Introduced nearly four decades ago, Social Marketing intends to influence changes in human behavior. Its offerings include physical products, services and intangible ideas. Social marketers rely primarily on voluntary exchange with focus on social uplift rather than pursuit of profit. Social marketing mix elements have four additional Ps—Public, Partnership, Policy and Purse Strings—for effective implementation.

Marketing, by definition, involves an exchange from seller to buyer usually facilitated by an intermediary. Commercial or business marketing is an exchange of money for goods or services. Social marketers usually persuade audience to change their practices or behavior in return for something of value. The core challenge of any social marketing program is to establish which exchange is likely to satisfy both the marketers' needs and the target audience's wants while simultaneously contributing towards an overall social benefit.

Social Marketing aims to influence the behavior of individuals and community using marketing concepts directed to provide social benefits rather than commercial profit. Thus, the primary objective is social or community development and not pursuit of business gain. Andreasen (1995) defines social marketing as "The adaptation of commercial marketing techniques to programs designed to influence the voluntary behavior to improve their personal welfare and that of the society of which they are a part".

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