approach to support a global community of skateboarding-for-youth-development programs spanning 60 countries through social marketing. This case explores how multiple stakeholders co-engage at multiple levels—individual (micro), communities and networks (meso), and non-government and societies (macro)—to co-create solutions to address disparities in marginalized populations through skateboarding.
Doreen E. Shanahan, Clark D. Johnson
“We Know What We Are Doing”: Campaign Toolbox against the Shortage of Young People in Skilled Crafts Professions
Abstract
Education plays a key role in providing individuals with the knowledge, skills, and competencies needed to participate effectively in society and the economy. Good schooling and vocational training significantly increase the likelihood of young people finding a job and earning enough money. In this context, the German vocational education and training (VET) enjoys an excellent international reputation.
However, due to demographic developments and the increasing level of academization in society, there are hardly enough qualified young people in Germany, especially in skilled crafts professions. In order to counteract the impending future shortage of skilled workers, chambers as public corporations as well as professional associations have taken the initiative with the aim of filling vacancies with suitable applicants.
Therefore, one aim of the following nationwide social marketing campaign, launched by the German Chambers of Crafts, is to bring the skilled crafts more into the focus of public attention and to convey the skilled crafts as what they are: future-oriented, modern, and internationally recognized. Part of the campaign is aimed at young women to attract and empower them for “typical” male professions (e.g., electrician, carpenter, roofer). In this way, it underlines gender equality in working life as well.
Answin Vilmar
Corporate Social Marketing and the Labor Inclusion of People with Disabilities. A Case Study of Ilunion Hotels
Abstract
People with disabilities are suffering a persistent and generalized problem of inequality and labor exclusion, not only in developing economies, but also in developed ones, such as Spain. Labor discrimination has pointed to be one of the main reasons of this negative situation, especially in tourism sector. Therefore, to face this issue, Social Marketing has been proposed as a powerful tool, promoting the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well. Thus, the objective of this case is to study the Corporate Social Marketing campaign “Hotels with all inclusive,” carried out by the Spanish social company Ilunion Hotels (leader in the social inclusion of people with disabilities in the hotel industry in Spain). The aim of this campaign is the reduction of the inequalities of this collective, fighting the social stigma that they use to suffer in the labor market. Therefore, the study of this Corporate Social Marketing case would help to understand how a sustainable recovery to the pandemic crisis could be possible, also trying to achieve the SDGs (especially Goal 10—to reduce inequalities; and Goal 8—to promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all).
Carmen Dueñas-Zambrana, Marco Antonio Cruz-Morato
“You Can’t Ask That”: Asking and Understanding to Achieve more Inclusive Societies
Abstract
Societal wellbeing demands that we include people with different profiles and circumstances. Indeed, some people find themselves in situations of social exclusion precisely due to stereotypes and prejudices that impede their entry into the labour market and their integration in society more widely. This dynamic can lead them to experience an inferior quality of life and less wellbeing.
One major example of this orientation is the television programme “You can’t ask that” (“Eso no se pregunta”, in the Spanish version), which features people from stigmatized collectives. On this programme, individuals from such minorities give their spontaneous answers to questions that have been posed anonymously, in a bid to help the general population to become more familiar with the reality of stigma and comprehend how the individuals concerned would like to be treated by society.
The proposed case study, which is approached from the social marketing perspective, examines how entertainment can be used to address prejudices and stereotypes with a view to achieving a more inclusive and tolerant society. The case study will demonstrate that “You can’t ask that” offers a versatile format that brings together entertainment and values-based education that can be widely and readily disseminated.
Ana Isabel Polo-Peña, Dolores M. Frías-Jamilena, Francisco Peco-Torres
The Use of Events to Achieve Social Change: The Case of ILGA Portugal
Abstract
This case study refers to ILGA Portugal. ILGA Portugal Association is the largest and oldest association fighting for equality and against discrimination of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people (LGBTI+), in Portugal.
Its main objective is to integrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex population into society through a broad programme of support in the social sphere that guarantees the improvement of their quality of life: through the fight against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, the promotion of citizenship, human rights, and gender equality. ILGA has a Communication Department, which is responsible for the management and development of existing communication supports, events and for social marketing campaigns.
