Chapter 03 · Reporting & strategyProfessional Practice & Everyday Jargon
Community-based social marketing (CBSM)
Definition
Community-based social marketing is a systematic approach to fostering sustainable behaviour, developed by environmental psychologist Doug McKenzie-Mohr. Its core steps are: select a behaviour, identify the barriers and benefits associated with it, design a strategy using behaviour-change tools (such as commitments, prompts, norms and incentives), pilot it with a small community segment, and evaluate before scaling.
References
Supports definition and framing.
Overview
What it means
It replaces information-heavy awareness campaigns with evidence-based removal of the specific obstacles stopping people from acting.
How it is used
Widely applied by municipalities and NGOs in waste reduction, water and energy conservation, and sustainable transport programmes.
Why it matters
Information alone rarely changes behaviour; CBSM provides the dominant tested alternative in sustainability practice.