What is also the need of the hour is a shift away from commercial advertising (which is prone to corruption as illustrated above) and toward social marketing campaigns that work for greater common good. In the case of the latter, a collective transformation in public consciousness is the criteria through which success is ascertained. Hence, while the media of communication remains the same, the motive and method employed are quite different in these two frameworks.
With the advancement and proliferation of telecommunication technology in the last decade, carrying out social marketing campaigns had become a little easier. Such critical areas for public awareness as the fight against HIV-AIDS, recreational drug use, alcoholism, smoking, etc have been successfully implemented. Other areas where social marketing campaigns were carried out include the fight against junk food and obesity, inoculation and immunization against deadly microbes, support for cancer screening and intervention, etc. Even ailments that are not easily identified such as anxiety, depression, etc have been addressed through these campaigns. The success of these campaigns suggests that advertisement professionals can serve the society better by moving away from commercial marketing and applying their skills on social issues and progressive causes. By doing so, they can help generate public discussions and promote awareness information, resulting in changes in attitudes, values and behaviours.
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