Social Marketing Applied

Health promotion campaigns in the late 1980s began applying social marketing in practice. Notable early developments took place in Australia. These included the Victoria Cancer Council developing its anti-tobacco campaign "Quit" (1988), and "SunSmart" (1988), its campaign against skin cancer which had the slogan Slip! Slop! Slap!.[2]

WorkSafe Victoria, a state-run Occupational Health and Safety organization in Australia has used social marketing as a driver in its attempts to reduce the social and human impact of workplace safety failings. In 2006, it ran 'Homecomings', a popular campaign that was later adopted in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, and named the 2007 Australian Marketing Institute Marketing Program of the Year[3]

DanceSafe followed the ideas of social marketing in its communication practices.[citation needed]

On a wider front, by 2007, Government in the United Kingdom announced the development of its first social marketing strategy for all aspects of health.[4]

Two other public health applications include the CDC's CDCynergy training and software application,[5] and SMART (Social Marketing and Assessment Response Tool).[6]

Social marketing theory and practice has been progressed in several countries such as the U.S, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK, and in the latter a number of key Government policy papers have adopted a strategic social marketing approach. Publications such as 'Choosing Health' in 2004,[4] 'It's our health!' in 2006; and 'Health Challenge England' in 2006, all represent steps to achieve both a strategic and operational use of social marketing. In India, especially in Kerala, AIDS controlling programmes are largely using social marketing and social workers are largely working for it. Most of the social workers are professionally trained for this particular task.[citation needed]