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Social Marketing Resources

On this page:

Associations and Organizations

American Marketing Association
The American Marketing Association has 38,000 members worldwide in every area of marketing. The AMA Web site, MarketingPower.com, offers a wide array of information including research, case studies and best practices in marketing. AMA publishes marketing journals and magazines, and the organization will be holding a nonprofit marketing conference in July 2004 in Washington, DC.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office of Communication
The CDC Office of Communication along with communication directors and staff throughout CDC provide expert consultation and research using the social marketing approach. This Web site offers practitioners “best bet” resources on social marketing.

Robert Wood Johnson Turning Point Social Marketing Collaborative*
The mission of this collaborative is to provide national leadership to achieve social marketing integration as a routine part of public health practice at all levels. This Web site includes a “Social Marketing 101" online PowerPoint presentation as well as a social marketing resource guide.

Audience Segmentation

Segmenting Audiences to Promote Energy Balance: A Resource Guide for Health ProfessionalsPDF file (PDF-3.2Mb)
This resource guide describes audience segmentation and five “energy balance” segments developed from Porter Novelli’s ConsumerStyles© and HealthStyles© survey databases. The segmentation framework characterizes U.S. adults according to attitudes and behaviors concerning nutrition, physical activity, and weight control. The guide also includes an application section, detailed data tables, and a ten-question survey (with analysis tools*) that classifies respondents into one of the five segments.
*One analysis tool is the MS Excel Segment Analysis Tool. XLS file (XLS-26k) See PDF file, particularly Appendix D, for more information.


Case Studies

Case Studies in Social Marketing
These case studies provide real-life examples of how states have used social marketing to plan nutrition and physical activity interventions.


Conferences and Professional Education

Social Marketing Field School*
The Social Marketing in Public Health Field School is a selection of courses offered in an intensive 4- to 7-day format. It is organized specifically for motivated students and busy professionals to acquire skills in an intense, highly interactive format with leading instructors in social marketing.

Social Marketing in Public Health Conference*
This annual conference is designed for public health professionals and health educators in a variety of settings. Specific topics and speakers are selected to elaborate on key elements of the social marketing approach and to illustrate how social marketing can be applied to a wide variety of public health topics. The conference also includes in-depth trainings and workshops at the introductory and intermediate levels.


Social Marketing Journals

Social Marketing Quarterly*
Social Marketing Quarterly (SMQ) is a scholarly, internationally circulated journal that covers theoretical, research, and practical issues confronting social marketers. As the only journal exclusively focused on social marketing issues, SMQ targets social marketers and other public health, communication, marketing, and social science professionals.


Web Sites and Online Courses

CDCynergy: Social Marketing Edition, Version 2.0*
CDCynergy: Social Marketing Edition, an interactive CD-ROM, is a training and decision-support tool designed to help CDC staff and public health professionals systematically plan social marketing programs within a health context. The CD-ROM contains case examples illustrating the social marketing planning approach and a wealth of reference resources and materials. The enhanced Version 2.0 retains the popular features of the original, and adds a “test your knowledge” feature, more step by step support and user friendly interface, greater interactivity, global search capabilities and updated and streamlined content.

Center for Advanced Studies in Nutrition and Social Marketing*
The Center was established to enhance social marketing strategies to improve nutrition and physical activity behaviors related to the prevention of cancer and other chronic diseases. The Center is considered the first of its kind in the United States dedicated to examining social marketing specifically in the context of nutrition and physical activity. In addition to basic social marketing information, this Web site provides lectures, case studies, and resources specific to social marketing’s application to nutrition and physical activity issues.

Obesity Prevention Coordinators' Social Marketing Guidebook PDF file (PDF-2.6Mb)
Developed by the Florida Prevention Research Center at the University of South Florida, the guidebook provides instruction on how to coordinate a social marketing intervention for nutrition, physical activity, or obesity prevention. It includes worksheets, tools, and information to help in the management and coordination of a social marketing program. The guidebook is supplemental to CDCynergy: Social Marketing Edition and adds practical tips and information specific to nutrition, physical activity, and obesity. Funding for this project was provided by CDC.

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PDF Document Icon Please note: Some of these publications are available for download only as *.pdf files. These files require Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to be viewed. Please review the information on downloading and using Acrobat Reader software. One or more documents on this Web page is available in XLS

 Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program used to calculate, analyze, and store data. Text in Excel files can be easily modified or copied for use in other applications.If you do not already have Excel, you can download Excel Viewer for free*.

* Links to non-Federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.

Page last reviewed: May 22, 2007
Page last updated: May 22, 2007
Content Source: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion