Nick Turvey, MSc Marketing Management graduate
When I started the final module of what has been a three-year master’s degree journey, I did not think about how it could be a perfect opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and research something that not only excited me but could also further my career.
I knew that I wanted to centre my study around small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as my own marketing company Brightfyre is focused on working with small and medium businesses throughout Worcestershire. However, I can honestly say that prior to this research I had not come across Social Marketing or Behaviour Change Marketing as disciplines separate from commercial marketing. Having said that, I had come across it in practice regularly in day-to-day life, but I was not aware of the influence it could have. I would like to think that I am savvy when it comes to spotting the different marketing techniques that companies use to encourage consumers to interact with them, but when I came across what I now know was a social marketing campaign I had no idea of the deeper intention to influence change in a consumer’s behaviour.
When my dissertation supervisor, Barbara Tomasella, encouraged me to research this technique in more detail, I was surprised how often it was used by larger companies to inspire a positive change in their consumers’ behaviour. Whilst it is easy to fall into the discussion about what their true intentions for these campaigns are, to me that didn’t matter because I could see the real positive effect social marketing could have.
Barbara introduced me to Claire MacDonald from the marketing agency MacMartin, and after meeting her I was sold on social marketing and decided to research the possibility of SMEs adopting the technique to further their reach.
Once the theoretical research was complete, I interviewed SMEs about their potential suitability and interest in adopting social marketing. The results of those interviews presented two key findings.
The first was that the concept of empathy was shown to be integral to a successful social marketing campaign. When the participants were interviewed about empathy, the further concept of ‘Reciprocal Genuine Empathy’ was identified. This showed that whilst SMEs must have genuine empathy for the issues their target market faces, if they are also facing the same challenges themselves, they could have a better understanding of how to adapt their social marketing campaign to fit the target market’s needs. An example of this was presented by one of the participants who explained that changes in legislation had affected both themselves and their target market.
The interviews also showed a lack of awareness of the technique, as well as how they could apply it to their marketing campaigns. Whilst this may present as a negative result, it was however shown that SMEs could benefit from applying social marketing to increase their reach. As such, it would be suitable for an agency, such as my own, to increase awareness of social marketing and its benefits to SMEs.
To conclude, this research the findings were presented to Claire and Barbara. Whilst this was not part of the dissertation process, it was a great way to round off what had a been a long project. It also provided an opportunity to discuss the findings with two experts in the field, which was a great privilege. It was also validating to see that my findings were of use and that my research was more than just as assignment – it could have a practical use for further research into social marketing.
If I could offer any advice to future students undertaking their master’s dissertation I would advise whilst you should pick a topic you’re interested in, it should also be something you do not know too much about. I advise this because I found researching and learning about something new helped me to avoid any bias towards potential outcomes and allowed the research to remain focused on current academic theories, rather than looking for theories which fit your pre-existing understanding.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Barbara and Claire for their support throughout my dissertation and encouraging me to research social marketing. As I go forward with my career, I hope to utilise what I have learnt to help other small businesses benefit from using social marketing.
I’d also like to thank my family, and in particular my wife Gaby, for their unwavering support when I decided to take the leap and start both a career change and a master’s degree in the middle of a global pandemic. Finally, I’d like to thank my soon-to-be-born daughter Effy for deciding to arrive after I completed my degree. I cannot wait to celebrate my graduation with my wife and daughter by my side.