Hitch Marketing has been delivering social marketing services since its inception in 2011, using a blend of social sciences and marketing techniques for the social good.
Ever committed to keeping abreast of relevant techniques to change behaviour for the benefit of society, we wanted to find a course that gave the whole team an oversight of key social marketing concepts and principles. One that was fast, flexible, relevant and accessible, and was delivered by industry leaders.
In January 2021, Hitch started a journey with the International Social Marketing Association (ISMA), European Social Marketing Association (ESMA) and other partners to develop a new e-learning course that explored ‘Key Social Marketing Concepts and Principles’. We liked it so much, this year we’ve been sending all of our staff through the course, as mandatory - very interesting, enlightening and relevant - training.
The course is built around three taught sessions covering:
- Why Citizen centric policy and program development is necessary, and how Social Marketing can enable and enhance its delivery.
- What Social Marketing is, its core principles and six concepts as endorsed by iSMA and it's affiliated associations.
- An introduction to Social Marketing planning and evaluation.
Hitch has grown its staff team a lot since the start of 2021 and now has a team of 20, plus associates and partners, delivering behaviour change campaigns and designing social marketing interventions in many parts of the UK. So using this course as one of our minimum standards for knowledge is a great way to keep us on the right path and clear about what we do, why we do it, and how we do it.
We have been developing a range of other courses with ISMA and affiliate associations in recent years, as well as hosting ISMA webinars. Long may it continue.
Professor Jeff French President of the International Social Marketing Association and Board member of the European Social Marketing Association, commented:
"It is fantastic to see that Hitch is investing in its staff development by enrolling its whole team and all new starters on the new Key Concepts of Social Marketing e-learning course. This commitment is a great example of how a highly respected company like Hitch seeks to continuously develop their staffs skills and the quality of the services they offer"
Lewis Phillips-Calvert, Strategy Consultant commented:
"Taking the course has broadened my perspective as a consultant. It has allowed me to think more critically about the campaigns I run and how I can achieve the most for my clients using effective social marketing strategies."
Joshua Dalton, Marketing Administrator commented:
“Coming from an academic background, many of the concepts I had learnt in my marketing degree were not fully applicable to social marketing. Having the opportunity to learn about the intervention processes and the thought that goes into changing people's lives for the better has inspired me to adapt my outlook on marketing.”
Overall this course has broadened the team's understanding of social marketing and given us inspiration to adapt and improve our service offering for social purpose driven organisations.
For more information about the Key Concepts course, and to sign up, go here:
https://isocialmarketing.org/trainings-social-marketing-key-concepts-and-principles/