Journal of Social Marketing

Emerald Article: A strategy for advancing social marketing: Social marketing projects in introductory marketing courses Jane McKay-Nesbitt, Carol W. DeMoranville, Dan McNally

Article information:
To cite this document: Jane McKay-Nesbitt, Carol W. DeMoranville, Dan McNally, (2012),"A strategy for advancing social marketing: Social marketing projects in introductory marketing courses", Journal of Social Marketing, Vol. 2 Iss: 1 pp. 52 - 69 Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/20426761211203256 Downloaded on: 30-07-2012 References: This document contains references to 30 other documents To copy this document: permissions@emeraldinsight.com

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JSOCM 2,1

A strategy for advancing social marketing

Social marketing projects in introductory marketing courses
Jane McKay-Nesbitt and Carol W. DeMoranville
Marketing, Bryant University, Smitheld, Rhode Island, USA, and

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Received 25 May 2011 Revised 1 November 2011 Accepted 2 November 2011

Dan McNally
Environmental Science, Bryant University, Smitheld, Rhode Island, USA
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contend that one way to advance the social marketing discipline is by introducing students to social marketing concepts during the early stages of their marketing education. Thus, it describes an interdisciplinary group Social Marketing Plan (SMP) project that was included as a class project in an introductory marketing course. An analysis of the SMPs impact on student learning is presented. Design/methodology/approach Foundations of Marketing (Foundations) students at a US university completed an SMP project as a course requirement. Project impact was assessed with post-project measures of students ability to apply social marketing concepts in a SMP. Project impact was also assessed with post-project measures of attitudes toward working on interdisciplinary teams and pre- and post-project comparisons of declarative marketing knowledge, environmental awareness, environmental attitudes, and environmental intentions. A post hoc comparison of the commercial marketing knowledge of a control group and Foundations students was also conducted. Findings End of semester surveys showed that Foundations students understood and were able to apply social marketing concepts, enjoyed the SMP project, appreciated the value of working in interdisciplinary teams, and believed that future SMP projects should include students from other disciplines. Foundations students also reported signicant increases in environmental awareness, attitudes, and intentions, and commercial marketing knowledge. Contrasts with a control group revealed that adding social marketing concepts to an introductory marketing course did not impede Foundations students learning of commercial marketing concepts. Originality/value The paper provides evidence that incorporating a social marketing project into an introductory marketing course is an effective method for introducing students to social marketing concepts, therefore advancing the social marketing discipline. Changes in student environmental attitudes and intentions to act to preserve the environment also suggest that a SMP project can be an effective method of doing social marketing. Keywords United States of America, Universities, Students, Curricula, Marketing theory, Social marketing, Environment, Active learning, Interdisciplinary Paper type Research paper

Journal of Social Marketing Vol. 2 No. 1, 2012 pp. 52-69 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 2042-6763 DOI 10.1108/20426761211203256

Introduction The social marketing concept was rst introduced to the marketing discipline by Kotler and Zaltman (1971). Since that time other writers have contributed to the discussion of what constitutes social marketing and how it differs from commercial marketing (Andreasen, 2002; Donovan, 2011; Hastings and Saren, 2003; Leathar and Hastings, 1987). Today there is general agreement that the goal of social marketing

is to benet individuals and society by changing the behaviour of individuals through the application of traditional marketing principles (Andreasen, 2002; Kotler and Lee, 2008). Social marketing efforts typically focus on behaviours that protect individuals health and safety (e.g. smoking cessation), the environment (e.g. water conservation), or community well-being (e.g. literacy). Regrettably, many students fail to learn about social marketing because few universities include social marketing courses in their course offerings (Rundle-Thiele and Wymer, 2010) or incorporate social marketing concepts into other courses (Bridges and Wilhelm, 2008). Thus, it is possible for students to study marketing without ever having been introduced to social marketing concepts. As a result, students are deprived of a complete understanding of marketing and the advancement of the social marketing discipline is impeded. We contend that one method of advancing an understanding of and an appreciation for the social marketing discipline is to incorporate it in post-secondary educational curricula (McKay-Nesbitt and DeMoranville, 2010). Doing so affords learners the opportunity to gain awareness of the discipline. For some, this awareness may lead to an appreciation of social marketing and its effects on individuals and society; for others, this awareness may be the rst step toward a career as a social marketing theorist. Thus, including social marketing in post-secondary education programs is one method of strengthening the social marketing discipline. The purpose of our research is to contribute to the advancement of the social marketing discipline by proposing a means of introducing marketing students to social marketing concepts in the earliest stage of their marketing studies. We describe a Social Marketing Plan (SMP) project that was incorporated in an introductory marketing course as a way to incorporate social marketing concepts into the curriculum. The results of our analysis of the SMPs impact on student learning suggest that a SMP can be an effective tool for introducing students to social and commercial marketing concepts. Theoretical background and hypothesis development Social marketing Social marketing focuses on how marketers can change consumer behaviours to benet individuals and/or society (Kotler and Lee, 2008). The social marketing discipline encompasses all of the activities central to traditional commercial marketing that facilitate the exchange process: a customer focus, situation analysis and reliance on market research, market segmentation, identication of target markets, consideration of environmental forces, strategies centered on the 4Ps (product, price, place, and promotion), and careful attention to the nancial impact of implementing marketing strategies (Hersheld and Mintz, 2011; Kotler and Lee, 2008). Although both social and commercial marketing are concerned with behaviour change, social marketing focuses on changing the individuals behaviour in ways that benet both the individual and society while commercial marketing behaviour changes benet a company and its stakeholders (Kotler and Lee, 2008). Furthermore, although many businesses engage in social marketing (e.g. Home Depots campaign to get consumers to conserve water), social marketing is often conducted by governments and non-prot organizations (e.g. American Heart Associations campaign to get consumers to be physically active). Although social marketing is soundly rooted in the fundamentals of commercial marketing and its principles (Donovan, 2011), it differs from commercial marketing

