This special issue seeks to demonstrate how qualitative and interpretive research can drive meaningful social and behavioural change, particularly for underrepresented and marginalised groups. Rather than relying solely on quantitative metrics, the collection aims to show how deep qualitative inquiry uncovers the psychological and cultural factors that shape human behaviour and can inform ethical, inclusive interventions that address complex social problems.

The call reflects growing recognition that qualitative research must evolve to engage participatory and inclusive frameworks, especially when working with neurodivergent, trauma-affected, and marginalised populations. The special issue responds to an urgent need for research methodologies that empower rather than merely study neglected communities, drawing on approaches such as netnography and community-led participatory methods to create transformative social impact.

Appel publié par Qualitative Market Research. Voir l'appel sur le site de l'éditeur. Fiche de l'appel sur kerostig.

Potential topics

• Present innovative qualitative approaches to design and/or evaluate social marketing initiatives
• Develop qualitative approaches for inclusive research
• Describe participatory approaches (e.g. action research, co-design)
• Engage with difficult, sensitive, or stigmatised topics, developing sensemaking through qualitative methods
• Reflect on the ethics of participatory inclusive methods for behaviour and social change
• Develop longitudinal qualitative frameworks to demonstrate the social impact of ethical interventions and inclusive social marketing strategies

Timeline

• January 10, 2026: Opening date for manuscripts submissions
• December 15, 2026: Closing date for manuscripts submission

Elena Vlahu Gjorgievska, University of Wollongong

Kiemute Oyibo, York University

Yugo Nakamura, Ritsumeikan University

Appel publié par Behaviour & Information Technology. Voir l'appel sur le site de l'éditeur. Fiche de l'appel sur kerostig.

Potential topics

• Persuasive systems design
• Behaviour change support systems
• Interaction with persuasive systems, interfaces, and visualizations
• Interactive agents and (generative) AI for persuasion
• Tailored and personalized persuasion
• Gamification
• Evaluation and validation methodologies
• Smart environments, IoT, and contextual persuasion
• Digital marketing, eCommerce, and smart cities
• Motivation, cognition, perception
• Application domains: health, safety, sustainability, education, work
• Ethical considerations, privacy, and trust
• Counter-persuasion, resilience, and social media influence

Timeline

• September 1, 2026: Manuscript deadline

Social marketing has long been positioned as a discipline capable of improving societal wellbeing by applying marketing principles to influence behaviour in socially beneficial ways. Early contributions that imagined marketing being used beyond the commercial realm laid the foundation for the field's formal emergence in the early 1970s. Over the decades, social marketing has advanced its understanding of how to encourage and sustain behaviour change, yet the contemporary landscape presents challenges of a fundamentally different scale.

Increasing environmental degradation, climate instability, resource pressures, and persistent social inequities highlight the need for social marketing approaches capable of addressing system-wide issues. While behaviour remains a central concern, scholars have argued that meaningful progress requires attention to macro-level structures and the dynamic interactions among actors, networks, institutions, and infrastructures. Social marketing is therefore being called upon not merely to promote individual behaviour change, but to support the creation of sustainable futures through coordinated, multi-level forms of change.

Appel publié par European Journal of Marketing. Lire l'appel complet sur le site de l'éditeur. Fiche de l'appel sur kerostig.

Potential topics

• Critical reviews of social marketing's development and its relevance to sustainability
• Conceptual and theoretical contributions linking social marketing to sustainable futures
• Social marketing and its application to addressing environmental and social challenges
• Systems social marketing and multi-actor, multi-level approaches to sustainability
• Social marketing models and frameworks for climate action, circular economy, waste reduction, and resource stewardship
• Social marketing interventions promoting sustainable consumption and production
• Community-based social marketing and collective approaches to sustainable behaviour change
• Social marketing supporting policy development, institutional change, and governance for sustainability
• Ethical considerations in sustainability-focused social marketing, including autonomy, power, and representation
• Social marketing communication strategies for sustainability, including narrative, identity, and social norms
• Digital, AI-enabled, and technology-supported social marketing for sustainable behaviour change
• Segmentation and audience insight for sustainability-oriented social marketing
• Evaluation and measurement of social marketing's societal impact in sustainability contexts
• Social marketing applications in public health that intersect with sustainable futures
• Social marketing for prevention, long-term behaviour maintenance, and resilience-building
• Branding, value creation, and market-shaping activities within social marketing for sustainability
• Cross-cultural and international challenges in social marketing for sustainable futures

Timeline

• October 30, 2026: Closing date for manuscripts submission