ATLAS Communications | Media - Social Marketing

Social marketing is the term given to programmes and projects which aim to change people's behaviour - for the good of wider society.  That behaviour change can be for a health benefit (eg. giving up smoking, eating more fuit & veg or exercising more) or for an environmental benefit (eg. recycling, using public transport, reducing your carbon emmissions).

To many people it is a new and trendy term but the phrase 'social marketing' was first coined back in 1971 by Philip Kotler in an article which said, "social marketing is a promising framework for social change".  Behaviour change campaigns have been around for a very long time.  The first recorded campiagn was in 1721 when a Rev.  Mather launched a campaign to immuibise against Smallpox.

Atlas Communications & Media are experts in social marketing. We have been working in the communications field for over 15 years - often engaged in programmes and projects which have a behaviour change objective. After graduating from RGU in Aberdeen, Principle Janet MacDonald started her career in the broadcasting industry - working for BBC, ITV and Channel 4 - before emigrating to New Zealand in 1997.  As well as practical experience in both the planning and implementing of social marketing campaigns we have worked with organisations who wish to adopt a strategic social approach across their organisation.  Read more about our approach.

Atlas Communications were the first (and currently the only) company to offer specialist social marketing training in New Zealand.  These have been delivered all over New Zealand and from June 2008, Janet will be basing herslf in Edinburgh, Scotland where she will continue to run workshops.  More info

We have also undertaken extensive literature reviews in the field together with rigourous and extensive case-study analysis.  Janet has attended international conferences and contributed material to the upcoming book, Social Marketing: Theory and Practise (due out September 2008) as well as writing a number of articles.