A commercial marketing agency is paid for producing a campaign (regardless of the end results, once management and the board like it, they’ll receive payment). Meanwhile, a social marketing agency continues to receive clients/projects and thus funding based on its ability to produce social marketing campaigns with positive results. While social marketers receive the additional benefit of positively impacting lives, there is also a real financial benefit to producing the campaign. I don’t believe we live in a purely altruistic world.

Perception also plays a part when considering audience benefit. I think it can be argued that in either case the people/ groups targeted “feel” like they have had their needs (whether good or bad–no judgment) met. They have received some benefit.

This doesn’t mean that any marketing by nonprofits is social marketing; nonprofit marketing may in fact be more similar to commercial marketing in that effective fundraising ultimately benefits the nonprofit itself with the behaviors promoted primarily being donations (though hopefully down the line the people the nonprofit serves do get the benefit as well - it’s just more indirect).

HHS in the States recently launched the “Be Active Your Way” collaborative blog to promote and generate conversations about physical activity.