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in important ways (Kotler and Lee, 2008). First, commercial marketing is concerned with creating, communicating, and delivering value in the form of goods or services (e.g. gasoline for automobiles), whereas social marketing is concerned with creating, communicating, and delivering value in the form of new behaviour (e.g. reduce speed to conserve gasoline). It has been noted that focusing only on behaviour change can impede social marketing efforts (Wood, 2008); however, social marketing is generally concerned with the adoption of new behaviour in place of an existing one (Donovan, 2011). Second, although commercial marketing can be concerned with the betterment of society, its rst aim is the attainment of nancial benets. Conversely, the rst aim of social marketing is the betterment of individuals and society. Finally, while competition is a key issue for both commercial and social marketing, the nature of the competitor differs between the two. In commercial marketing, competition occurs between providers of similar products and services. In social marketing, competition occurs between existing and new behaviours. In summary, commercial marketing encourages the purchase of goods or services to generate prots while guarding against competition from other businesses. Social marketing encourages the adoption of new behaviours that will benet both the individual and society while guarding against competition from existing behaviours. Social marketing is also distinct from sustainable marketing or socially responsible marketing because their end goals are quite different. For example, although businesses may demonstrate concern for the long-term well-being of individuals and the environment through sustainable marketing practices, or the well-being of individuals through cause-marketing efforts, these endeavours are secondary to the end goal of generating a prot for the business (Donovan, 2011). Conversely, social marketings end goal is the betterment of individuals and society rather than prot generation for a business. As discussed, although there are important differences between social marketing and commercial marketing, social marketing still has not generated widespread coverage in introductory marketing texts. The lack of emphasis on social marketing in university programs may exist for a variety of reasons. Some may not fully understand social marketing and consider it to be the same as societal/socially responsible marketing (e.g. cause-related marketing, sustainable marketing). Others may think that the only way to incorporate social marketing into a curriculum is by having students complete a service learning project on a social marketing topic (Wiese and Sherman, 2011). Some may not include social marketing in a curriculum for fear that students will be confused by differences in social and commercial marketing goals. We contend however, that just as students are introduced to a broader understanding of marketing by including services marketing and business-buyer behaviour in their introductory marketing course, students would also be introduced to a broader, more complete understanding of marketing and its goals by including social marketing in their introductory course. Covering social marketing in an introductory marketing course would also contribute to the advancement of the social marketing discipline because by learning and reecting on social marketing concepts, students would become acquainted with key aspects of the discipline. Being actively involved in the preparation of a SMP would allow students to become acquainted with the goals and outcomes of social marketing. It would also give students the opportunity to identify differences in social and commercial marketing theory and practice. Thus, incorporating social marketing into an introductory marketing through a SMP is one method of furthering the social marketing discipline.

Interdisciplinary marketing education The marketing discipline intersects with a variety of other business and non-business subject areas and thus seems logical for cross-disciplinary teaching and learning. Numerous studies have described the successes of some these integrative efforts within the business curriculum (Anthony et al., 2001), across business subject areas (Darian and Coopersmith, 2001; DeMoranville et al., 2005), within marketing topics (Sautter et al., 1999), and across non-business disciplines (McKeage et al., 1999). In Crittenden and Wilsons (2006) exploratory study of cross-functional marketing education, marketing department chairs felt that cross-disciplinary knowledge helped students better understand marketing. Although some argue against integrated curricula (Campbell et al., 2006), the vast majority of subjects in Crittenden and Wilsons (2006) study reported a variety of pedagogies that used some sort of cross-functional integration. The Crittenden and Wilson (2006) study revealed that most integrative educational efforts for marketing were across other business disciplines, not outside the business area, and that most were at upper (i.e. junior and senior), not introductory, course levels. While some may feel that students must rst learn basic concepts before integrating those concepts into other disciplines, students may actually benet from understanding how marketing integrates with other areas from the outset. The authors Crittenden and Wilson (2006) suggest that the timing of cross-disciplinary and integrative efforts should be further examined to determine whether students in both introductory business and marketing courses could benet from cross-disciplinary teaching and learning. In accord with that recommendation, this study examines the effect of cross-disciplinary efforts across colleges and at the introductory marketing course level. Experiential and active vs passive learning Experiential learning theory is an educational philosophy that models the learning process as a four-stage cycle (Kolb and Kolb, 2005). Through concrete experiences, the learner makes observations and reections. From those s/he develops abstract concepts and implications for new experiences, and, nally, actively tests those new implications. Kolb and Kolb (2005) note, however, that the term experiential learning is commonly used to refer to a pedagogical technique that provides experiences to promote learning. This use of the term only focuses on the rst stage of experiential learning theory (i.e. observation and reections on concrete experiences) and does not address the full scope of the theory. It is, however, the more common usage in business education literature. We use the term similarly to the business education literature, but recognize that the broader experiential learning model provides the theoretical foundation for why using concrete experiences is an effective pedagogical technique. Active learning is another term used to denote a pedagogical technique that requires students to be highly engaged. A wealth of literature both in marketing and other disciplines addresses the benets of active learning (Alam, 1998; Bobbitt et al., 2000; Boggs et al., 2007; Li et al., 2007). Active learning is distinguished from passive learning in that the student participates in his/her learning through some sort of activity other than listening and taking notes during a lecture. Typical studies of the effects of active learning methods have shown either more positive student perceptions of active learning techniques (Li et al., 2007), better student performance under active learning methods (Hamer, 2000; Hansen, 2003), or both (Boggs et al., 2007). Active learning increases student involvement and higher order thinking through the application

