Online Program

333303
Social marketing vs. social media: Unfolding the differences for health promotion audiences


Monday, November 2, 2015 : 10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

Tali Schneider, MPH, CHES, Community andn Family Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Brian J. Biroscak, PhD, MS, MA, Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT
Carol A. Bryant, PhD, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
James H. Lindenberger, BA, Social Marketing Group, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Mahmooda Khaliq, PhD, MHS, CPH, Community and Family Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Alyssa Mayer, MPH, CPH, Florida Prevention Research Center, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Robert J. McDermott, PhD, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
background. Social marketing adapts traditional commercial marketing principles to promote voluntary social and behavioral change. Some public health authorities have used it to plan evidence-based interventions, bring health products to market, and improve service delivery. It has been used successfully to address smoking prevention, family planning, poor nutrition, breastfeeding reticence, and physical inactivity. Specific objectives included in Healthy People 2020 (HP 2020) seek to expand its use by state health departments, teach its principles in schools of public health, and catalyze its presence in professional development initiatives. However, the spiraling popularity of social media has created confusion about these two distinct strategies.

methods. Using social marketing's eight benchmarks, we are employing case examples of social marketing and social media to improve differentiation of the characteristics and applications of each. This presentation addresses issues related to misunderstandings between social marketing and social media that threaten achievement of the stated HP 2020 objectives.

results. Public health professionals are subjected to misinformation about social marketing. Whereas social media can be employed as a strategy in social marketing initiatives, both terms often are used interchangeably by lay and public health communities. Public health professionals who claim to apply social marketing in their work, but instead are utilizing social media alone, may be missing opportunities for more targeted audience reach and effectiveness.     

conclusion. Education of public health students and professionals is necessary to clarify the misunderstandings between social marketing and social media. Such effort will improve the likelihood of realizing the HP 2020 objectives.

Learning Areas:

Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
Explain the principles of the social marketing approach in public health Identify how the eight benchmarks of social marketing distinguish it from social media Differentiate between how social marketing and social media interventions reach different audiences

Keyword(s): Social Marketing, Social Media

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: In the past five years I served as a research associate at the Florida Prevention Research Center and the Social Marketing Group at the College of Public Health addressing issues related to adolescents’ asthma, teen pregnancy, mobile technology in health care, and obesity prevention that utilize the social marketing approach. I received MPH diploma in health education and a social marketing graduate certificate from USF. Currently, I working on PhD in Research and Evaluation, USF.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.