Bulletin: Updates in the Social Marketing Field

Word is – developments are on the move…

• According to Craig Lefebrve’s recent blog post, we should expect to hear more about a social marketing association at the CDC’s 2nd Annual National Conference in August and also at the World Social Marketing Conference in late September. This. is. very. exciting. =) Comments, ideas, suggestions, feedback, (you get the picture)…are encouraged on the social marketing wiki.

• The NSMC in the U.K. has announced that it’s developed the 1st set of occupational standards to apply to the social marketing field. These will also be formerly introduced during the World Social Marketing Conference in September.

• As of Friday, July 18th, Prof. Alan Andreasen announced that there are currently 1,758 subscribers to the social marketing listserv.

• The summer 2008 issue of the Social Marketing Quarterly has been released with some amazing content including a cover story about “Talking with Your Teen About Drugs,” as well articles about an integrated model for social marketers, survey results regarding international social marketing trainings, commentary from Stephan Dann, Nancy Lee, Michael Rothschild and Alan Andreasen regarding the new adopted definition of marketing by the AMA, and an in-depth look at the issue of flu vaccination.

• For those in Washington D.C., there is a new exhibit being shown at the National Academy of Sciences titled “An Iconography of Contagion,” which is displaying public health posters since WWII.

• Emerson College recently announced a new tenured-track faculty position in health communication and social marketing, starting for the 2009-2010 school year. Job description posted here.

• The Health Blogosphere: What It Means for Policy Debates and Journalism luncheon hosted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and features a great list of guest speakers including HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt, is in Washington D.C. July 29th. Spots are filling up quick so RSVP now. If you can’t make it, the program will be available in a webcast.
  

Stay tuned for the next edition of The Bulletin!

photo credit: jceddys

What’s Not to Love? (with a look at Social Enterprise)

Kivi Leroux Miller at Nonprofit Communications and host of the Carnival for Nonprofit Consultants asks us all a fun question this week: What are you looking forward to?

This is a fun question because it provides you the reader, the opportunity to get to know more about our fellow bloggers. Though I keep my name anonymous (for now), let me tell you what I’m looking forward to, and I invite you to share your upcoming celebrations, events, etc. as I love to hear what others are doing, exploring, pioneering and creating.

Personally, my answer is: What am I not looking forward to!

‘n Life

In May, I am graduating with my Master’s degree, with my research focus in social marketing. Some of you readers have participated in the study and wow, I can not say thank you enough. It’s been a grueling journey, but one I’ve enjoyed and loved every moment. Most exciting as a result of my studies, I am presenting my paper at the 1st World Social Marketing Conference in Brighton, England in September 2008. If you will be there, drop me a line, as the MOST exciting part of this opportunity is the chance to meet and learn from others who share this passion.

‘n the Blogosphere

SocialButterfly is currently being developed in my spare (and rare) free time, but it is one of my favorite things to do. I must thank everyone in the virtual world. Your guidance, motivation, perseverance, advice and community is something I greatly enjoy and appreciate. In the next couple months, I plan on moving SocialButterfly to its own domain and developing the blog a lot further so be on the lookout, 😉

‘n Social Marketing

Rumblings are surfacing that a Social Marketing Association is in the works and may be tangible within the next year. This is exciting. Get ready. The branding of social marketing is reaching another level!

‘n NonProfit Arenas

I am really excited about all the growing number of businesses that are beginning to discover new ways for their organization or company to become socially conscious. Marketing ploy or not, it’s an increasing trend, and every little piece helps form the puzzle.

