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The use of digital technologies in social marketing: a systematic review

Tina Flaherty (National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland)
Christine Domegan (Department of Marketing, National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway, Ireland)
Mihir Anand (Department of Marketing and Communications, Safefood, Dublin, Ireland)

Journal of Social Marketing

ISSN: 2042-6763

Article publication date: 9 June 2021

Issue publication date: 23 November 2021

6226

Abstract

Purpose

With the explosion of digital technologies in contemporary daily life, fuelled by a pandemic and remote working, online learning and shopping and the proliferation of social platforms, much remains nebulous about the opportunities these technologies hold for social marketers beyond their previously documented use as communication and promotion tools. This paper aims to provide a rich examination of the variety of digital technologies used within social marketing and establish the scale of integration between digital technologies and social marketing.

Design/methodology/approach

Following systematic literature review procedures, a systematic literature review through eight databases was conducted. The systematic review focussed on the assessment of social marketing studies that incorporated a wide range of mature and emerging digital technologies such as the internet, mobile platforms and social media channels. A total of 50 social marketing studies (2014–2020) were analysed.

Findings

The review found that there have been major advancements in the technologies available to social marketers in recent years. Furthermore, the adoption of digital technologies by social marketers has evolved from a communication or promotion function where generic information is pushed to the citizen, towards the use of these technologies for a more personalised design, content and behaviour change intervention. In some studies, the digital technologies were the primary means for interactions and collaborations to take place. The review also found that digital technologies target more than the individual citizen. Digital technologies are used to target multi-level stakeholders, policy makers and partners as part of behavioural change interventions.

Originality/value

Only two previous reviews have synthesised digital technologies and their use in social marketing. This review provides a recent depiction of the range and scale of integration within social marketing. Specifically, it demonstrates the expansion beyond a persuasive application to their use for research, segmentation and targeting, collaboration and co-creation, the product and facilitator of service delivery. Finally, this review provides a heat map to illustrate the integration between digital technologies and key concepts and criteria within social marketing.

Keywords

Citation

Flaherty, T., Domegan, C. and Anand, M. (2021), "The use of digital technologies in social marketing: a systematic review", Journal of Social Marketing, Vol. 11 No. 4, pp. 378-405. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSOCM-01-2021-0022

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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