Reflections on a decade in social marketing

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to reflect on trends within social marketing after ten years of involvement with the field, including being co-founding editor of this journal. Design/methodology/approach: The paper outlines personal interaction in the development of social marketing and then highlights five “millstones” that are identified as limiting factors. Findings: Social marketing has to be more than just communications, has to be more than a definitional toy, has to break free from the straightjacket of the 4Ps and must reach beyond the well-trodden path of services marketing and be prepared to work with industry. Originality/value: Observations on the evolution of social marketing through personal experience of engagement with the field.