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of theory to practice. Although the term active learning is sometimes used interchangeably with experiential learning, Shakarian (1995) notes that active learning can be either experiential or non-experiential. Shakarian (1995) maintains that non-experiential active learning, such as elaboration or reection, usually derives from a modied lecture format. Shakarian (1995) groups experiential active learning into semi-structured classroom activities and loosely structured experiential activities, which are typically more ambiguous and require deeper processing (Hamer, 2000). Group projects fall into the latter category. Deeper processing of information in marketing courses has been shown to improve test scores for students (Hamer, 2000; Hansen, 2003). Hamer (2000) examined test performance on both denitional and non-denitional (application) multiple choice questions. He found that semi-structured (in class) active learning activities enhanced performance on denitional questions for both low and moderate achievers and also enhanced performance on non-denitional questions for moderate and high achievers. Hansens (2003) study included a treatment group who individually deep-processed course material (intensive outlines which included rehearsal, chunking, and elaboration). Deep processing had a signicant effect on improving test scores and the effect disappeared when students stopped the active learning activity. Hansen (2003) suggests that additional experiential assignments would help students retain knowledge and provide more long-term effects. Hypotheses As discussed, incorporating social marketing into introductory marketing courses offers benets for the learners and for the social marketing discipline. Furthermore, evidence on the benets of experiential and active learning suggests that having students participate in social marketing group projects will be a particularly effective way to for them to learn social marketing concepts. Social marketing group projects allow students to be actively involved in learning and this active involvement increases the likelihood that students will learn social marketing concepts. Thus, the following relationship is hypothesized: H1. Students who complete a SMP project will demonstrate knowledge of social marketing concepts by applying them in the preparation of a SMP. Furthermore, because social marketing focuses on issues such as individual health and safety, the environment, or community well-being, it is expected that social marketing activities will also impact the understanding of issues that social marketing efforts address. Specically, because of greater involvement through active learning, the preparation of a SMP that focuses on the environment is expected to result in changes in environmental awareness, attitudes, and intentions to take action to preserve the environment. Thus, the following relationship is hypothesized: H2. Students who complete a SMP project will show signicant improvements in environmental awareness, attitudes, and intentions after having completed a SMP project. In addition, because social marketing focuses on individual, environment, and community well-being, collaboration with health professionals, environmentalists, and community workers is often necessary to achieve social marketing goals. Thus, social marketing

group projects are especially appropriate for interdisciplinary learning experiences that simulate real world practices by providing marketing students with opportunities to work with students from other disciplines. It is therefore expected that because of the integrative nature of the SMP project, students who participate in a SMP project that involves students from another discipline will gain an appreciation for working with members of other disciplines to achieve common goals. Specically, it is hypothesized that: H3a. Students who complete a SMP project in an interdisciplinary team will demonstrate positive attitudes toward working on interdisciplinary teamwork projects. H3b. Students who complete a SMP project in an interdisciplinary team will demonstrate positive attitudes toward the inclusion of students from other disciplines in future projects. Finally, it is recognized that the inclusion of a SMP into a course intended to teach both commercial and social marketing principles increases the breadth of marketing material students are expected to master. Some might argue that this additional material will impede students ability to master commercial marketing principles. However, given the active, experiential nature of the learning involved in the preparation of a SMP, it is expected that: H4. Students who complete a SMP project will also demonstrate knowledge of commercial marketing concepts. Methodology An interdisciplinary SMP group project that focused on behaviour change to enhance the environment[1] was developed for the Foundations in Marketing (Foundations) course, an introductory marketing course required for all university students. The loosely structured type of learning that takes place in the preparation of a SMP can be considered to be experiential active learning (Shakarian, 1995). It should be noted however, that in this case students were not required to implement their plans and thus the preparation of a SMP is not experiential in the same way that a service learning project is experiential[2]. However, because of the active learning pedagogy, it was expected that a SMP project would yield several positive learning outcomes as specied in the hypotheses above. Research participants A total of 65 sophomore students (56 per cent males, 49 per cent business majors, 20 per cent non-business majors, and 31 per cent undecided about their major) in two sections of a Foundations course taught by the same instructor at a university in Northeastern USA completed the SMP as a class project. SMP group project description The implementation of the SMP class project began with the creation of the SMP assignment. The SMP assignment required teams of four to ve Foundations students to prepare a 20-page report that focused on a behaviour change that would benet the environment. Foundations students selected their own teammates and formation of teams was completed by the fourth week of classes.

