Government-led Macro-social Marketing Programs in Vietnam: Outcomes, Challenges, and Implications

Although social marketing is regarded as an effective consumer-oriented approach to promoting behavioral change and improved well-being for individuals and communities, its potential for generating societal change is still under-researched. This article examines government-led macro-social marketing in Vietnam, a country where the national government is interested in using social marketing to engender societal change. Using a search strategy, we identify four macro-social marketing programs that target smoking cessation, helmet use, drunk driving prevention, and nutrition. These programs have achieved meaningful outcomes but are facing some critical challenges. We argue that policy change can become an important component of social marketing intervention but that it may not be sufficient to create societal change in Vietnam. Measures are required so that policies are implemented. Furthermore, social marketers need to consider the social and cultural environment that enables societal change to occur.