Partnership, Planning and Decision Making as Pre Conditions for Success of Social Marketing: a Case Study of Nutrition Cell Balochistan

Abstract

This research is based on an agreed definition approved by the European Social Marketing Association (ESMA), Australian Association of Social Marketing (AASM), and the International Social Marketing Association (ISMA). It acknowledges that the creation of effective partnerships and the incorporation of different theoretical perspectives can enhance the planned outcome of a social marketing campaign. This implies the centrality of partnerships and relationships in social marketing campaigns but it is not very obvious as there have been no reflections on how such campaigns have been viewed and practised differently in Pakistan. Furthermore, Mowles claims that in societies like Pakistan, the role of people/stakeholders (called beneficiaries in this research) is fundamental in a partnership and practitioners need to recognise it. Without the right input from beneficiaries, value destruction will occur and this will increase barriers to change and make it harder to achieve the planned outcome of a campaign. This signifies the importance of the beneficiary in this research and the inefficiencies that can surface if it is neglected. The study fills these gaps by identifying the preconditions that are necessary for the creation of a valuable relationship for successful social marketing campaigns in Pakistan. Hastings argues that like other marketing campaigns a social marketing campaign should prioritise relationships but did not comment on how to do it. This study finds that efficient partnerships coupled with effective planning and joint decision-making are the preconditions whereby social marketers can foster valuable relationships with beneficiaries. It also highlights the significance of beneficiaries during the process of planning and decision-making in a developing country like Pakistan where the biradari system (family and kinship ties) brings stability or change to the society. The research further highlights how the concept of partnership is viewed and practised differently in a developing country such as Pakistan. It also adds the notion of power relations to the idea of partnership for the success of a social marketing campaign in Pakistan. It highlights how power relations can influence the process of partnership. Lack of accountability, transparency, mutuality and monitoring are identified as influences of power relations. The research further demonstrates how partners work for the promotion of their organisational goals while ignoring the common aim of the partnership as a consequence of power relations.