Why the Social Marketing vs. Social Media Marketing Debate is Far From Academic

Aug 24th, 2009 by Fard Johnmar

Learn the Truth About Social Marketing (Click to Enlarge)

Learn the Truth About Social Marketing (Click to Enlarge)

Wordle Text Content Sources: Wikipedia, Weinreich Communications
Social Marketing Truth bitly links to Nedra Weinreich’s article Social Marketing vs. “Social Marketing” Smackdown

Did the image above grab your attention?  I hope so.  (If you haven’t looked at it yet, do so now.)

I hope you forgive my poor design skills (and hyperbole), but I developed this poster to draw fresh attention to the ongoing social marketing vs. social media marketing debate.  While some may believe it is pointless, recent events prove otherwise.

In July, the United Kingdom’s Telegraph newspaper reported that National Health Service (NHS) officials were planning on spending “£30 million on [a] Twitter and Facebook marketing campaign.” Politicians and activists reacted in fury.  For example, MP Dr. John Pugh called the NHS misguided and argued that “this amount of money could be spent on far better things than social networking and flashy websites . . . [which] do not make people better.”

Never mind Dr. Pugh’s ignorance about the benefits of social networking sites for health, critics of the NHS effort are woefully misinformed.  It turns out that NHS is not spending scads of money to post content on Twitter.  Instead, the cash is being used to recruit marketing agencies to help the agency develop a range of social marketing campaigns designed to improve health and transform behavior.

The confusion about the difference between social media marketing and social marketing started back in 2006.  During this period, organizations like Jupiter Research (now a part of Forrester Research) started to use the term to refer to their social media practices and activities.  Since then many people have begun to use the term social marketing when they mean social media marketing.

Some social marketers have grumbled about this state of affairs for years.  Others seem resigned to the status quo.  However, the NHS flap indicates this may be a mistake. Could confusion lead to reduced support among policymakers for social marketing, and consequently, lost lives?  While one incident does not make a trend, perhaps social marketers should be moving more aggressively to ensure the field is described accurately. Perhaps it’s time for a social marketing campaign for social marketing?

I’m quite sure the smart folks building the global social marketing association are thinking about this issue.  I’d love to hear your take.

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Read More from Walking the Path:

  1. Ask Living the Path: What Does Social Marketing Look Like?
  2. Why the PR Should Own Social Media Debate is a Waste of Time
  3. Tools You Can Use: Planning, Approving and Evaluating a Pharmaceutical Social Media Marketing Initiative

Posted in Social Marketing, Social Media

13 Responses to “Why the Social Marketing vs. Social Media Marketing Debate is Far From Academic”

  1. Alex, aka Socialbutterfly says:
    August 24, 2009 at 10:24 pm

    Glad to see another group add a point to the real social marketing and behavior change side of the confusion. A growing group of us is working to address the growth of the social marketing org online, we welcome supporters and added helpers if you want to get involved. @chiefmaven or @sm1guru would be a great first initial contact.

  2. Fard Johnmar says:
    August 24, 2009 at 10:31 pm

    Alex:

    Thanks for your note. Craig and I are already talking about various and sundry topics, so I’ll add this one to the list.

  3. Twitter Trackbacks for Walking the Path » Blog Archive » Why the Social Marketing vs. Social Media Marketing Debate is Far From [pathoftheblueeye.com] on Topsy.com says:
    August 25, 2009 at 11:37 am

    [...] Walking the Path » Blog Archive » Why the Social Marketing vs. Social Media Marketing Debate is Fa… blog.pathoftheblueeye.com/2009/08/24/why-the-social-marketing-vs-social-media-marketing-debate-is-far-from-academic – view page – cached Smashing Silos & Encouraging Collaboration in Health Marketing Communications — From the page [...]

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