Environmental, health, and social change is complex and frequently is framed as a problem(s) to be solved. This framing focuses effort on delivery of solutions designed to change systemic environmental, health, and social problems. Theory, an organising framework for effort, remains under-utilised in behavioural and social sciences. An individual psychological lens dominates and emphasis is placed on explaining and predicting individual behaviour and not behavioural change. It is time to break free and deliver frameworks that extend focus beyond individuals to all citizens, and apply new evaluation approaches that assess individual and structural changes. Ten Social Marketing Theory Development Goals (goals) categorised in three groups: (i) research design; (ii) building social marketing theory; and (iii) methodological innovation are outlined to assist social marketers to develop new ways of thinking that will deliver the theory and evidence base needed to outline what practitioners and policy makers should do to effect change.

Research has a critical role in supporting the implementation of farming practices that are appropriate for meeting food and climate security for a growing global population. Notwithstanding progress towards more sustainable agricultural production, the rate of change varies across and within regions and is, overall, too slow. Understanding what is and is not working at the implementation level and, critically, providing justified explanations on outcomes, is an important contribution of the literature. Based on the assumption that theory-informed research can contribute to adoption policy and practice, this review ascertained and described the use of theory in the identification and examination of barriers to adoption in studies included in a recent systematic literature review. Following the application of criteria for ‘theory use’, 16 studies out of 75 were found to have applied or built upon one or more of 14 theories and models in their research approaches, including established theories in the social and behavioural sciences, as well as systems based models developed specifically in the sustainable agriculture space. Following a description of theory and model use in the studies, results are discussed relative to how theoretical constructs and mechanisms within individual and across studies can assist in explaining why and how adoption of sustainable practices is constrained.

This article outlines a dog owner–focused social marketing pilot program implemented in 2017, which aimed to reduce koala and domestic dog interactions in one local city council in Australia. Dog attacks and predation are the third most common cause of death in koalas after habitat loss and vehicle strikes. Programs aiming to reduce wildlife and domestic pet interactions frequently neglect human dimensions, and social sciences have been called upon to complement conservation efforts. Developed in consultation with dog training experts and the local regional council Leave It was based on input from 41 dog owners. Leave It was a 4-week training program priced at AUD$150 that was delivered by local dog trainers who had previously received specialized koala aversion training. Co-design results indicated that the social marketing pilot program needed to emphasize training, be positive, and be dog and not koala-focused. A fun, positive dog-focused event, supported by dog retailers, entertainers, and food service providers, was held in June 2017 to launch the Leave It program. Outcome evaluations for Leave It indicated a statistically significant increase in wildlife aversion–related behaviors (stay, come back every time/some of the time, and stay quiet on command). Process evaluation indicated that people enjoyed the dog-focused event and the opportunity to seek training and obedience advice. Co-designing the program with dog owners in the local council area engaged community members, making them contributors rather than program participants. The program had a dog focus rather than wildlife focus as recommended by dog owners.

In response to calls for theory use and a more reflexive turn in social marketing, this paper aims to draw on previously executed studies. In line with dominant social marketing downstream-focussed practice, the explanatory power of a commonly used theory, namely, the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), was empirically examined across three different contexts and critically assessed to guide future research practice. TPB measures were drawn from prior studies, and inconsistent item use across contexts was observed. Quantitative studies involving from 876 to 3,191 respondents underpin this study. Each study focussed on a different behaviour, namely, walking to and from school, binge drinking and packing fruits and vegetables into lunchboxes. Hierarchical multiple linear regressions were used for data analysis. Item use was mixed, construct reliability was not consistent and consequent findings indicated that TPB explained walking to and from school and binge drinking, but it did not explain packing fruits and vegetables into lunchboxes. Theory use is recommended to enhance intervention outcomes. However, theory application remains scarce in social marketing. Moreover, when theory is used, consistent measures are not used; items are removed from constructs to obtain model fit and constructs used within the theory differ. The current study draws from three studies, all of which applied TPB to explain behaviours. Mixed outcomes were observed when the same analytical process was applied using the available measures and constructs. Close investigation of the measures used across the three studies highlights one explanation for mixed findings. In the absence of consistent application of the theory, drawing definitive conclusions about a theory’s effectiveness is premature. Precise application of theoretical constructs is needed to deliver theoretically derived understanding.

Koala populations are declining. Conservation of this Australian icon requires a whole of community approach. To effect change, researchers and practitioners must effectively engage the target community, be open to different ways of thinking, and be receptive to new ideas and directions that match the times. This article reports the application of social marketing to decrease dog and koala interactions. A comprehensive program of formative research including a systematic literature review, expert interviews, online surveys and co-design sessions were employed to identify novel ideas and audience-focused strategies that can be applied to reduce dog and koala interactions. Results indicate that dog owners seek a non-koala focussed, dog training program that shows them what to do and a targeted approach alerting them to koala presence in addition to education and awareness efforts favoured by experts. This study indicates the need for more human centred research, which has been absent to date, given identified incongruence between expert and community views. We propose that audience-focused behaviour management strategies will, in turn, increase target audience adoption, campaign reach and promote effective community engagement with programs.