Understanding “Place” in Social Marketing

Abstract

Critiques of the social marketing literature have suggested the place strategy is a key component within the 4 Ps of the marketing mix that simultaneously has been misunderstood and underutilized. This study sought to conduct a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature to better understand how place has been conceptualized and operationalized over multiple decades. Application of inclusion criteria resulted in a sample of 84 articles published from 1988 to 2015 representing work in 20 different countries in North America, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. Content analysis showed that almost half (46.4%) of the descriptions of place strategies operationalized the component by including at least one element of placing messages within communication channels or information delivery such as print, interpersonal, traditional broadcast, or digital. The heavy emphasis on communication channels and information delivery contrasts sharply with definitions of place that thought leaders have offered historically. Results revealed that authors from the United States especially have a tendency to operationalize place as message placement. Discussion speculates on why conceptualization and operationalization have diverged and considers the implications for clarity within the field of social marketing as a whole.

Food marketing to children in Canada: a settings-based scoping review on exposure, power and impact

“…Place is often misinterpreted as the location of marketing messages, which is in fact a component of promotion. 16 A more accurate definition of place, from a marketing perspective, is the location where behaviours are performed or related goods and services are acquired. 5 In the context of food marketing, place may represent where we eat, purchase or learn about food.…”

Publicité alimentaire destinée aux enfants : examen de la portée de l’exposition, du pouvoir et des répercussions selon le contexte

“…On peut donc s'attendre à ce que les règlements qui négligent la distribution n'aient pas d'impact décisif sur l'exposition des enfants à la publicité alimentaire ou sur le pouvoir qu'elle exerce sur eux. On inter prète souvent à tort la distribution comme étant la localisation des messages publici taires, alors que celleci fait plutôt partie de la promotion 16 . Du point de vue du marke ting, il serait plus exact de définir la distri bution comme étant le lieu où les comportements ont lieu, ou bien celui où les biens et les services qui leur sont reliés sont acquis 5 .…”

Giants, Silos, and Bridges

“…Positioning a paper within the literature typically begins in the introductory sections of the paper, where existing literature is reviewed and gaps are identified to set up the research questions (e.g., Edgar, Huhman, & Miller, 2015, 2017) or, for case studies, the need for the intervention (e.g., Glassman, Dodd, Miller, & Braun, 2010). Research papers and case studies complete this positioning in the discussion or implications sections of the paper.…”

“…Research papers and case studies complete this positioning in the discussion or implications sections of the paper. Depending on the content, authors may choose to overtly state the work’s contribution to the literature (e.g., Edgar, Huhman, & Miller, 2015) or discuss how the work contradicts, expands on, and/or reinforces previous work by the authors themselves or others (e.g., Edgar, Huhman, & Miller, 2017; Glassman, Dodd, Miller, & Braun, 2010; Kassirer, Korteland, & Pedersen, 2014).…”