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Active school travel (AST) programmes aim to change commuting behaviour to improve children's physical and mental health. However, very limited health education programmes for children use segmentation to create tailored solutions that understand the specific characteristics of each group of children and their caregivers in order to yield better results. The aim of this study is to use a statistical segmentation analysis (two-step cluster analysis) to gain insights on the examination of specific groups to design future health education interventions and campaigns that can improve children's health.

Guided by the Ecological and Cognitive Active Commuting (ECAC) framework, a market segmentation analysis was performed. An online survey was designed to collect data from caregivers of children between 5 and 12 years attending school and responsible for taking the child to and/or from school in Victoria and Queensland, Australia. Using 3,082 responses collected from Australian caregivers of primary school children, a two-step cluster analysis was performed.

Analysis revealed the most important variables for group formation were previous child walking behaviour, distance from school and caregiver income. Perceived risk of the physical environment was the most important psychographic segmentation variable for group formation, followed by social norms. Four distinct groups with different characteristics were identified from the analysis.

This is the first study that applies the ECAC framework to perform market segmentation in the AST context. Results revealed four market segments that demand different tailored solutions. Findings shed light on how to better design AST interventions and campaigns to promote children's health using segmentation techniques.

This paper presents a methodological analysis of the co-creation and evaluation of “Biobot Academy” social marketing program to promote socio-emotional skills and prosocial behaviour in children, using a Living Lab method. This paper aims to identify how using a Living Lab method can enhance the co-creation and evaluation of a gamified social marketing program with users and stakeholders. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to apply and further develop a Living Lab framework to guide social marketing program design.

Using a case study method, the Living Lab process was applied during the development of the gamified social marketing program for promoting socio-emotional skills and prosocial behaviour in children. In total, 28 online and in-person sessions over a two-year period led to program co-creation. Guided by a mixed method approach, testing was conducted in a non-randomised waitlist control trial, while qualitative data from in-game data capture, classroom observations and recordings were collected.

The application of the Living Lab method warranted improvements, specifically to the front-end and back-end steps of the existing process. While the non-randomised trial indicated effectiveness of the social marketing program across all outcome measures (self-awareness, empathy and prosocial behaviour intentions) compared to control, qualitative findings showed program improvements were needed on three specific aspects, namely, interactivity, user experience and comprehension.

This study provides methodological guidance for the application of the Living Lab method in other social marketing settings to help co-create innovative social marketing solutions with diverse stakeholder groups.

Graphic health warnings (GHWs) on tobacco product packaging constitute one component within a multifaceted set of tobacco control measures. This study aims to understand whether consumers’ attention to GHWs will be associated with recall and quit intentions, using Australia as the case for this study.

Using the 14 GHWs currently in market as visual stimuli, non-probability intercept sampling was conducted, eye tracking and post-survey datasets were collected from a total of 419 respondents across three Australian cities.

Results show the front graphic image areas draw initial attention and the Quitline message area holds the longest attention duration. Attention is highly correlated with better quality of recall of health warning information, emotive responses, believability ratings among smokers and smokers’ perception of health risks and quit intentions. Associations are also noted with perceived health risk and quitting intentions.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that has objectively tested the effectiveness of in-market tobacco GHWs in Australia and highlights eye tracking as a valid measurement approach that can enhance and drive new insights to evaluate consumer behaviour towards visual stimuli. This study extends new knowledge around the physiological relationships between viewing behaviours, health vulnerability perceptions and intentions to quit smoking, which has theoretical implications for the extended parallel process model which underpins this research.

Gamification has gained popularity in social marketing research; however, its application remains limited to a few contexts, and relatively little is known about how innovative gamification technologies such as augmented reality can be applied to social marketing programme design. This paper aims to demonstrate the application of gamification to a social marketing pilot programme designed to increase children’s empathy and empathic behaviour.

