Communicating Causes

Edited by Nicky Garsten, Ian Bruce

“Never before has a fundamental PR strategy and practice for charities been so important. Public trust in charities has plummeted over the last few years after several major crises have saturated media channels. PR strategy for "Communicating Causes" looks at effective strategy and practice of PR in the modern non-profit.” Find out more.

UK Civil Society Almanac 2018

Since its launch, the Almanac has provided strong evidence of the significant contribution made by the voluntary sector. This year’s 17th edition serves as an important reminder of the depth, breadth and impact of the sector, at a time when its credentials are being questioned. Find out more.

UK Giving

CAF (Charities Aid Foundation) has just published UK Giving its the largest study of giving behaviour in the UK. This year’s report interviewed over 12,000 people across the UK in 2017, to produce a more in-depth analysis than ever before at patterns of giving. Find out more.

Social Marketing Quarterly 

Social Marketing Quarterly (SMQ), peer-reviewed and published quarterly, is a scholarly, international journal focused exclusively on the theoretical, research and practical issues confronting academics and practitioners who use marketing principles and techniques to benefit society.

Published in association with FHI360, SMQ targets social marketers, communicators, social science professionals and others who change the world through protecting the environment and improving people's health, safety, and financial well-being. SMQ publishes research studies, case studies, conference notices, essays, editorials, interviews, book reviews, and other relevant news regarding social marketing efforts around the world.
You can sign up for email alerts the release of new issues and receive articles online.

Journal of Social Marketing

The Journal of Social Marketing is available to CIM members to view online, via the CIM library. Simply log into to 'MyCIM'  select the ‘Resources’ tab then select 'Emerald Group Publishing' and search Journal of Social Marketing.

Third Sector

Third Sector is a journal that is available to CIM members to view online, via the CIM library. Simply log into to 'MyCIM'  under ‘Resources & tools’ select ‘EBSCO’ and enter ‘Third Sector’ / SO Publication Name and revise your search as required.

How to increase behaviour change

Since 2012 we have known that behavioural change is more likely when more of social marketing’s principles (also referred to as benchmarks) are used. This is a finding that has since been replicated by an independent scientific research team based in Canada.

Armed with this knowledge the Social Marketing @Griffith team embarked on an ambitious program to document the extent of use of social marketing’s core components. You can review the use of social marketing principles in alcohol reduction programmes here. (With kind permission of Griffith Business School)

Sugar Tax

Source: BBC  6 April 2018
The government introduced the Sugar Tax from the start of April as part of the national obesity strategy. The tax raises the debate about how much government should intervene in influencing people’s behaviour: should dietary behaviours be left to free choice (an argument food producers promote) or do the government have a duty to intervene to help people make healthier choices and reduce the demand on the health service from unhealthy lifestyles. 

Plastic Bag Tax 

Source: BBC 21 March 2018

A tax that has had an impact on the public’s behaviour is the plastic bag tax. Charges on supermarket carrier bags have led to an 80 per cent drop in plastic bag use across England. With the increasing awareness of the damage plastic is doing to the marine environment and the prediction that plastic in the ocean is going to triple in a decade  the attention is moving onto how we can reduce the use of, and disposing of plastic bottles.

Public perceptions of the introduction of the single-use carrier bags charge in Scotland

Source:  Social Business, 1 June 2017

This article analyses the comments of consumers concerning the introduction of a minimum charge on single-use carrier bags in Scotland through The Single Use Carrier Bags Charge (Scotland) Regulations 2014. By;  Adekunle Oke, Aberdeen Business School, Robert Gordon University, UK Sarah Pedersen, School of Creative and Cultural Business, Robert Gordon University, UK* Seonaidh McDonald, Aberdeen Business School, Robert Gordon University, UK.

The full article is available to CIM Members via MyCIM then search on EBSCO.

History of social marketing in Europe 

Source: Social Marketing Quarterly

This article presents the ways in which social marketing has been used in Europe, the contribution it has made to tackling major health issues, and the challenges it has faced. The extent to which social marketing is used varies greatly across Europe, although the past decade has seen a rise in EU-wide funded Social Marketing Programs.

History of social marketing in Europe 

Changing Minds about Changing behaviour

Source: The Lancet

Most of us value our health highly, yet act in ways that undermine it. If we ate and drank less, didn't smoke, and were physically more active, 40% of cancers and 75% of diabetes and cardiovascular disease would be avoided.

Changing Minds about Changing behaviour 

Effectiveness review

Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine  

A systematic review of the effectiveness of behaviour change interventions for reducing non-occupational sedentary behaviour in adults and older adults

effectiveness review

Harnessing the power of prosocial emotions for our future successful selves - 

Source: Behavioural Scientist- 

An interview with David DeSteno, a professor of psychology at Northeastern University, about his new book, Emotional Success: The Power of Gratitude, Compassion, and Pride  where he explores how certain prosocial emotions, such as gratitude, compassion, and pride, can help us succeed in life when things like rationality and willpower power fall short.

Read the article.

Corporate Social Responsibility by Philip Kotler and Nancy Lee

Today, corporations are expected to give something back to their communities in the form of charitable projects. In Corporate Social Responsibility, Philip Kotler, one of the world's foremost voices on business and marketing, and co-author Nancy Lee explain why charity is both good P.R. and good for business. They show business leaders how to choose social causes, design charity initiatives, gain employee support, and evaluate their efforts. They also provide all the best practices and cutting-edge ideas that leaders need to maximize their contributions to social causes and do the most good. With personal stories from twenty-five business leaders from socially responsible companies, this is the bible for today's good corporate citizen.

Available from the CIM bookshop. 

The Promise of Social Marketing: A Powerful Tool for Changing the World for Good, by Chahid Fourali

Social marketing is an exciting new field of study that promises much to help alleviate many dilemmas of the human condition. It may be associated with any social project undertaken where human interests (short and long term) override commercial ones. The Promise of Social Marketingexamines the potential of this new field to help address effectively local and global issues that most nations are grappling with. It clarifies the history, philosophies, disciplines and techniques associated with best practice and highlights the need to engage with this field to help develop it further, so as to benefit humanity as a whole.

There is an ongoing debate about the nature of marketing and whether it is able to fulfil or adapt to both commercial and social objectives. The unifying view is that marketing is a tool that can be used for individual, organizational or social benefits, and the aim of this book is to introduce the reader to an approach that is developing into a promising and rich new science, currently known as Social Marketing. It is a tool that brings hope to improving the world for good.

The book guides the reader, step by step, demonstrating how this promising area can be applied to aims as diverse as HIV/AIDS prevention, responsible (global) citizenship, conflict resolution or the promotion of a worthwhile education. It will be of interest to not only those who study marketing, management, business ethics, education and public policy but anybody who’s interest is in improving the human condition.

Available from the CIM bookshop.