Social marketing is the use of commercial marketing techniques to achieve specific changes for the good of society, as a whole. Social marketing can be applied to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors, such as achieving regular exercise and consuming healthy, nutritious foods.
Commercial marketing techniques that increase the effectiveness of social marketing campaigns include:
- Identification of a general goal for the campaign (eg. walk to school, eat fruits and vegetables).
- Identification of a specific message (the "ask") that defines how the person seeing or hearing the ad is supposed to respond.
- Identification of the target audience - the person seeing or hearing the ad.
- Use of a role-model, who might be a well-known personality or a generic type of individual to represent the target audience.
With funding assistance from the Missouri Foundation for Health and Boone Hospital Center, the Columbia/Boone County Health Department and the PedNet Coalition have developed and implemented various social marketing campaigns designed to encourage Columbians to live healthier lives by walking and bicycling more often and eating healthier diets.
In the first of these campaigns, the "WHY DO YOU DO IT?" campaign, four general goals were identified and two messages aimed at specific target audiences were developed for each goal. For each of the eight messages a poster and a radio advertisement was created featuring a Columbia resident as the role model.
General Goal:
Walk to school
- Target Audience: Elementary Age Children
Message: It's Fun to Walk to School with my Friends
Radio Ad: It's Fun to Walk to School
General Goal:
Walk to school
- Target Audience: Mothers of Elementary Age Children
Message: Walking to School offers Quality Time with the Kids
Radio Ad: Quality Time with the Kids
General Goal:
Participate in Bike, Walk, & Wheel Week
- Target Audience: Seniors
Message: Combine Exercise with Errands during Bike, Walk, and Wheel Week
Radio Ad: Combine Exercise with Errands 
General Goal:
Participate in Bike, Walk, & Wheel Week
- Target Audience: Adults and Seniors
Message: Bike, Walk, and Wheel Week is a Great Community Event
Radio Ad: A Great Community Event
General Goal:
Adopt an active lifestyle
- Target Audience: Adults and Seniors
Message: Walking with Friends is a Great Way to Exercise
Radio Ad: Walking with Friends 
General Goal:
Adopt an active lifestyle
- Target Audience: Working Adults
Message: Get Your Exercise on the Way to Work
Radio Ad: Exercise on the Way to Work
General Goal:
Eat fruits and vegetables
- Target Audience: Elementary Age Children
Message: Fruit Smoothies are Fun and Tasty
Radio Ad: Fruit Smoothies 
General Goal:
Eat fruits and vegetables
- Target Audience: Mothers of Elementary Age Children
Message: You Value Your Family's Health so Serve Fruits and Vegetables
Radio Ad: You Value Your Family's Health
