Inspiring people to social change : an analysis of creative practices in Maltese social marketing campaigns

Abstract

The aim of this research lies in investigating ideation, creation and execution processes in social marketing campaigns in Malta and in identifying the presence of creative thought within the process. I believe that such a research study is important for individuals and organisations involved in social marketing work. Communicating social messages to an audience which is not necessarily an openly receptive one can be a grueling task, and I maintain that a touch of creative thought may help in breaking down communication barriers that may lead to positive changes of behaviour. The research project involved a detailed review of literature relating to both creativity and social marketing. Moreover, six local social marketing practitioners were interviewed to discuss campaigns they have been involved in. Careful observation on a number of local campaigns has also been carried out. The main conclusion that can be drawn from this dissertation is that while the people interviewed have a general understanding of what creativity means, they may never have been introduced to idea generation techniques which could help them develop more creative ideas. Furthermore, while a good number of valuable social campaigns do take place, it is possible that a number of them do not reach their desired target audiences due to restrictions around campaign dissemination. The recommendations that can be made following this dissertation's results include opening up to to a wiser use of social media and to an increased appreciation of the benefits of a well-thought out campaign that stems from active perusal of creative techniques.