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The SMP consisted of two parts: (1) a situation analysis; and (2) recommended marketing strategies to encourage people to adopt the desired behaviour. Guidance for the preparation of the SMP was drawn from Kotler and Lee (2008). As part of the situation analysis students were expected to identify a problem and provide evidence to show why it was a problem and for whom it was a problem. Students were also expected to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the organization for which they had chosen to develop the SMP. In addition, students were asked to identify external forces (e.g. social, economic, etc.) that could affect their SMP. In developing the marketing strategy, students specied the target audience for the desired behaviour and identied the benets for, and possible barriers faced by the target audience in adopting the behaviour. All of the elements of the marketing mix (i.e. product, price, place, and promotion) were to be incorporated in the recommended marketing strategy. Students were also expected to provide a plan for implementing their recommended strategies. The SMP team project contributed 20 per cent of the Foundations course grade. Because the SMP focused on the environment, the marketing instructor collaborated with an environmental sciences (ES) instructor for this project. During the sixth week of classes portions of the National Geographic lm Six8 Could Change the World were shown to Foundations students as a means of increasing their awareness of environmental issues. Teams then chose a topic for their SMP (a list of the project topics is included in the Appendix) and the ES instructor assigned one ES student to each Foundations team. As part of their advanced ES course (Green Technology for sustainability) requirements, ES students were expected to provide the scientic justication for the behaviour change recommended by the Foundations student teams and to serve as an environmental impact advisor for the Foundations team. For example, if the focus of the Foundations students SMP was recycling cans, the ES student was expected to provide an analysis of potential adverse effects on the environment due to disposing cans in a landll. The ES student was also expected to assist with a cost-benet analysis to identify the environmental impact of the advocated behaviour and Foundations students were expected to incorporate that analysis into their SMP. Foundations and ES students were expected to meet together a minimum of three times before project completion. The instructors recognized that working in groups often presents signicant challenges for sophomore students and that group work involving students from another course may be especially challenging. Thus, each group was expected to meet with the marketing instructor at least twice during the semester to ensure that group members understood the assignment and to assess the groups progress on the project. It also allowed the instructor to assess the extent to which the groups were functioning as a team. The instructor was then able to provide appropriate guidance for the student teams, with respect to both social marketing and group dynamics. As a result, all groups remained intact and worked together to the end of the project. Although the completion of each project required collaboration between Foundations and ES students, the class projects for the Foundations and ES courses were distinct. Each project had its own learning goals, requirements, and desired outcomes and was independently graded by the respective instructor.

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Measures of success Social marketing knowledge. The ability to understand and apply social marketing concepts was assessed through evaluation of written SMPs. Students were considered to have mastered social marketing concepts when their SMP included the elements of a SMP identied by Kotler and Lee (2008). Specically, students were expected to: . specify the purpose of the SMP as a specic behaviour change; . explain the behaviour to be changed; . explain the benets of the advocated behaviour; . identify barriers to the behaviour change; and . identify competing behaviour(s). In addition, they were expected to identify the target market and product, price, promotion, and place strategies to achieve the desired behaviour change in the target market. Environmental awareness and action. Environmental attitudes and actions were assessed in two ways. First, students completed the Consumer ECOSCALE (Stone et al., 1995) prior to beginning the project (i.e. during the third week of classes) and again on the nal day of class. On both occasions, the instructor administered the Consumer ECOSCALE in the classroom. The Consumer ECOSCALE consists of 31 seven-point items anchored with strongly agree (1) and strongly disagree (7). It measures environmental opinions and beliefs, attitudes, awareness, willingness to act, actions taken, ability to act, and knowledge. Questions one, nine, and 14 were removed from the scale because they were gender specic or lacked face validity for this project. At the end of the semester, students also responded to four questions to assess their perceptions of the extent to which completing the SMP: (1) increased their concern for the environment; (2) helped them identify ways to become environmentally responsible; (3) caused them to change their behaviour; or (4) caused them to form intentions to change behaviour. The four seven-point items were anchored with strongly agree (1) and strongly disagree (7). Responses to both the Consumer ECOSCALE and the post-project perception questions were reverse scored such that higher scores were indicative of more positive attitudes and behaviour. Attitudes toward working on interdisciplinary teams. Attitudes regarding interdisciplinary teams were assessed in the classroom on the nal day of class. Three seven-point items asked students the extent to which they strongly agreed (1) or disagreed (7) that: (1) it is important for students to learn how to work on a multidisciplinary team; (2) working with students from other disciplines on a class project is worthwhile; and (3) working with students from another discipline on a class project is a good way to learn how to work on a multidisciplinary team.

