About Bristol Social Marketing Centre (BSMC)
Excellence in research, consultancy and education in social marketing
The Bristol Social Marketing Centre in brief
Bristol Social Marketing Centre is a centre of excellence within the Faculty of Business and Law at the University of the West of England, Bristol. The Centre aims to contribute to the improvement of health, the environment and overall quality of life across all sectors of the population via the study and dissemination of world-class social marketing research. Activities are concentrated in five key areas:
- The evaluation of the concepts underpinning social marketing activity and the way that these are used in the implementation of social marketing
- Researching ways in which social marketing can increase exercise, sport and active travel through psycho-socio-cultural insights.
- The effectiveness of social marketing interventions on health-related behaviours, including medication, lifestyle and dietary choices.
- The development of high quality social marketing practitioners via formal education programmes, as well as short course and CPD customised training.
- Offering social marketing consultancy and undertaking projects for a wide range of statutory, voluntary and community based organisations, and partnerships, across the public and third sectors.
Social marketing
In the last few years social marketing has emerged as a tool of growing importance to the public sector for achieving population level behaviour change for social good. Not surprisingly this growth has brought with it the need for high quality education, exchanges of ideas, and research. Our Centre was formed in response to that need.
Social marketers specialise in the use of marketing techniques for public good. In simple terms, this often involves the transfer of ideas from commercial marketing to the social and public arena. Can, say, Coca Cola’s marketing techniques teach us anything about how to prevent young people taking up smoking? An interesting question – and one that is gaining currency as large organisations such as the UK’s Department of Health make more use of marketing approaches. Since its inception in 2007, the Bristol Social Marketing Centre has worked with central and local government organisations across sectors as diverse as the environment, road safety, fire and rescue, and HM Revenue and Customs.
Examples of our recent work for partners can be found here.
Page last updated 5 October 2011