Social Marketing for Sustainable Mobility
By Sebastian Bamberg, University of Applied Science Bielefeld
September 2011
Key words: Mobility behaviour, mobility management, social marketing
When – hopefully based on a detailed needs assessment – policy makers and practitioners
have made the decision to implement a new mobility related measure or service, social marketing is a science based technique for systematically developing and implementing these
measures, as well as evaluating their effectiveness. This knowledge unit provides a short introduction to the logic underlying this approach.
Social Marketing is defined as “the application of commercial marketing technologies to the analysis,
planning, execution, and evaluation of programs designed to influence the voluntary behaviour of
target audiences, in order to improve their personal welfare and that of society” (Andreasen 1995, p.
7). Social Marketing goes beyond informing or persuading people, to reinforcing behaviour with incentives and other benefits. It differs from commercial marketing because the people who gain from it are
members of the target audience. Thus, organisations (like public transport companies), use social
marketing for promoting benefits to the whole society (better mobility services, better air, less pollution), or, to specific social sub-groups (children, old, poor or handicapped people).
Principal features
Social marketing is an approach for practically planning behaviour change campaigns; see the showcases “Munich” and “Oregon” for more information. As an approach that promotes behaviour change
through voluntary exchange and positive reinforcement, social marketing borrows substantively from
scientific behaviour theory. Behavioural theory offers insights into the current behaviour of target market member groups, and what might influence or change that behaviour. For example, a social marketer who uses Social Cognitive Theory as the theoretical basis for campaign development, might
examine how the two central constructs of this theory (self-efficacy = perceived own ability to perform
a behaviour, behavioural expectations = positive / negative outcome subjectively associated with a
behaviour) influence the target group’s decision to perform the behaviour of interest.
Social marketing programs are generally “consumer-driven”; that is, they aim to serve a defined target
group. To avoid delineating the target market in an overly broad manner, social marketing practitioners segment a larger, heterogeneous target market into smaller subgroups. Market segmentation is
the process of dividing a target audience into these more homogenous subgroups with distinct, unifying characteristics and needs. For example, factors such as regional location, ethnicity, gender, habits, readiness for change, or media uses, could be used to segment the larger audience of car users.
Page 1
SOCIAL MARKETING FOR SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY Social marketing seeks to identify patterns that distinguish one target group from another, in order to
effectively target marketing strategies. Social marketing campaigns are based on two kinds of analyses: segmentation- and competitive analysis.
Example of segmentation in the mobility domain
Anable (2005) has applied psycho-graphic segmentation to car use at the Scotland-wide level. The
survey used 19 attitude statements and contextual constraints to identify segments. Seven distinct car
user groups were found, each with varying degrees of mode switching potential (see Fig. 1).
Fig. 1:
An example of different car user segments (Anable, 2005)
Each group represents a unique combination of preferences, worldviews and attitudes, indicating that
different groups need to be serviced in different ways to optimise the chance of influencing mode
choice behaviour. The most important distinguishing factors perceived were difficulty in not using the
car, the personal obligation not to use a polluting transport means felt, psychological attachment to
the car (including viewing the car as a status symbol), and habitual behaviour. It therefore identifies
which participants may be most susceptible to travel behaviour change and the main barriers and
drivers of this change.
Overall, the analysis illustrated that at least 40% of the population have a high propensity to switch
modes, albeit for different reasons. This implies that future travel campaigns would not use 'one size
fits all' messages, but would target certain sector motivations and perceptions, such as the stress of
driving, or the desire to be less dependent on the car. The segmentation suggests that it may be most
productive to (i) encourage those who already use alternative modes (e.g. aspiring environmentalists)
to use them a little more, (ii) encourage those who express a willingness to reduce car travel (e.g.
Page 2 BY SEBASTIAN BAMBERG, UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES BIELEFELD malcontent motorists) to begin experimenting with alternative modes, perhaps by providing assistance
and encouragement in choosing another way, and (iii) endeavour to raise the level of travel awareness of those with currently unrealised potential for 'switchability' (e.g. car complacents). In order to
target this information most effectively, the attitudinal data would be coupled with further information
relating to such things as geographical distribution of the segments and the types of information most
typically accessed.
Besides segmentation analysis, practitioners also conduct a competitive analysis, to learn about the
environment in which members of the target market are making decisions concerning behaviour. This
analysis examines competing behaviours being promoted to the target market, (for example, messages encouraging people to use public transport with messages about using the car). It also investigates how consumer decisions are shaped by factors such as their social and physical surroundings,
or their economic situation.
Central precondition: the right mixture of the four “Ps”
Based on these analyses for the target groups, a social marketing process involves identifying an
effective “marketing mix” of the four “Ps“: product, price, place, and promotion.

Product (the right kind of behavioural change) includes not only the behaviour that is being
promoted, but also the benefits that go along with it.

Price (an exchange of benefits and costs) refers to barriers or costs involved in adopting the
behaviour (e.g., money, time, effort).

Place (making new behaviour easy to do) is about making the “product” accessible and
convenient. It means delivering benefits in the right place at the right time.

Promotion (delivering the message to the audience) is how the practitioner notifies the target
market of the product, as well as its benefits, reasonable cost, and convenience.
The optimal marketing mix produces a timely exchange that heightens benefits, reduces barriers, and
offers a better choice than the competition. The social marketer explores what benefits are of most
interest to target market members and develops strategies and methods accordingly.
Evaluation
Evaluation is a critical and ongoing component of social marketing programs. Already during the development phase of a campaign, social marketers use judgements of target group representatives to
develop and refine concepts, messages, products, services, pricing, and distribution channels, before
they are fully implemented (so-called formative evaluation). For this purpose, often qualitative methods are used, such as focus groups or key informant interviews, to pre-test marketing concepts, messages, and materials in a cost-effective manner. They may also pilot-test materials with individuals
who share characteristics with the target market, in order to verify their effectiveness, identify diverse
channels for delivering the message, and measure outcomes. Process evaluation methods are used
to track program outputs and processes during implementation. Social marketers also conduct summative research, often in the form of outcomes monitoring. This analysis compares the program’s
Page 3 SOCIAL MARKETING FOR SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY objectives with its immediate and long-term outcomes to determine what worked, what didn’t, and
whether the program was cost-effective.
Scientific References
Anable, J., 2005. 'Complacent Car Addicts' or 'Aspiring Environmentalists'? Identifying travel behaviour segments using attitude theory. Transport Policy, 12, pp. 65-78.
Andreasen, A., 1995. Marketing Social Change: Changing Behavior to Promote Health, Social Development, and the Environment. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass.
Websites
MAX-Tag –The travel awareness campaign guide. Available at:
http://www.epomm.eu/index.phtml?ID=2179&id=2213 [Accessed 19 September 2011].
Page 4