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The three items were reverse scored and combined to form an index of attitudes toward interdisciplinary teams (apre 0.90). Higher scores indicated more positive attitudes toward interdisciplinary teams. One seven-point item (Future SMP projects should include a student from another discipline) with end points strongly disagree and strongly agree, was included to assess the extent to which students thought that future SMP projects should include a student from another discipline. Higher scores indicated stronger agreement. Students were also asked open-ended questions about the value of involving students from other disciplines in future SMP projects, what they liked most about the project, what they liked least, and how the project could be improved. Commercial marketing knowledge. The impact of the SMP project on Foundations students commercial marketing knowledge was assessed with pre- and post-project comparisons of declarative marketing knowledge. The pre- and post-project marketing knowledge tests were administered in a lab setting as part of a battery of several other tests. The pre-project marketing knowledge test was administered during the third week of the semester and the post-project marketing knowledge test was administered during the penultimate week of the semester. Questions were drawn from a test bank that accompanied the course text (Kerin et al., 2010). Specic test questions were chosen because they addressed the departmental learning goals for marketing students. The preand post-project knowledge tests were identical and consisted of a mixture of multiple-choice and ll-in-the-blank questions. Five questions pertained to environmental forces, four to the product, price, place, and promotion strategies (the 4Ps), three to market segmentation, and one to ethics. Results Social marketing knowledge H1 examined whether the experimental group could demonstrate knowledge of social marketing concepts by applying them in the preparation of a SMP. To determine whether students could apply social marketing concepts, each SMP was assessed to determine whether it did or did not include the following elements: (1) identication of behaviour change as the purpose of the SMP; (2) explanation of the behaviour to be changed; (3) explanation of the benets of the advocated behaviour; (4) identication of barriers to behaviour change; and (5) identication of competing behaviour(s). SMPs were also expected to: (6) identify the target market; and (7) identify strategies for each of the 4Ps. Answers were coded as satisfactory if each item was included in the plan. Partial answers were coded as unsatisfactory. Each satisfactory answer was awarded one point, for a maximum of seven points; the quality of the answer was not evaluated for the purpose of this study. The SMPs were coded by both the instructor and an independent, trained coder. Inter-rater reliability analysis using the k-statistic indicated reliable coding as the k-value was signicantly greater than zero (k 0.32, p , 0.01).

The results revealed that students were able to incorporate key social marketing concepts in their SMPs (Table I). All students identied that the purpose of the SMP was to change behaviour, effectively explained the desired behaviour change, and specied the benets of the advocated behaviour change. About 86 per cent of the SMPs identied barriers to behaviour change and competing behaviour(s). All of the groups identied their target market and developed appropriate price, place, and promotion strategies to achieve the desired behaviour change. Thus, H1 was supported. Responses to the open-ended questions also supported H1. Student comments about the benets of completing a social marketing project included the following:
I like the idea of developing a social marketing plan as a project. I think it helps to reinforce the principles of social marketing and exposes us to a different type of marketing than we usually see. I think it [doing a SMP] is a great idea. The objective behind social marketing is to alter consumer behaviour in order to benet the environment as well as ourselves, so I think it is a great idea. I thought social marketing was a great topic to cover. Covered environmental issues and marketing material. I wouldnt say it has had much of an inuence on the way I currently feel about the environment. However, it has shown me how much there is that we as students and eventually young business people will be able to do to inuence the rest of the country.

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The comments above suggest that completing a SMP project increased students understanding of the social marketing principles and afforded them the opportunity to learn how marketing can be an instrument for social change. Students reported being pleased that their understanding of marketing was broadened to include social marketing. In addition, 11 per cent of students reported that what they liked best about the SMP project was learning how to inuence and change others behaviour. Taken together, these results suggest that the SMP project was an effective method of learning social marketing concepts. Environmental attitudes, awareness, and action H2 posited that the active learning required for preparing a SMP would result in an increase in Foundations students environmental awareness and attitudes along with increased willingness to take action to preserve the environment. We also expected students self-reports at the end of the semester to reect concern for the environment and willingness to take actions to protect the environment. As noted previously,
Percentage of SMPs that satisfactorily addressed the concept 100 100 100 86 86 100 100

SMP concept Purpose of the SMP was identied Behaviour change was explained Benets of behaviour change were identied Barriers to behaviour change were identied Competing behaviours were identied Target market was identied Strategies for the 4Ps were identied

Table I. Percent of SMPs that addressed social marketing concepts

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changes in awareness, attitudes, and intentions were assessed by two measures: the Consumer ECOSCALE and four perceptual items. Although the ECOSCALE (Stone et al., 1995) analysis revealed poor reliability of the individual dimensions, the scale as a whole was reliable (apre-test 0.82, apost-test 0.79). Thus, the 28 items were averaged to create a single index of environmental attitudes, awareness, and action. The analysis revealed support for H2. The t-test showed that students ECOSCORES increased over the semester (Mpost 4.75, SDpost 0.65, Npost 65; Mpre 4.53, SDpre 0.66, Npre 63; one-tailed t(126) 1.86, p , 0.05). Analyses of students post-project perceptions also revealed support for H2. One-sample t-tests were performed to test the hypotheses that students would report that completion of the SMP: . increased their concern for the environment; . helped them identify ways to become environmentally responsible; . caused them to change behaviour; and . increased intentions to change behaviour (Table II). Mean scores for each of these four items were signicantly higher than the midpoint (i.e. four) of the scales (Mi 6.2, ti(64) 22.9, p , 0.001; Mii 6.3, tii(64) 26.4, p , 0.001; Miii 5.8, tiii(64) 13.3, p , 0.001; Miv 5.9, tiv(64) 14.9, p , 0.001). Responses to open-ended questions also demonstrated support for the hypotheses. Comments revealed that students awareness of environmental issues increased (I liked that I learned so many new things about the environment and ways that I can help save it.; Learning all the simple ways I could change my behaviour and the exact amount of benet those changes would have on the environment.; It made me environmentally aware.) and that the SMP project fostered behaviour change (It made me change my behaviour about some of the things I do.). About 42 per cent of students reported that the most enjoyable aspect of the SMP project was learning about the environment. Attitudes toward working on interdisciplinary teams H3a and H3b proposed that students would have favorable perceptions of interdisciplinary teams. A one-sample t-test was performed to test the hypothesis that students would exhibit positive attitudes regarding working on interdisciplinary teams after completion of the SMP. Results supported H3a as the mean attitude score (M 5.4, SD 1.49, N 64) was signicantly higher than the midpoint (i.e. four) of the scale (t(63) 7.74, p , 0.001) (Table III). We also expected that involvement in the SMP project would result in positive attitudes about including students from other disciplines when working on future SMP projects. (H3b). A one-sample t-test indicated that H3b was not supported. Although the mean was above the scale mid-point (i.e. four), the difference was not signicant (M 4.3, SD 2.14, N 64; t(63) 1.11, p 0.27).
M (SD) One sample t-test (test value 4) t(64) 22.9 t(64) 26.4 t(64) 13.3 t(64) 14.9 p-value , 0.001 , 0.001 , 0.001 , 0.001

