Global Alliance Participates in World Social Marketing Conference in Edinburgh, UK

Three member organizations of the Global Alliance for Social and Behaviour Change— the International Social Marketing Association, Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, and UNICEF—participated in the World Social Marketing Conference in Edinburgh, UK, from June 4 to 5, 2019. The session, “The Center CanHold: Common Approaches to Social Change in the Age of Abundance,” helped participants understand the differences and, more importantly, the similarities between the different models or approaches to behaviour and social change. The panel explored the history, approaches, and evidence supporting three common approaches to social change— social marketing, behaviour change communication, and communication for development—and why the commonalities and differences matter. The session also provided participants with an overview of the Global Alliance. Panelistsincluded: 

• Rafael Obregon, PhD, Chief of the Communication for Development Section Program at UNICEF and organizer of the Global Alliance for Social and Behavior Change Communication
• Douglas Storey, PhD, Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Communication Program and participant in the Global Alliance
• Suzanne Suggs, PhD, Professor of Social Marketing at the Institute of Public Communication, at the USI Università della Svizzera italiana in Lugano, Switzerland, and Chair of the European Social Marketing Association. 

And the session was moderated by Patrick Cook, President of the International Social Marketing Association and representative for social marketing with the Global Alliance.