Effectiveness of social marketing strategies on health sector in Kerala

Abstract

The research explores the effectiveness of social marketing strategies in the healthsector of Kerala, focusing on government-led campaigns aimed at addressing healthchallenges. Despite the global significance of social marketing in promoting positivehealth behaviors, limited research has been conducted in the Indian context,especially in Kerala, where public health issues such as diabetes and hypertensionremain prevalent. The study addresses a significant research gap by investigating theeffectiveness of social marketing strategies in Kerala, assessing the impact ofawareness, attention, attitude, and celebrity endorsements on public healthcampaigns. Drawing on both primary and secondary data, the research employs acomprehensive methodological approach, including a structured questionnairedistributed to 800 respondents, of which 707 valid responses were collected. Usingmulti-stage sampling and advanced statistical techniques, such as StructuralEquation Modeling (SEM), the study highlights critical findings: youngerpopulations, urban residents, and government employees demonstrate higher levelsof awareness, while celebrity endorsements and engaging campaign elements likehumor and message appeal significantly enhance public attention and campaigneffectiveness. Contrary to expectations, awareness alone did not strongly influencethe success of health campaigns, but attention, attitude, and celebrity endorsementemerged as the most impactful factors. These findings offer crucial insights forpolicymakers and marketers, emphasizing the need for tailored, multi-facetedapproaches to effectively engage different demographic groups and drivemeaningful health-related behavior changes in Kerala. The study concludes bycalling for continuous evaluation and collaboration in future social marketing effortsto optimize health outcomes and promote social change