Social marketing. Health promotion

Social marketing has a long and robust history in health education and public health. Social marketing strategies are designed to promote desired behaviors in high-priority health-related areas. Most prior initiatives have utilized an “orientation to consumer needs” in program design and delivery. Traditional social marketing campaigns have targeted patients or specific segments of the public, rather than physicians and other healthcare providers, to deliver health-related messages. This commentary explores an emerging opportunity for the social marketing and medical education communities to collaborate and influence social change of medical students, interns, and residents – an “undiscovered” but influential consumer market.