3 © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015 W. Wymer (ed.), Innovations in Social Marketing and Public Health Communication, Applying Quality of Life Research, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-19869-9_1 Chapter 1 Formulating Effective Social Marketing and Public Health Communication Strategies Walter Wymer 1 Introduction Social marketing campaigns and public health campaigns are developed in order to improve the quality of life for their target audiences. For example, if a campaign is implemented which encourages community members to stop cigarette smoking then the quality of life of those community members improves. They are less likely to contract a smoking-related disease, become disabled, and die prematurely. Family members are less likely to contract disease from second-hand exposure to cigarette smoke, they will have greater disposable income since money will not be spent on tobacco, and they will not have a family member die prematurely (with all the nega- tive associated consequences). The community benefits as well. Smokers that would have needed costly health care, or families that might have needed public assistance will no longer need these public benefits. Individuals who quit smoking, indeed, are likely to remain healthy, productive citizens longer than if they had remained smokers. When social marketing campaigns and public health campaigns are made more effective, their contributions to the quality of life for individuals and for the com- munity increases. The purpose of this chapter is to present a strategy for developing more effective social marketing and public health campaigns. Improving the quality of life for individuals and communities motivates the creation of social marketing and public health communications. Hence, improving the effectiveness of cam- paigns enhances the quality of life they target. Effectiveness is defined as the extent to which a social marketing program achieves its intended purpose or function. For example, if an anti-obesity program wants to solve the obesity problem in a population, what level of obesity reduction W. Wymer (*) Faculty of Management, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada e-mail: Walter.wymer@uleth.ca