Informed by social cognitive theory (SCT), a mixed-method research design was adopted using pre- and post-programme surveys (n = 364) to assess effectiveness using paired samples t-test. Qualitative data included observations, participant’s questions and a feedback activity at the end of the programme. A thematic analysis was undertaken to examine the data and detect meaningful insights.

Children’s affective empathy and empathic behaviour outcomes were improved following the pilot programme. However, no effects were observed for cognitive empathy and social norms. Thematic analysis revealed three themes to further improve the game: developmentally appropriate design, user experience and game design.

Findings demonstrated challenges with the application of SCT outlining a disconnect between the design of the gamified programme and theory application.

This study provides initial evidence for the application of innovative gamification technologies to increase empathy in children.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to examine how a gamified social marketing programme can increase empathy in children.

Females are underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), both in the workforce and in universities. Low self-efficacy and limited access to role models are key factors preventing retention of female STEM students enrolled in university degrees. This paper aims to report on one social marketing pilot programme that was co-designed to increase self-efficacy in females currently enrolled in STEM programmes.

The Co-create, Build and Engage (C-B-E) framework was applied. Process and outcome evaluations were conducted using a repeated measure design to assess pilot programme effectiveness.

A significant increase in self-efficacy and high satisfaction rates were observed for STEM students that attended the bias literacy workshop. Social advertisements raised awareness for available STEM specific university services.

This paper outlines the application of the C-B-E framework. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study delivers the first scientific paper reporting an outcome evaluation for a social marketing programme seeking to retain women enrolled in university STEM degrees.

A significant proportion of the world’s adult population is insufficiently active. One approach used to overcome barriers and facilitate participation in physical activity is social marketing. The purpose of this paper are twofold: first, this review seeks to provide a contemporary review of social marketing’s effectiveness in changing physical activity for the better; and second, it seeks to ascertain the extent that Andreasen’s (2002) six social marketing benchmark criteria have been applied in social marketing interventions targeting physical activity.

In total, 94 articles covering 26 social marketing interventions were identified following systematic literature review procedures.

None of the interventions gave evidence that they addressed all six social marketing benchmark criteria, and only four interventions addressed five criteria. The results indicate that three of the benchmark criteria, namely, behavioural objectives, formative research, and marketing mix are well utilised in social marketing interventions. Inclusion of market segmentation, exchange and competition offers potential to extend further on social marketing’s effectiveness in increasing physical activity.

The results of the current study indicate that increasing the number of benchmark criteria used in an intervention to at least four increases the chances of achieving positive behavioural outcomes.

Evidence indicates that active school travel (AST) including walking can effectively lower levels of obesity among school-age children. Yet Queensland has been identified as one of the most inactive states in Australia where only 5 per cent of Years 1 and 5 children engaged in AST on a daily basis. The purpose of this paper is to explain walking to school behaviour among Queensland children by investigating the explanatory potential of the ecological and cognitive active commuting (ECAC) model.

An online survey of 537 carers in Queensland, Australia was conducted to collect data about demographics and the variables in the ECAC model. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the ECAC model and the pathways between variables.

The results indicate that the ECAC model explained 53.4 per cent of the variance in walking to school. Social norms are the dominating factor in the model. Distance to school affects how the ECAC model works by moderating the associations among walking to school behaviours, perceived risks, and social norms.

Changing carers’ social norms and lowering the perceived risks they associate with walking to school should increase the incidence of walking to school in Queensland.

Although the ECAC model was proposed as a comprehensive framework to explain walking to school behaviour, to date, it has not been tested empirically. Informed by a modified ECAC framework this study aims to empirically explore the factors that may be preventing or facilitating Queensland children from walking to school.

The purpose of the present study is to examine how local consumers disassociate themselves from migrants' acculturative practices and negotiate their identity through the symbolic consumption of fashion.

Data for this interpretive study were obtained via phenomenological interviews with locally-born Chinese youth in Guangzhou, China, to examine their acculturative consumption practices as well as their subjective experiences of perceived threats to their lifestyle imposed by the influx of outsiders. Snowballing and purposive sampling methods were adopted in recruiting the research participants.