Table II. Effects of completing a SMP on concern for the environment

Concern for the environment Identify ways to preserve the environment Made behaviour changes Intend to change behaviour

6.2 (0.79) 6.3 (0.71) 5.8 (1.06) 5.9 (1.03)

Comments from students were consistent with the statistical analysis that showed support for H3a and lack of support for H3b. Some Foundations students reported that working with a student from another discipline was positive and commented as follows:
Working with a student from another department gives students a chance to experience a situation they may be faced with in their future occupations. Students from another department bring a different perspective to the table. They keep our goals in check in terms of feasibility and provide feedback from an outside source. Working with another department is hard, but it is helpful. The student from another department can give a good perspective and outside view. This person may see something important that our group has brushed over or missed.

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These comments suggest that students appreciate that working with people from disciplines other than their own can add bench strength to a team. Further, some students recognize that multidisciplinary teams are common in the current work environment and that they need to be prepared to work in this manner. Other students however, reported that working with a student from another department made the project more difcult and questioned its benets. Examples of these comments include:
I like the idea of working with a student from another department as long as the student is committed to the project the way I am. Im not sure what I think of working with a student from another department. I think this is nice in theory but I dont feel it is especially helpful. She was not very helpful. He was not helpful or knowledgeable and actually hindered the performance of our group.

Some comments identied difculties with coordination. Her deadlines were different than ours which created a few problems. and with commitment. Marketing knowledge H4 posited that a SMP project would be an effective way for students to learn commercial marketing concepts. A total of 13 questions assessed declarative marketing knowledge and one point was awarded for each correct answer. Points were summed to compute pre- and post-project marketing knowledge scores for each student with the maximum score being 13. A paired-sample t-test revealed that H4 was supported (Table IV). The declarative marketing knowledge scores of members of the experimental group improved signicantly over the course of the semester (Mpost 9.24, SDpost 1.65, Npost 37; Mpre 8.65, SDpre 1.77, Npre 37; one-tailed t(36) 2.01, p , 0.05). Thus, H4 was supported.
One sample t-test (test value 4) t(63) 7.74 t(63) 1.11

M(SD) Desirable to work on interdisciplinary teams with Desirable to include students from other disciplines 5.4 (1.49) 4.3 (2.14)

p-value , 0.001 . 0.10

Table III. Attitudes toward working on interdisciplinary teams

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Student responses to open-ended questions regarding their SMP project likes and dislikes also suggest that the preparation of SMP was an effective means of learning commercial marketing concepts. Some of the comments are as follows:
I believe the major marketing concepts have been thoroughly drilled into my head.

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I think it [the SMP] is a wonderful way to learn the concepts we are taught in class. I believe the best way to learn something is to do it, so this will help me greatly. A marketing plan requires us to implement all the concepts we have learned and also requires us to take it one step further on our own, to work on something that isnt taken directly from our reading or our notes. I liked how we could use concepts learned in class in our plan. [It is] hands on experience of everything that goes into marketing.

Consistent with previous ndings (Li et al., 2007), these comments suggest that students enjoy active learning and believe that they are learning the major marketing concepts by being actively involved in the preparation of a SMP. Marketing knowledge post-hoc contrast. The goal of a Foundations course is to introduce students to key marketing concepts and prepare them to move on to more advanced courses in marketing. Thus, it is important that students who have the opportunity to learn social marketing concepts in a Foundations course, do not do so at the expense of learning key commercial marketing concepts. A post-hoc comparison between Foundations students who completed a SMP with those who did not complete a SMP was undertaken to assess whether the completion of a SMP impeded learning of commercial marketing concepts. Given that the Foundations course is standardized (i.e. all sections use the same textbook, follow a common curriculum, administer the same number of tests at the same point of time in the semester, and include some common questions in exams), it was possible to compare marketing knowledge of students who were assigned a SMP with marketing knowledge of those who were not assigned a SMP. Two other sections of Foundations students served as a control group. The control group consisted of 54 students; 50 per cent of were male and 80 per cent were business majors. The instructors of the experimental and control groups were matched with respect to tenure, Foundations teaching experience, total teaching experience, and ratings on student evaluations. Students in the control group completed a commercial marketing plan group project. A repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with pre- and post-project knowledge scores as within-subjects factors and group membership as the between-subjects factor revealed no signicant differences between the experimental and control groups with respect to marketing knowledge gained during the semester (F(1.70) 0.259, p . 0.10). Thus, the results revealed that students who completed the SMP learned commercial marketing concepts equally as well as those who did not complete a SMP.
Table IV. Marketing knowledge pre- and post-project means Pre-project M (SD) Foundations students 8.65 (1.77) Post-project M (SD) 9.24 (1.65)

