What can social marketing learn from Dirichlet theory patterns in a physical activity context?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to explore whether patterns suggested in Dirichlet theory can be observed in a single behaviour change context, namely, physical activity; second, to provide implications for social marketing practice based on the Dirichlet theory patterns observed in a social context of physical activity. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 1,459 respondents residing within 20 kilometres of the Melbourne Central Business District participated in an online survey. The questions in the survey included items relating to respondents’ self-reported physical activity. Findings – The results of the current study indicate that Dirichlet patterns can be observed in social contexts such as physical activity. Research limitations/implications – The sample in this study cannot be considered to be demographically representative of the target population and the physical activity categories selected for this study were limited to the most popular activities and a category level and whole of sample assessment. Practical implications – To encourage participation in physical activity social marketers need to promote and offer a broad range of physical activity options to increase overall physical activity participation. This is a substantial change from current social marketing practice where one form of physical activity is typically promoted. Originality/value – This research indicates that commercial marketing theories may be extended to a social marketing context thereby overcoming social marketing’s health myopia. The current study is the first to apply Dirichlet theory in full to a social marketing setting, namely, physical activity.