I’m most curious about how the field of social enterprise will continue to develop. David Brooks from the New York Times offers a great profile of a social entrepreneur. Most simply, Brooks defines a social entrepreneur as someone who does business….without the main objective of profit making, and goes on stating:

“We might as well take advantage of this explosion of social entrepreneurship. These are some of the smartest and most creative people in the country. Even if we don’t know how to reduce poverty, it’s probably worth investing in these people and letting them figure it out. “

And we can figure it out! The more I here about this rising area of entrepreneurship – the more excited I am about our fields and where they are headed. Be it business, nonprofits, NGOs, health communications, social change, social marketing, public service and more – we are gradually coming together and discovering how we interrelate and how that is seen in practice. Some examples of social enterprises are below:

• Ashoka.org is the front-runner in social enterprise education and implementation, claiming that everyone can be a change maker in his or her community.
• A Social Enterprise venture providing with jobs and personal development for the mentally ill and past drug abusers
• A social enterprise park initiative proposed for London’s Summer 2012 Olympics
• A local U.K. grocery remains open despite pressures to foreclose after launching social enterprise efforts
• White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives addresses international social enterprise initiatives, Rwanda

So cheers to the future, and really, what’s not love??

(ps: photo picked at random and happens to be listed on Foxhall Consulting Services‘ site who does consulting for social enterprises….see, the worlds are connecting already 😉 )

Social Marketing Association Petition

Have you always felt like you spent more time cultivating your online relationships than your real ones?

With applications like: Twittr, Facebook, LinkedIn, del.icio.us, Flickr, your work email, your personal email, your blog, Huddle, MySpace, Listservs, newsletters, Google Analytics, Digg, BlogLines, RSSFeeds, Sitemeter, Technorati, ETC.!

Managing and connecting with people online takes a lot of time, and at times, remains fragmented and disjointed. So, here is what I suggest: Merging the Two Worlds.

***

Social marketing circles have largely debated the creation of a social marketing association, whether or not we should be under the American Marketing Association and whether the Social Marketing Institute should be revived. But while I research that history, I’m seeing the UK and Canada formulate public sector marketing associations, centers, programs, and institutes. At least in Massachusetts, they have a Massachusetts Social Marketing Association.

So, I’m beginning a petition. If you would like to see or join a “Social Marketing Association,” please join me in signing this ipetition. Reversing the Field of Dreams philosophy, if the people come, it will be built. =)

For more information about this issue, refer to Nedra Weinreich’s posting about her shared frustration.

Again, join us by signing the ipetition here. Feel free to pass along the petition.

Future Social Marketers Unite

As the debate on the creation of a National Social Marketing Association continues, future social marketing and SM-related students/practitioners should check out FLiP (Future Leaders in Philanthropy). It is another online community that offers many great resources and connections for those exploring philanthropic related fields. According to the its homepage, FLiP’s mission statement includes:

We are the future leaders in philanthropy. By working together, we will further our careers, serve our organizations’ mission, and change the world. FLiP is dedicated to creating a community and a network where other future leaders can meet, learn, exchange ideas, and contribute to each other’s success.

They offer interviews with young professionals in a variety of social change/philanthropy related careers. They offers resources for further education, career guides, views from fellow interns, opportunities to network, online presence on Facebook, MySpace and AOL and much more.

This community is great for making connections with those who have related interests and goals. In the meantime, there is a Massachusetts Social Marketing Association and WOMMA (Word-of-Mouth-Marketing Association). However, a national social marketing association is still in progress. Nedra Weinreich, on her blog Spare Change, offers a better history about the creation of a professional social marketing society. Weinreich also offers her views on the status of such an organization. The big debate seems to rest on whether or not the SM Association should be underneath the AMA (American Marketing Association) or be its own separate identity.

As this blog has hinted at, I believe this relates to the ‘identity crisis’ that all of strategic communications is facing, whether commercial or not, in seeking universally accepted definitions. How do you draw the lines between what is and what is not advertising, marketing, dare I say journalism, corporate social responsibility, word of mouth marketing, social marketing, viral marketing, sponsorship, etc. I have my own ideas, of course. But, I’m more curious about learning what others think about this topic.

• Should social marketing have its own professional organization?
• How would you decide who could and could not join?
• Should it me under the AMA? If so, then should word-of-mouth-marketing also be under the AMA instead of having its own organization?
• ETC. There are much more questions than answers about this topic. Feel free to leave your own questions as comments.