Social Marketing - Essay Example

?Social Marketing Social marketing refers to an approach that is used to cultivate those activities of which the primary aim is to maintain or changethe behavior of people for the benefit of society or individual. Social marketing provides actual or perceived value to the target market of social marketing intervention. Numbers of campaigns are developed by companies in order to provide this value to its target market. Two most relevant ads selected for this paper in order to study their social marketing campaign include: DTAC’s ‘Disconnect to Connect’ Campaign Nike’s ‘Find your Greatness’ Campaign DTAC’s ‘Disconnect to Connect’ Campaign DTAC is Thailand’s second largest cellular phone company, which is owned by Norwegian based company named as ‘Telenor’. Thailand is known for having its own way to respond and appreciate branding and advertising. In Thailand, every Thai can tell that using cell phones has become such a big problem. Almost every teenager owns a cell phone and hardly puts it down. Standup comedians make jokes about it. Newspapers highlight this issue. The issue exists there, everyone is aware that it is a big problem, yet no one takes an initiative about it. Being a foreign company, Telenor took a wise move. Telenor employs a prudent approach through an advertising agency located in Thailand, known as Y&R Thailand. It was responsible for handling ads for DTAC because only natives can understand the psyche of their audiences and the way they respond. In order to do so, DTAC composed an ad in order to address the issue of extra ordinary mobile usage and ignoring loved ones while using mobile phones. The slogan of the social marketing campaign of DTAC was named as ‘Disconnect to Connect’. The purpose of this ad was to encourage people to put down their cellular devices for face time with their family and friends. This spot showed users of mobile with invisible parent/child/companions/friends as they play guitar/drove or stand at bus stop with them. As soon as the person puts the device away, their child, loved one, or friend appear, adding warmth in their very moment as well as in their lives. Nowadays, addiction of mobile phones and Internet are leading to neglecting loved ones, family, and friends beside us. The message that the ad coveys is that while using mobile phones, not to forget loved ones that are present around. The ad of Thailand’s DTAC tells us to cherish the persons that are besides us. When using mobile phones, we forget the most important people that are in our surroundings but DTAC, despite of being a largest telecommunication company, teach us to STOP doing it, and make these beloved people feel how important they are. In true meaning, this advertisement complies with corporate social responsibility. Actors featured in this advertisement are what the target audience of DTAC is. They are more like upper middle class and middle class people. In addition, the actors are not extra ordinary good looking and are like those people that one sees in real on streets. These two elements of this advert make it easier for target market to relate them to this spot. The usage of aria helps in creating suspense and building climax of the advert. The ad did not include a well-known popular song that may steal the attention of the core message. Instead, the music serves as a tool for aiding additional communication. This campaign is a great example for tech companies in order to teach how to ‘De-tech’. Instead of being exhausted by the over usage of technology, people now should spend more mindful and meaningful time offline. Nike’s ‘Find your Greatness’ Campaign The slogan of Nike’s social marketing campaign read as ‘Find Your Greatness’. This ad was composed and launched during London Olympics 2011. In this ad, Nike is taking advantage of Olympic coverage and alert television audience. The fitness brand was not an official sponsor of Olympics but their well-placed and well-timed ads stood at the top of the viral chart whereas Adidas, the official sponsor landed at number three. Without showing a perfect breaststroke, a single flag, a gold medal ceremony, Nike apprehended all the emotions of the Olympics Games without writing for a sponsorship check. This ad caters broader audience by not focusing who you are; a couch potato dad, an unfit mom, a seasoned runner, self-conscious teen. Whosoever is watching, this ad lights a fire to get up and move, make yourself a priority and take care of yourself. This ad aspires to find and define your own greatness. The words of the ad state that not just record breaker or championship athlete inspires to push their limits. It is all about those everyday athletes that strive to excel their own set standards and personal goals. They achieve their own defined greatness. The insight of Nike’s ad demonstrates a powerful message to encourage everyone who intends to achieve his or her own greatness in sport. The centerpiece of the social marketing campaign of Nike is that it was widely promoted by digital channel and social networking websites. According to Greg Hoffman, VP of Communication and Brand Designs of Nike, “The idea behind 'Find Your Greatness' is simply to inspire and energize everyday athletes everywhere to celebrate their achievements, participate and enjoy the thrill of achieving in sport at their own level.” This ad teaches its audience that if we are able to face our fears, then it means that we are heading towards right direction, even if the direction seems upside down. It further teaches that in order to be a great athlete, one does not need official uniforms, official net, official courts, grand celebrations, or bright lights. It is not about biggest players or biggest stadiums. It is all about pursuit of greatness that lies within all of us. The ad demonstrates that if greatness does not come knocking at your door, probably it is high time that you should be standing up to knock on its door. Nike’s social marketing campaign attempted to differentiate itself from Adidas by featuring amateur athletes than that of professional athletes as shown in Adidas’ ad. In this way, Nike aimed to highlight the concept that greatness and achievement can come from any place and any person and is “not reserved for chosen few.” Instead, it is something that everyone is capable of. The aria of this ad is thrilling and energizing. It begins with a slow music that reaches high beats as the ad proceeds further. It creates an exhilarating motivation within an individual and drives them towards thinking about their greatness and attempting to achieve it. This social marketing campaign of Nike declares that everyone has the capability of achieving greatness and success even though they consider themselves as not as special or important than professional athletes. We are proud to live in a society where stereotypes and societal barriers are continuously pushed back, by projecting and reminding us through such ad campaigns that we must try to overcome our flaws and achieve greatness. Works Cited David Gianatasio, 2012. Nike Looking for Greatness in Ordinary People and Places Olympic-timed work, for once, is celeb-free [online] Available at: [Accessed on 28 November 2013] DTAC Disconnect To Connect., 2010. [online] Available at: [Accessed on 28 November 2013] Fauna, 2011. DTAC Disconnect To Connect [online] Available at: [Accessed on 28 November 2013] Goldman, Robert, and Stephen Papson. 1996. Advertising in the Age of Accelerated Meaning p. 82-98. Klein, Naomi, 2000. Chapter 3: Alt.Everything. No Logo. New York: Picador USA, p. 63-85. Leiss, William, Jackie Botterill, Stephen Kline, and Sut Jhally., 2005. Social Communication in Advertising: Consumption in the Mediated Marketplace. New York: Routledge. Muses, Meghna., 2013. DTAC Disconnect To Connect. [online] Available at: [Accessed on 28 November 2013] Naeem, Farrukh., 2012. Nike Launches Find Your Greatness Campaign in Social Media during London 2012 Olympics – Inspiring Videos, Scripts, Copywriting [online] Available at: [Accessed on 28 November 2013] Nike 2012: Find Your Greatness? 2013. [online] Available at: [Accessed on 28 November 2013] Nike Inc., 2012. Nike Launches “Find Your Greatness” Campaign [online]. Available at: [Accessed on 28 November 2013] NIKE: FIND YOUR GREATNESS., n.d. [online] Available at: < http://www.creamglobal.com/search/17798/30247/nike-find-your-greatness/1> [Accessed on 28 November 2013] Zammit, Deanna., 2011.Thailand’s DTAC encourages people to De-Tech. [online] Available at: [Accessed on 28 November 2013] Read More