Inês Santos, Inês Veiga Pereira, Carla Pereira, Diana Moreira, Sandra Santos
Integrating the Environmental, Social, and Economic SDGs into an Educational Organization
Abstract
This case study examines the role of the SDGs as a social marketing tool in the education sector, specifically in vocational training. The education sector is a very suitable context for the study of the implementation of the SDGs, given that it focuses on training people and, thus, has a multiplier factor in the society of the present and the future. In the case study undertaken, an examination is made of an educational organization in the process of integrating environmental, social, and economic responsibilities into its value chain. This case describes the different steps taken by the organization, the campaigns it developed over the period, and the results it obtained. The findings suggest that when its users believe that an educational entity is predominantly altruistically motivated in its implementation of the SDGs, they share the values it espouses and want to behave like it. The dissemination of the campaigns hugely increased the scope of the educational entity’s actions and provided greater diffusion of the SDG among its stakeholders and the wider society. This will promote concerns for the environmental, social, and economic issues that affect society, and prompt individuals to seek out how to make their own contribution.
Sergio Barta, Daniel Belanche, Marta Flavián, M. Cruz-Terré

Part II

Frontmatter
Social Marketing Strategies to Attract Immigrants to Depopulated Areas: The Case of Hyogo Prefecture in Japan
Abstract
This case demonstrates the social marketing strategies that a prefecture in Japan (i.e., Hyogo Prefecture) and its cities and towns are using to attract immigrants to its depopulated areas. Based on the social marketing theory and stakeholder theory, this case shows how the immigrants and locals evaluate these strategies via an analysis of primary and secondary data. The outcomes reveal that there are specific strategies commonly implemented by the prefectural government, in addition to many policies initiated by the local administrations. Overall, these strategies help attract outside immigrants to Hyogo and its cities and towns in the first place and ensure decent living and working conditions there later on. However, although the social marketing strategies are mostly positively evaluated, they are designed mainly for the attention and benefit of the immigrants, the external customers. An internal marketing approach aiming at the locals (the internal customers), those heavily involved in and affected by any immigration-oriented policies, is largely missing. An extension in the focus of the social marketing efforts is particularly needed. With its observations, this case provides references for other prefectures in Japan and other countries to sustain their depopulated areas and achieve the eleventh goal of sustainable development (SGD 11).
Bình Nghiêm-Phú
Inland Paladins or Wanderlusts? Fighting Rural Depopulation and Promoting Sustainable Development in an Inland City of Portugal
Abstract
In moments of great civilizational transition, we become deeply attached to our roots, and rural spaces encompass a wider dimension. Intersections among sustainability and communities arise and the voice of young people may materialize this process which represents the paradoxical desire between departure and arrival. While cities may represent hubs for social, human, and economic development, rural cities may struggle with problems like access to information, education and depopulation, all pertinent issues to sustainable development.
Inside the context of fight depopulation and territorial inequalities, we analyze a pilot experience developed in a Portuguese inland city, from the Northeast of Portugal. This experience is part of a project, funded by the European Union, whose main goals are strengthening the role of rural areas. The experience intends to show that geography can enable the possibility of developing new narratives about the rural community life and development, having a positive regional impact, through the potential reformulation of life for the ones that can work remotely.
Our case study presents a practical approach, applied to inland depopulation, particularly in the context of a small city. Using various social marketing tools, we analyze this case study in order to understand (1) the campaign implementation, its mains (2) difficulties and (3) strengths and we also indicate preliminary results in the increasing of tourism possible (4) future paths, that can be replicated by other similar projects.
Marisa R. Ferreira, Beatriz Casais
A Social Marketing Program for Local Products and a Local Market: The Case of Setúbal, Portugal
Abstract
The Setúbal region in Portugal is greatly important for its agricultural products, fishing, dairy products, and wines (many of which are widely known for their high quality and exclusivity). Production is usually undertaken by small economic agents with limited management and marketing structures, making it necessary to develop and implement a social marketing approach, increasingly based on digital tools and a closer relationship with local consumers. The local Municipal Market is a crucial element of commerce in the region and one of the main points of contact between producers and local consumers. Such markets call for a specific social marketing approach that considers the value of the territory, the products, and the market itself. Here we address the situation of Setúbal’s Livramento Market and its local products, as well as consumer behavior and expectations.