Data analyses revealed that local consumers adopt three dissociative strategies (stigmatization, avoidance and self-assertion) in order to ascribe meanings to their fashion consumption practices as a means of resolving identity conflicts and differentiate themselves from the migrant consumers.

This research offers a single perspective (i.e. that of local-born young consumers residing in Guangzhou) on the locals' attitudes aimed at distinguishing and negotiating their identities in an intercultural setting via specific fashion-clothing choices. This research has theoretical implications for the consumer acculturation theory and identity negotiation.

Findings yielded by the present study have important implications for commercial companies focusing on fashion consumption, in particular for marketing practices aimed at rural-urban identification and youth market segmentation.

This study contributes to the existing discussion on consumer acculturation by offering an intracultural perspective to the understanding of local consumers' responses to migrants' acculturation. It also provides managerial insights for fashion retailers, prompting them to rethink their market segmentation strategies to address population mobility in the marketplace and better understand how it alters the in-between social relationships that result in different consumption patterns and practices.

This study contributes to the existing discussion on youth consumer acculturation theories by offering an intercultural perspective to the understanding of local consumers' responses to migrants' acculturation attempts. It also offers managerial insights for fashion retailers, prompting them to rethink their market segmentation strategies to address population mobility and better understand how it alters the social relationships that result in different consumption patterns and practices.

This study aims to contribute to the existing social marketing literature by considering young adults’ views and perceptions about social marketing and social marketing campaigns in the context of alcohol consumption.

Eighteen interviews were conducted with young adults aged 25-30 years in Australia and the USA. Biographical interviews were used to collect information on individuals’ drinking histories and how their attitudes towards social marketing campaigns have formed during their lives.

Four main themes emerge in the study, namely, ethicality (freedom of choice), expensiveness, exaggeration and effectiveness. These four issues represent the main barriers and challenges for social marketers. Future research needs to explore the relationship between the attitudes of the target audience towards social marketing, and the actual effectiveness of social marketing campaigns.

This is an exploratory study that is limited by its context, sample size and participants’ demographical characteristics.

This study provides empirical evidence behind challenges and barriers facing social marketing identified by Andreasen (2002).

The purpose of this paper is to develop a systematic approach to extract users’ feelings and emotions about their experiences in hospitals from online reviews and rank the places using multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) techniques based on the aggregated sentiment score.

The proposed model used a linguistic approach to extract the sentiment words from the free text. It used term frequency-inverse document frequency values to represent features of various places in bag-of-words format. Sentiment dictionary is used to calculate senti-scores. It used different MCDM techniques like simple additive weight and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) methods for ranking hospitals based on their aggregated senti-score.

Statistical correlation analysis between the rankings of places reveals that the TOPSIS method is the most suitable ranking technique among other MCDM techniques. By improving the senti-score, one can bring their enterprise to the top position.

Data set is collected from different websites like Twitter, Facebook, etc., for various services/features. Moderate amount of reviews are collected for each place. But not all users give their views on the social media websites. It would be essential to collect responses from all the customers who avail different services at different places.

The sentiment analysis model proposed in this paper enables B2C and C2C commerce. Business may take suitable measures to overcome their issues/problems raised by the consumer. Consumers can share and educate other consumers about their experiences.

The development of internet has strong influence in all types of industries like healthcare. The availability of internet has changed the way of accessing the information and sharing their experience with others. This paper recognizes the use and impact of social media on the healthcare industry by analyzing the users’ feelings expressed in the form of free text. A suitable decision-making technique is applied to rank the places, which enables the users to plan their treatment place in a better way.

The paper develops a novel approach by applying the TOPSIS method to rank the different alternative places of the healthcare industry by using the senti-score derived from the users’ feelings, emotions and experiences expressed in the form of free text.