Table 3 Information on social marketing interventions of the six studies included in the present review[32–37]

Incerto, et. al., 2011 [32], “Fourth Year Fifth” event.

Fourth-year college students, in Virginia, U.S.

Intended to prevent participating in the “Fourth Year Fifth” event. Consisted of 12 interventions. Further, 9 examples were given to behave protectively.

Customer orientation, insight, behavioural goals, exchange, methods mix.

Glassman, et. al., 2010 [33], “Less is more”.

College students aged 18–24 years, in South-East, U.S.

Intended to decrease high-risk drinking, and drinking and driving, and to change the perception that alcohol use increases sexual opportunities. Messages were disseminated from 2004 to 2008.

Customer orientation, insight, exchange, competition, methods mix.

Slater, et. al., 2006 [34], “Be under your own influence”.

Sixth graders from middle-high school and seventh graders from junior-high school, in North-East, South-East, Mid-West, and West, U.S. Mean age 12.2 years.

Intended to emphasize the inconsistency of marijuana, alcohol and tobacco use with one’s aspirations, and to reframe substance use as an activity that impaired, rather than enhanced personal autonomy. Materials were distributed during first and second year.

Customer orientation, insight, behavioural goals, exchange, competition, methods mix.

Rothshild, et. al., 2006 [35], “Road Crew”.

Men aged 21-34 years in 8 rural communities, U.S.

Intended to create ride programs for people who drank too much alcohol, to decrease alcohol-related crashes by 5%. The intervention did not attempt to change the level of consumption of alcohol.

Customer orientation, insight, segmentation, behavioural goals, exchange, methods mix.

Gomberg, et. al., 2001 [37], “Just the facts”.

Freshmen at the University of Mississippi, U.S.

Intended to change the perceptions of student drinking norms and alcohol consumption, and to decrease high- risk drinking. Implemented in fall 1995 and in spring 1996.

Insight, segmentation, methods mix partly, theory based.

“Thanks for being a sober driver” focuses on rewarding the behaviour of sober drivers. Impaired drivers were charged. Consisted of a mix between education (media campaign) and enforcement (roadside spot-checks by police). Lasted 1 year.

Caverson, et. al., 1990 [36], “Thanks for being a sober driver”.

Inhabitants aged 16+ years of the regional municipality of Sudbury, Ontario (Canada).

Insight, segmentation, exchange, methods mix.