Duarte Xara-Brasil, João Pedro Cordeiro, Luísa Cagica Carvalho, Pedro Pardal
The “Smart Destinations” Model from the Perspective of Social Marketing. The Case Study of Gijón as an Example
Abstract
This chapter analyses the Smart Destination model as part of the social marketing activities that cities can develop under the SDGs of Agenda 2030. The specific case of this model is considered as a paradigm for the new tourism. First, the model is described, and a reflection is made about the main inputs and outputs of its conceptualisation. Second, the application and examples of that from a social marketing point of view are detailed. Since its creation in 2020, many destinations have initiated the application of this model. During that trajectory, a clear two-phase evolution is apparent: an initial diagnostic stage with 64 destinations and a more consolidated application stage in which there are five cities currently. The model is a clear example of a global change of tourism from the base, where not only is there a change of infrastructure, technology, and particular behaviours, but also a global change from the root assuming a new way of thinking and encouraging different stakeholders to act according to the SDGs.
Alba Marín-Carrillo, Mª Victoria Carrillo-Durán
Colors and a Pinch of Salt: The “Sustainable Mexico Reborn” Strategy for Enhancing Quality Education
Abstract
Sustainability is the cornerstone of a new initiative to promote tourism in Mexico. It has been transformed into a social marketing tool as part of the “Sustainable Mexico Reborn” strategy, which is aimed at designing, implementing, and funding programs and actions to make Mexico a more sustainable destination. Under the strategy, a range of plans and programs are being implemented in tourist destinations, Magical Towns, World Heritage Sites, Protected Natural Areas, and Indigenous communities, among others.
One of these initiatives, which is linked to the “Quality Education” objective in the 2030 Agenda, is “Roads of the Mexican Renaissance.” The “Moctezuma Fish Route Race” offers experiential education, enabling visitors to enjoy the environment in a biocultural sense and learn from the places they visit. The route passes through six states in Mexico, six World Heritage Sites, and eight Magical Towns. In the two first editions, the race had a significant impact, attracting runners from the USA, Canada, Spain, Argentina, France, Germany, and Mexico. This case study describes the initiative overseen by SECTUR, the Mexican Secretariat of Tourism.
Luis Manuel Cerda-Suarez

Part III

Frontmatter
Supporting Well-being in People and Helping Pollinators Through a Community Garden Project
Abstract
The purpose of this case study is to share the experience of building a habitat for pollinators and finding ways to support the well-being of people through community activities. The transtheoretical model of behavioural change was used as a framework to showcase the journey of the project team. The team’s and community’s knowledge, inventiveness, openness, and enthusiasm combined created a collective vision and inspired us to challenge ourselves. At each stage of the case study, we have incorporated images to illustrate our experiences and show the physical change in the landscape. We used a range of marketing techniques to communicate our progress and intentions during the project. We began our communication plan with stakeholder engagement meetings, community events, and radio broadcasts and ended with informational location signage and a website hosted by the university. The pollinator and community garden project had many challenges; however, with reinvigorating teamwork and a supportive community spirit, the garden has blossomed into life, meeting our social and sustainability goals of habitat and hope.
Felicity Small, Alain Neher, Lucia Wuersch
Corporate Social Marketing for Sustainable Animal Well-Being: The Pedigree Promotion of Homeless Dog Adoption
Abstract
In developed countries, the decrease in the birth rate and the proliferation of smaller families favor the increasing presence of pets at home. Thanks to pet adoption initiatives, many homeless animals are adopted by families in shelters each year. The multinational company Mars Petcare is one of the leading dog food producers worldwide. This company’s social marketing is mainly based on promoting dog adoption. The brand has created the Pedigree Foundation in charge of developing ongoing support campaigns. Pedigree periodically launches advertising campaigns designed by prestigious advertising agencies. The campaign “Tenemos que hablar” (“We have to talk,” in English), developed by the agency BBDO for Pedigree Mexico, is a moving spot and winner of an advertising creativity award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Advertising Creativity in 2014. The following lines will show how the partnership between a commercial company and a non-profit foundation could become a successful social marketing initiative.
