Can social marketing be the key to social change in India?

PurposeThis paper provides a managerial overview of social marketing in India to improve the understanding about its nature and utility in addressing the needs of India's social sector.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs a qualitative research methodology by conducting an extensive review of relevant theories, concepts and past studies related to social marketing, focusing on the Indian context. Select case studies have also been studied and presented to elucidate how social marketing programs are conducted by various forms of organisations in India.FindingsFirst, the meaning of social marketing, its distinction from commercial marketing and some pertinent challenges faced by social marketers are discussed. Thereafter, a brief overview of the role of competition, cost and barriers towards conducting an effective social marketing program is provided. Lastly, we propose a scheme of organisations sponsoring social marketing in India and discuss the future perspectives.Practical implicationsThe study enables a deeper understanding of social marketing discipline for policy makers, social marketing professionals and organisations sponsoring social marketing initiatives in India.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the literature on social marketing in the Indian context by conducting a broad overview with the aim of improving the understanding of social marketing which may help realise its full potential in the future.