They don’t like us?

Recently the local newspaper for Hendon reported on the launch of the new MA in Health & Social Marketing at Middlesex University. Within a few hours, there were some rather interesting comments on their website about the degree - calling it “a degree in Political Correctness” or “Masters of Dictatorship”.

Of course, marketing of any denomination is about influencing behaviour in some way. And social marketing is about - well influencing behaviour for the better, ultimately for all of us. And yes, the government does play a large role in social marketing - though by no means an exclusive one!

But then badly planned or executed social marketing campaigns can backfire - big time (actually, not only social marketing campaigns for that matter!) And the results of years of often well-meaning but often amateurish campaigns of the “I tell you and you do” sort is probably exactly why in a recent survey only about 6% of people trusted government advice.
Bad news? Well yes,… because it means professional social marketers face a tough uphill struggle: Not only to convince people to be more responsible for their own wellbeing but also to work in an environment that is seeing their work increasingly hostile. Not an easy task!

Photo Credit: Scott M. Bennett.

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