Paired-sample t-test t(36) 2.01

p-values , 0.05, one-tailed

Discussion The results presented here suggest that incorporating a SMP in an introductory marketing curriculum may offer benets for students and for the social marketing discipline. As hypothesized, students were able to apply key social marketing concepts in the preparation of a SMP. This suggests that a SMP group project is an effective way for students to learn that social marketing adopts and adapts commercial marketing techniques to encourage new behaviours that benet both the individual and society. Students who prepared SMPs showed signicant increases in their ECOSCORES during the semester, indicating that they had developed an increased concern for and willingness to act to protect the environment. This suggests that a SMP group project may also be an appropriate way to address one of the key tenets of social marketing; a SMP project both teaches social marketing concepts and does social marketing with college students. Thus, it could be one way to achieve the social marketing goal of encouraging behaviour changes that protect the environment. Comments such as I liked how we were trying to alter peoples behaviour to save the environment also suggest that a SMP group project may be an appropriate way to respond to the environmental concerns of students. These comments suggest that students, like social marketers are concerned with the health of the environment. In addition, student comments such as Instead of thinking what I can do to help the environment, I now think of how I can encourage others to help in my efforts suggest that the SMP group project may be an appropriate mechanism, not just for altering student attitudes and behaviour, but also for equipping students to inuence the attitudes and behaviour of others. These comments suggest that a SMP group project may be an effective way for students to learn how social marketers can respond to environmental concerns and issues. Crittenden and Wilson (2006) have suggested that the timing of cross-disciplinary and integrative efforts should be further examined to determine whether students in both introductory business and marketing courses could benet from cross-disciplinary teaching and learning. Although there are logistical challenges when student teams consist of members from different disciplines (e.g. course scheduling, coordinating times for students to meet, coordinating faculty activities, etc.), our results suggest that students in an introductory marketing course may benet from cross-disciplinary teaching and learning. Hence, marketing educators can be encouraged in their efforts to face the challenges of building opportunities for cross-disciplinary events into their introductory marketing course curricula. Finally, although students began the Foundations course with some marketing knowledge, those who prepared a SMP showed signicant gains in their commercial marketing knowledge scores during the semester. These results provide support for our view that active involvement and engagement of students in projects like a SMP are a means of achieving the deep-processing that enhances learning of commercial marketing concepts (Hamer, 2000). Finally, our results suggest that active involvement and engagement in learning fosters enjoyment of course requirements. Students reported that they liked developing a social marketing plan and that the SMP was a great idea. Limitations and lessons learned The SMP project presented here has relied on Kotler and Lee (2008) to determine the key social marketing concepts to include in a Foundations course. There are however, other

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conceptualizations of social marketing. For example, the practitioner web site for social marketers, tools for change (Hersheld and Mintz, 2011) includes site analysis in their conceptualization of social marketing. Certainly, a broader perspective on social marketing could be gained by drawing from both academic and practitioner sources to determine the key social marketing concepts to include in an introductory marketing course. Students social marketing knowledge was assessed by evaluating the extent to which they were able to incorporate the key social marketing concepts in their SMP. The assignment guidelines however, specied that these issues and concepts should be incorporated in the SMP. It may be that students simply followed instructions and did not really learn the concepts. Future projects could examine students on social marketing concepts to provide additional assurance that students have learned these concepts. The preparation of a SMP group project that focuses on environmental protection has addressed one of the key concerns of social marketers. Social marketers however, are also concerned with issues that pertain to the health and well-being of individuals (e.g. smoking cessation) as well as issues that pertain to the well-being of communities (e.g. voter participation). Projects that focus on these other broad social marketing concerns could be undertaken to assess the generalizability of our ndings to other social marketing domains. This research suggests that the completion of a SMP inuences students environmental awareness and concern. We did not however, measure environmental attitudes among members of a control group. Thus, it is possible that the environmental attitudes and awareness of the experimental group was inuenced by factors other than the completion of the SMP. Incorporation of environmental measures for both experimental and control groups in future studies would further specify the role played by the SMP in inuencing environmental awareness, attitudes, and intentions. The evidence presented here suggests that having interdisciplinary student teams complete a SMP enhances learning of commercial and social marketing concepts. Many factors however, may inuence the learning outcomes of students in a particular class (e.g. the instructor, classmates, class size, etc.). Thus, although the literature suggests that the active learning that takes place when students participate in group projects will enhance learning outcomes, it is possible that the learning outcomes evident in this research were a result of a factor other than the SMP. Research that explores the effects of a SMP on learning outcomes while controlling for other factors (e.g. other assignments) will assist us in having condence that a SMP project enhances learning of commercial and social marketing concepts. A fuller understanding of the effectiveness of a SMP group project in inuencing interdisciplinary attitudes could be attained by incorporating additional pre- and post-project measures of attitudes toward working with members of other disciplines. These measures could offer insight as to the extent to which involvement in an interdisciplinary project inuences the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours of all parties involved. Student comments indicated that working in interdisciplinary groups on the SMP posed some signicant challenges. The comments suggested that not all students were committed to the project and some were unwilling to expend effort to make the collaboration between marketing and ES students work effectively. More visible collaboration between instructors and greater collaboration between instructors and students could help to alleviate these problems. For example, instructors could talk with