Elísabet Mora, Natalia Vila, Inés Küster
The Power of Our Diet: Less Meat for a Healthier Life and Planet
Abstract
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), per capita meat consumption worldwide has increased from 26 kilograms in 1970 to 41 kilograms in 2018. This growth in demand has gone in hand with the rise of intensive livestock systems and large industrial farms, also known as mega-farms. These are facilities in which the density of animals is very high (many animals in a small space) and where the animals are stabled, with almost no freedom of movement and fed with feed specially designed for fattening. These livestock farms make meeting the world’s growing demand possible and offer the consumer more attractive prices than extensive livestock farming can.
However, environmental groups and scientists are warning of the health problems for people and the planet caused by this excessive production and consumption of meat, especially that coming from mega-farms. This type of livestock farming and industrial facilities produce serious environmental problems, from soil and aquifer contamination to emissions of polluting gases, in addition to the implications for animal welfare. Some estimates indicate that livestock are responsible for 14.5% of all human-induced climate change emissions. For this reason, they believe that the expansion of large farms must be curbed and the consumption of meat in the human diet must be reduced.
This case analyses the campaigns carried out by the main environmental groups to, on the one hand, inform consumers and raise their awareness of the problem and, on the other hand, to pressure governments to halt the rise of this type of livestock farming and not to grant new licences for the opening of mega-farms. At the same time, the campaigns carried out by sectoral associations to counteract the messages of the environmentalist groups are discussed.
Antonio Chamorro-Mera, M. Manuela Palacios-González
The Green Button: Social Marketing for a Government Seal to Support more Sustainable Purchasing Decisions when Buying Textiles
Abstract
“Clothes make the man” and German consumers are front runners when it comes to buying new clothes. However, the production of textiles has serious ecological and social impacts. Pesticides used in the cultivation of cotton, immense water consumption, chemicals for further processing and CO2 produced by the use of energy … each of them has a negative impact on the environment. In addition, in some production countries the workers work under unsocial working conditions: many overtime hours, low wages, no trade union organisation, just to name a few. But how can one identify if a piece of clothing has been produced sustainably?
The seal “Der Grüne Knopf” (German for “The Green Button”) aims at further guidance when buying clothing. The seal was introduced in 2019 by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development with a broad social marketing campaign, including the use of off- and online advertising media. The aim of this campaign was to raise awareness among consumers for more socially and environmentally responsible produced textiles and to facilitate their purchasing decisions in favour of more sustainable clothing.
Thanks to the increased popularity of the seal through social marketing measures, more than 200 million products with the Green Button have already been sold 3 years after its launch.
Answin Vilmar
Reducing Salt Consumption through a Nudge Technique: The Case of PÃO.COME
Abstract
This chapter explores the case of PÃO.COME, a project developed by the regional health administration of the centre of Portugal. The project aims to reduce salt consumption in population through a nudge technique that involves the bakery industry of the region, committed into a gradual reduction of salt in the production of bread. The bakeries aligned received a stamp to be shown in the front door of the store, giving the consumer the option to buy bread with less levels of salt. The progressive decrease of salt levels in the bread allowed the adherence of population, who became used to the flavour and decreased the perception of differences in the salt levels.
The project involved more than 900 bakeries in the region and a big retailer. A branding campaign was developed for the project, with the promotion of the bakeries engaged in a social responsibility goal. The bakeries with better results in salt reduction were awarded in the mid-term evaluation. After 15 years of implementation, there was a decrease in the levels of salt in bread which has a significant impact on the health of population and lifestyles. The project gained a national level, with another name—“Less salt, same flavour”—and pursues its objective of consistently decreasing salt consumption of population, being bread the mean to achieve that goal.
This case study discusses the advantages of nudge techniques in social marketing, the upstream dimension of social marketing strategy and the involvement of other stakeholders, as the food industry, for example. This case also shows how to achieve equal opportunities to access healthy lifestyles through an effective distribution system for all, regardless education level or economic situation, maintaining the competitive systems and the willingness to pay by consumers, who were pursued to change their habits.
