Soul searching: Public relations, reputation and social marketing in an age of interdisciplinarity
Section snippets
Introduction: an age of interdisciplinarity and a search for soul
Since the 1990s, proponents of interdisciplinarity (Fuller, 1993; Kockelmans, 1998; Hansson, 1999; Payne, 1999) have argued that interdisciplinarity offers a conceptual and practical means of answering questions and providing solutions to problems that cannot be successfully addressed by single discipline approaches. Klein (1996) allows that interdisciplinarity can be driven either by the aim of unifying knowledge or by social intent and Aram (2004) argues that it is the scholars who determine
Jurisdiction perspectives (1): Professions, promotional disciplines, and the fight for the good
Interdisciplinarity is not just a logical and innocent process of finding common ground and forging connections. It also involves territorial disputes around jobs, as well as considerations of academic, professional and social status. Writers in the PR literature (e.g., Abdullah & Threadgold; 2008; Pieczka & L’Etang, 2001; L’Etang, 2004; Toledano, 2010) follow sociologists (Abbott, 1988; Neal & Morgan, 2000) in foregrounding the role of an exclusive jurisdiction in establishing a profession.
Jurisdiction perspectives (2): is social marketing pure soul?
Kotler’s “broadening” project helped marketing expand but he seems to have almost simultaneously attempted to distinguish a more soulful section within the main field. Certainly, he is acknowledged as being the first to use the term social marketing in the landmark paper Social Marketing: An Approach to Planned Social Change (Kotler & Zaltman, 1971), although, as in PR history, scholars trace the roots of much of its practice much further back. Donovan and Henley (2003) link social marketing to
Jurisdiction perspectives (3): the evolution of social marketing in Aotearoa New Zealand
On the ground, from the perspective of practitioners, the growth of social marking appears even less clear cut. To illustrate this, we consider social marketing developments in New Zealand from its emergence in the 1990s. During this decade, agencies such as the Land Transport Safety Authority (LTSA), the Alcohol Advisory Council (ALAC) and the Health Sponsorship Council (HSC) were exploring the use of mass media alongside environmental factors and policy interventions to change behaviors. The
Developments in social marketing
As with commercial marketing, social marketing needs to move away from the idea of advertising-centered campaigns and towards a focus on building relationships with a PR approach. This focus becomes even more important in a time when social media are so central. The move offers opportunities for social marketing to learn from the core skills of PR but social marketing seems to have missed the advances beyond the 4 Ps despite Hastings (2007) reminder that “the behaviours social marketers want to
New Zealand’s influence on social marketing
Our journey’s focus on the introduction of social marketing in Aotearoa suggested that the early New Zealand experiences offered a broader focus than practice elsewhere. French’s (2017b) hierarchical model of social marketing resonates effectively with the strengths inherent in those early approaches. The influence of PR and health promotion on social marketing has effectively produced a discipline that can – if the lessons are shared – learn from all comers. However, New Zealand has one unique
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We use Aotearoa New Zealand in recognition of the two groups that call these islands home: tangata whenua – the indigenous peoples, commonly referred to as Māori – and tangata tiriti – the peoples for whom Te Tiriti o Waitangi (New Zealand’s founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi) established their right to live here. We do this to recognise the two cultures that formed this nation and the challenges and strengths this has created. Any reference to Aotearoa or New Zealand should be seen as a recognition of both.