Why can’t we be friends? Bridging the academic/practitioner gap in social marketing

Abstract

Purpose In this paper we (a pracademic, a practitioner, and an academic) aim to explore the academic/practitioner gap in social marketing and offer recommendations to close it, while amplifying existing examples of best practice from within the field. We also propose a research agenda to spur dialog and guide further investigations in this area. Insights from prior research, coupled with the co-authors’ experience and observations, indicate that a disconnect does exist between academia and practice within social marketing, though it is admittedly and unsurprisingly not uniform across contexts and disciplinary areas. Given social marketing’s identity as a practice-oriented field, there are many existing examples of academic/practitioner collaboration and the successful linkage of theory and practice that deserve to be amplified. However, the challenges associated with the very different systems and structures affecting both worlds mean the disconnect is problematic enough to warrant systematic change to ensure the two worlds are more aligned. Design/methodology/approach This paper (a pracademic, a practitioner and an academic) explores the academic/practitioner gap in social marketing and offer recommendations to close it, while amplifying existing examples of best practice from within the field. The authors also propose a research agenda to spur dialog and guide further investigations in this area. Findings The authors suggest five key reasons that focus should be placed upon closing the academic/practitioner gap in social marketing: demonstrating societal value by contributing to practice; embedding and developing theories in practice; adding to the social marketing literature; contributing to social marketing teaching; and communicating the value and effectiveness of social marketing. To close the gap, the authors propose specific recommendations within four broad areas: marketing the academia and practitioner collaboration offer; building ongoing relationships; creating collaborative partnerships; and changing the publishing model ensuring communications are accessible to all. They also suggest ways for social marketing associations and peak bodies to play a role. Originality/value The concept of a disconnect between academia and practice is by no means new; it has been a pervasive issue across disciplines for decades. However, this issue has not been the subject of much discussion within the social marketing literature. Recommendations outlined in this paper serve as a starting point for discussion. The authors also acknowledge that due to long standing “bright spots” in the field, numerous examples currently exist. They place an emphasis upon highlighting these examples while illuminating a path forward.

Tackling the social marketing formative research bottleneck: comparative analysis of the complementary nature of community-generated personas and focus groups

“…This study serves an important role for social marketing research and practice. Specifically, it addresses the gap that often exists between academics and practitioners and builds on recommendations associated with bringing rigor into practice, promoting academic contribution to real-world issues, building collaborative partnerships and addressing pertinent issues of the day for practice (Foote et al, 2023). The most important element of this mix is the ability to contribute to social marketing practice, by sharing and validating the utility of a tool (persona-building) that will improve social marketers' ability to know more about their audiences when time is of the essence and formative research is ongoing.…”

“…This study serves an important role for social marketing research and practice. Specifically, it addresses the gap that often exists between academics and practitioners and builds on recommendations associated with bringing rigor into practice, promoting academic contribution to real-world issues, building collaborative partnerships and addressing pertinent issues of the day for practice (Foote et al. , 2023).…”