Beatriz Casais, Marisa R. Ferreira
Social Marketing and SDG 12 on Social Networks: A Case Study of Carrefour on Instagram and Twitter
Abstract
The use of social marketing strategies based on and focused on fulfilling one (or several) of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is an increasingly common practice within companies. Enterprises’ commitment to this type of social marketing actions causes an increase in commercial communications based on these social values. Social networks are one of the channels of the digital environment most frequently chosen by companies to reach their audiences. Taking this reality into account, this case study analyses how Carrefour Spain uses its social networks accounts—and specifically Instagram and Twitter—to communicate its social marketing actions based on SDG 12. Two social marketing projects are analysed: “Act for Food” and “Zero Waste”. Both projects show how Carrefour is applying social marketing strategies to change negative social behaviours in relation to SDG 12.
Pedro Cuesta-Valiño, Azucena Penelas-Leguía, Patricia Durán-Álamo
How Can Social Marketing Help the Sustainability of Water Use in Tourism? The Case of Tourist Accommodation
Abstract
One of the keys to achieving sustainable tourism is the optimal use of environmental resources. These resources are a basic ingredient of tourism development and are necessary to offer a high-quality service. Regarding the conservation of natural resources, the tourism sector is a major consumer of water. In addition to consuming water for personal use, tourists also consume water through numerous leisure activities. Thus, a shortage of water can be a major obstacle for tourism. Social marketing programs are crucial to achieve behavior change among tourists and ensure the sustainability of this natural resource in tourist destinations. This chapter presents a case study of a hotel chain in the city of Benidorm (Spain) located in an area of the Mediterranean coast with major problems of water scarcity. A social marketing program is developed following the different steps of the community-based social marketing (CBSM) framework to achieve a reduction in water consumption in the hotel room. It is also examined several interventions in tourist accommodation (hotels) using different behavior change tools such as social norms, commitment, or feedback.
Carla Rodriguez-Sanchez, Franco Sancho-Esper, Fernando Campayo-Sanchez
The Spanish Cancer Association: Supporting SDGs
Abstract
The Spanish Cancer Association (Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer—AECC, in Spanish) runs different campaigns aimed at sharing information and cancer prevention and encourages behaviour change among the general public that may result in cancer prevention. Through its campaigns, it also raises public awareness of economic, social, and gender-based inequalities that exist for patients dealing with cancer. The main objective of this case study is to analyse the key social marketing campaigns launched in recent years, by the AECC, that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 and 10.
M. Soledad Janita-Muñoz, M. Manuela Palacios-González
The Central Lechera Asturiana Women’s Race: A Case of Social Marketing Oriented to the Practice of a Healthy Lifestyle for Women and Girls
Abstract
This case study is framed within the activities that the company Corporación Alimentaria Peñasanta, S.A. (CAPSA) has been implementing in terms of social sustainability and focuses on the Central Lechera Asturiana Women’s Race as a successful case of social marketing and intra- and intersectoral collaboration (SDG 17) aimed at strengthening the welfare of the female population to the extent that: (1) it aims to promote healthy lifestyle habits through the inclusion of women in the regular practice of sports (SDG 3), and (2) it combats gender-based violence, empowers women, and makes women’s potential visible in all areas (SDG 5, 10).
Since its inception, the objective of this race has been to encourage the participation of women of different ages, being, to date, the women’s sporting event with the highest participation in Europe. In addition to its dynamizing and transforming character, it has a solidarity dimension through monetary and in-kind donations and the sale of products in support of different social causes for the common good. In addition, communication campaigns are carried out throughout the year, through both traditional and digital media, to promote awareness of society in terms of welfare, preventative health, and equality.
Nuria García-Rodríguez, Noelia Salido-Andrés, Silvia Cachero-Martínez
Metadaten
Titel
Social Marketing and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
herausgegeben von
M. Mercedes Galan-Ladero
Helena M. Alves
Copyright-Jahr
2023
Electronic ISBN
978-3-031-27377-3
Print ISBN
978-3-031-27376-6
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-27377-3