each others classes about the project and attend student meetings together. This would demonstrate the instructors commitment to the project as well as enable them to provide support when teams face challenges in working together. The mean score on the knowledge pre-test of key commercial marketing concepts was 66 per cent. This high initial marketing knowledge score suggests that students who completed the SMP already had a good basic knowledge of marketing. Students may have developed this marketing knowledge as a result of having taken an introductory business course with a heavy emphasis on marketing in their freshman year. Therefore, it is possible that the participants in this study beneted from the SMP because they already had a good foundation of marketing knowledge. Additional research would be helpful in determining whether students with less initial marketing knowledge would assimilate and apply social marketing concepts as readily as participants in this study. Conclusion We have responded to calls for greater emphasis on social marketing in marketing curricula by implementing and testing a means of incorporating social marketing into an introductory marketing course. The current study has provided evidence that suggests a SMP project may be an effective tool for introducing university students to both social and commercial marketing concepts. The evidence suggests that a SMP project focused on the environment may enhance students understanding of social and commercial marketing concepts and have a positive impact on students environmental attitudes and behaviour. We have shown that a SMP project can be a means of introducing students to interdisciplinary team work and thus it may contribute to students appreciation of the challenges of working on multidisciplinary teams. We contend that active involvement in a SMP project that focuses on an issue such as the environment also prepares students to contribute to organizations and the larger society and enabling them to grow personally and professionally (AACSB, 2008, p. 1). In conclusion, the evidence we have presented here suggests that a SMP project may be an important addition to an introductory marketing course and may provide an avenue for the advancement of the social marketing discipline.
Notes 1. The environment was chosen as the focus of the current SMP because the instructor noted that students in earlier Foundations classes had frequently chosen consumer products with an environmental focus for their group marketing plan projects. 2. Because the goals of both service learning and social marketing are to improve society they are complementary to one another, but should not be confused. Social marketing is a discipline whereas service learning is a pedagogical method. Service learning projects can be used to teach a variety of concepts, including social marketing. References AACSB (2008), Eligibility procedures and accreditation standards for business accreditation, available at: www.aacsb.edu/accreditation/process/documents.AACSB_STANDARDS_ Revised_ Jan08.pdf. 2008 (accessed October 29, 2009). Alam, I. (1998), An experiential learning approach to undergraduate marketing education, American Marketing Association Winter Educators Conference, pp. 246-54. Andreasen, A.R. (2002), Marketing social marketing in the social change marketplace, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Vol. 21 No. 1, pp. 3-13.

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McKay-Nesbitt, J. and DeMoranville, C. (2010), Incorporating social marketing into an introductory marketing course curriculum: an interdisciplinary case study, in Deeter-Schmeltz, D.R. (Ed.), Developments in Marketing Science, Academy of Marketing Science, Ruston, LA, p. 205. McKeage, K., Skinner, D., Seymour, R.M., Donahue, D.W. and Christensen, T. (1999), Implementing an interdisciplinary marketing/engineering course project: project format, preliminary evaluation, and critical factor review, Journal of Marketing Education, Vol. 21, December, pp. 217-31. Rundle-Thiele, S.R. and Wymer, W. (2010), Stand-alone ethics, social responsibility, and sustainability course requirements, Journal of Marketing Education, Vol. 32 No. 1, pp. 5-12. Sautter, E.T., Maltz, A. and Boberg, K. (1999), A customer service course: bringing marketing and logistics together, Journal of Marketing Education, Vol. 21, August, pp. 138-45. Shakarian, D.C. (1995), Beyond lecture: active learning strategies that work, Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, Vol. 66 No. 5, pp. 21-4. Stone, G., Barnes, J.H. and Montgomery, C. (1995), ECOSCALE: a scale for the measurement of the environmentally responsible consumers, Psychology & Marketing, Vol. 12, pp. 595-612. Wiese, N.M. and Sherman, D. (2011), Integrating marketing and environmental studies through an interdisciplinary, experiential service-learning approach, Journal of Marketing Education, Vol. 33 No. 1, pp. 41-56. Wood, M. (2008), Applying commercial marketing theory to social marketing: a tale of 4Ps (and a B), Social Marketing Quarterly, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 76-85. Appendix. SMP topics The SMPs focused on encouraging consumers to adopt the following behaviours: . bringing/buying reusable cups at a Major League Ball Park; . engaging in single stream recycling; . buying fuel efcient cars; . growing their own food in community gardens; . forgoing the use of a tray in the university dining room; . taking a bus rather than driving a car; . using reusable bags for groceries; . recycling cans in student dorms; . purchasing energy star products; . donating used clothing to organizations for resale; . using reusable water bottles; . turning off televisions in dorm rooms; . turning off products that use energy when in standby mode; and . buying compact uorescent light bulbs. Corresponding author Jane McKay-Nesbitt can be contacted at: jmckayne@bryant.edu

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