Social Norms and Social Marketing
What are Social Norms and Social Marketing?
Social Norms are people's beliefs about the attitudes and behaviors that are normal, acceptable, or even expected in a particular social context. In many situations, people's perception of these norms will greatly influence their behavior.
Therefore, when people misperceive the norms of their group - that is, when they inaccurately think an attitude or behaviors is more (or less) common than is actually the case - they may choose to engage in behaviors that are in sync with those false norms. For example, many studies have shown that college students overestimate how much their peers drink. Prevention experts have argued that this misperception of the norm drives greater alcohol consumption.
Environmental management is a comprehensive prevention approach, which is grounded in the principle that student decisions about AOD use are shaped by the physical, social, economic, and legal environment in which that behavior occurs. The environment can be shaped by committed prevention advocates, higher education and government officials, and others. Environmental management articulates the need to broaden prevention approaches beyond traditional educational programs to include a range of strategies for changing the campus and community environment.
Student perceptions of drinking norms are part of that campus environment and correcting student misperceptions about their peers' drinking is an important part of ensuring that inaccurate perceptions about the environment are not negatively influencing student behavior. A growing body of evidence suggests that providing information to students about accurate drinking norms is associated with decreased drinking on campus.
One method frequently used to correct misperceptions is "Social Marketing," a method of using mass marketing techniques to disseminate information. When college conduct marketing campaigns to correct misperceptions of social norms, these campaigns are referred to as "social norms marketing" campaigns.
Prevention and Wellness Services defines Social Marketing as the use of commercial marketing techniques to promote health and wellness to the individual and to the community as a whole. This is used on WWU's campus to advertise services, promote outreach programs, and influence health behaviors of Western's students. Examples of social marketing campaigns include: tobacco cessation, stress management, fitness tips; advertising for HIV testing, sexual health education, and free self healthcare; and promotion of rubberwear parties, Tea Time, Western Men Against Violence, and Women's Empowerment and Violence Education.
Examples of our Past Social Norms Ad Campaigns
Examples of our Social Marketing Campaigns
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