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haviour for individuals or to redefine existing ones. This method is used widely by television commercials. The meaning construction approach works differently. It identified certain unintended influences on target audience that were undesirable. Meaning construction or modification of meanings which people assign to some product, person, cause or issue can also bring about change in behaviour.

Methods traditionally used to deliver health products and services in developing countries often do not reach a large portion of the population, especially those at the lower end of the economic ladder. Overburdened public health systems generally do not have enough outlets and provide services that are often not valued by the consumer. Many studies have found that when people do not pay for a service – they are less likely to value and utilize it. Marketing health generally raises awareness and increases utilization rates. This has been effective in the case of diarrhea, malaria, undernutrition, vitamin deficiency, voluntary HIV counseling and testing and reproductive services. When people pay for these services, they tend to value it better.

In social marketing, two concepts are important – the exchange theory and the four P’s of marketing namely the product, the price, the place and the promotion. The product is the behaviour, program or service exchanged for a price. The price is the cost to the target audience in terms of money, lifestyle and effort of engaging in that behaviour. The place is the outlet through which the product is available or the situations in which behaviour change can be made. Promotion is the combination of advertising, media relations, promotional events and entertainment to communicate with the target audience about the product

The choice of a tool for health education depends on a variety of factors – the objectives, the target audience, the time constraints and the availability of resources.

The concept of Social marketing was introduced by Kotler and Zaltman in 1971. Social marketing is defined as the design, implementation and control of programs which attempt to increase the acceptability of a social idea or practice, in a target group. Social marketing is the use of commercial marketing concepts and tools in programs designed to influence individuals’ behaviour to improve their wellbeing and that of society. It draws from diverse fields like economics, psychology and medicine. Social marketing is a new approach to very old human endeavours. Attempts have always been made to inform, influence and motivate people to reinforce positive behaviour or to modify risk taking behaviour.

Traditional Educational programs are found to be more effective when the target groups are involved in the planning process and participatory approach has been found to increase uptake of health services. Many studies have been found to be limited in that the evaluation of health education programs is based more on distant outcomes like morbidity and mortality rather than attitude change. For a social marketing program to be effective, two different research approaches are required to obtain the best picture about the issue being addressed, the target audience and the effectiveness of the program. These methods are qualitative and quantitative research. Both these methods have their strengths and weaknesses when used in isolation, but complement each other when combined