Using Social Marketing to Tackle Compulsive Buying

Background: The present paper focuses on compulsive buying, outlining the need to tackle this phenomenon using a social marketing approach, for the wellbeing of the affected individuals, their families and contacts, and for the health of our society at large. Focus of the Article: This conceptual development article is centered on behavior change and social marketing strategies that can address compulsive buying. Research Questions: How can social marketers help in curbing compulsive buying? What conceptual components and practical guidelines can be used in marketing programs for addressing compulsive shopping? Program Design/Approach: The platform developed herein outlines segmentation, targeting, product, price, place and promotional strategies recommended based on theoretical elements across disciplines. Importance to the Social Marketing Field: To date, compulsive buying has largely been ignored in the social marketing field, despite its relevance and prevalence. This paper provides a framework that can be employed in developing social marketing programs. Method: The proposed platform was created by bridging the literatures on compulsive buying and social marketing, identifying useful theoretical elements (e.g., the potential of the Thranstheoretical model), adapting and customizing these elements to provide actionable insights for intervention programs. The toolkit used for tackling other addictions was taken into account and integrated into the current development. Future Research: This paper offers an initial framework for social marketing efforts aimed at compulsive buying. It hopes to inspire significantly more work in this area to explore the potential of other theories and approaches to foster behavioral change for the better.