CHAPTER TWO
What Is Social Marketing?
Alan R. Andreasen
It may seem odd to begin the first volume of a set of books on social mar-
keting with a chapter devoted to the definition of the central term; how-
ever, it turns out that both the perception and practice of social
marketing—and the discipline of marketing itself—has been affected dra-
matically over the years by what is meant by the term. It is also the case
that the emergence of the field in the early 1970s served to raise funda-
mental questions about the definition of the origin field of marketing itself.
Chapters found in Volume 2 of this set will trace the historical chronology
of the field and set forth the theories and models used by practitioners at
various points in time. However, it is critical that the reader begin with an
appreciation of the formal definitions of the field that have been advanced
over the years, and what those definitions have meant to how social mar-
keting is carried out today and how social marketing is perceived by both
casual observers and potential users. As will be discussed, debates articu-
lating and defending an agreed-upon definition have helped the field inte-
grate a diverse range of scientific, managerial, and substantive interests.
The fact that scholars and practitioners alike have seen the need to agree
on what social marketing is—and what it is not—has done much to ad-
vance the stature and permanence of the field.
Definitions in general can serve several purposes for social science and for
the practitioners who seek to carry out activities that the social science en-
compasses. Definitions about fields of study and practice serve to establish
intellectual boundaries. They state what is included and what is excluded in
real-world investigations, argumentation, and advancements. Additionally,
definitions help individuals choose careers because they suggest broad goals
