A new Role for Social Marketing: Engaging the Publci with Science

Social Marketing has had a major impact on health promotion. Its implications for engaging the public with science, (science communication) are just as profound. This article demonstrates the rewards of Social Marketing - voluntary behavioural change for the greater good of the individual and society - for science communication. Research findings show the key challenge facing science communication is the total integration of multiple stakeholders, from government and state bodies, to schools, teachers, NGO's, commercial players and the general public - a total market approach. The authors conclude that Social Marketing offers significant innovative advantages over traditional science communication approaches due to its ability to reach the general public, not only at the level of interest and awareness, but also at the level of individual and systems behavioural change.