Strengthening social marketing research: Harnessing “insight” through ethnography

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
File version
Author(s)
Brennan, Linda
Fry, Marie-Louise
Previte, Josephine
Griffith University Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)
Date
2015
Size
File type(s)
Location
Abstract

This paper aims to challenge social marketers to extend their research repertoire beyond restrictive ‘individualised rationalities’ driving reliance on scientifically proven evidence, population data and focus groups as insight-oriented research. Social marketing, as a discipline, is constrained by using techniques aimed at (dis)proving scientific hypotheses, thus misses the mark when it comes to creating effective social change. Gaining insight into human conduct requires research tools that examine the deep ecological context of behaviour. Ethnography has the capability to generate deep culturally based insights that captures the social world through the eyes of the consumer, yet to date remains largely underutilised in social marketing. This article explores the value of ethnography as a social marketing research method enabling in-depth and meaningful engagement with the social and cultural experiences and the performative practice that is the manifestation of human existence.

Journal Title

Australasian Marketing Journal

Conference Title
Book Title
Edition
Volume

23

Issue

4

Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
Publisher link
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement

© 2015 Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, providing that the work is properly cited.

Item Access Status
Note
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject

Commerce, management, tourism and services

Marketing not elsewhere classified

Social marketing

Research insight

Ethnography

Behaviour change

Social change

Behavioural ecology

Persistent link to this record
Citation
Collections