Internal Social Marketing: A Route to Sustainability?

Anne M. SmithOUBS

Aims

Can an internal social marketing approach help to combat climate change by reducing the level of organisations’ carbon emissions?

What will be the key aims and features of such an approach?

Internal Marketing

Segmentation and targeting of employee audiences

Internal Products: vision and values/participation and autonomy/knowledge sharing and learning/training and development/rewards

CommunicationRemoving barriers and providing

incentives.

CreatingAdopting &Influencing

ESWPs

Individual non-work factors

Context

The Intended Process

Event 1Purpose:Create a shared understanding.Identify potential focus.

Technique:Interactive workshop.

Event 2

Purpose:Agree top priorities.Decide upon actions.

Technique:Interactive workshop.

Event 3

Purpose:Review achievements andCO2/£ savings.

Technique:Interactive workshop.

Staff SurveyFocus GroupsCO2 footprint (benchmark)

Develop new ways of working

Staff SurveyCO2 footprint

Provide toolkitSkills transfer

Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4

BBC News (2058) Bear Speaks

I told them to turn thelights off

Manchester Evening NewsManchester City Council :New Design Proposals

for Recycling Bins Worry Residents.

Initial Attitudes and Emotions

Negative ‘ This is all pointless until there is a global commitment. Why doesn’t someone do something about China and India?’ – and - ‘ Even if you do recycle it only goes to landfill’.

But Some Positive Survey Results

67 per cent of employees agreed that ‘climate change is a problem for all of us’

28 per cent were keen to become involvedIn developing ideas

What Happened Next?

Identification of target audiences/environmental champions.

Meetings and discussion of ideas for Co2 reduction

Prioritisation Identification of

communication/information needs NOTHING

Management &

Supervisors

Business Support

(e.g. Marketing & Finance)

Champions & Teams

Technical Support

(e.g. Engineering & Environment)

Boundary Spanning RolesBo

unda

ry S

pann

ing

Role

s

Knowledge Sharing

Building Relationship CommitmentCommunication,

knowledge sharing, participation &

autonomy

Increasing the Perceived Value of the Exchange

Identifying & removing barriers / enhancing rewards & incentives

Increasing Self-efficacyTraining &

developmentExperience & personal

mastery /feedback

Shared valuesImproved

relationshipsTrust

Fairness & equityPractical viability

Skills & knowledgeMotivationCreativity

Influencing others(team/organization)

Adopting sustainable working practices

Creating & developing ideas

Objectives and Actions Mediating Variables Behavioral Change

The Three Elements of Internal Social Marketing and their Impact on Sustainable Working Practices

Social Marketing Applications

Service Delivery

Safety (e.g. patient safety)

Personal Health and Wellbeing

Pro-environmental Behaviour