2025 International Social Marketing Conference

Conference Highlights

A Historic Gathering

The 2025 International Social Marketing Conference marked a significant milestone as the final conference under the ISMC name. Over two days in Canberra, with pre-conference workshops on 13 May, social marketing practitioners, academics, and researchers from around the world gathered to explore how our field navigates disruption and drives positive change in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world.

Conference Format

• Hybrid conference enabling global participation
• Academic, practitioner, and poster presentations
• Pre-conference workshops on key social marketing topics
• International speakers and delegates

Award Winners

Academic Awards

• Best Academic Paper: Cheryl Leo, Yun-Hsin Cindy Chou and Gauri Laud – “Aligning power dynamics in social marketing interactions: A typology and conceptual model”
• Highly Commended: Kim Feddema, Kaisa Koskela-Huotari and Paul Harrigan – “Encouraging reflexivity in critical social marketing via a contested practices approach”
• Highly Commended: Lena Cavusoglu and Russell Belk – “Face Value: Advocating for social change in facial difference exclusion”

Student Awards

• Best Student Paper: Brittany Currenti – “Risking Impact without Theory: How practitioners can implement theory in interventions for effective campaigns”
• Highly Commended: Alek Van Hummel – “Understanding consumer trust and distrust in social marketing ecosystems”
• Highly Commended: Pham Van Hau – “Reducing Single-Use Plastics (SUPs): Barriers and Enablers for Milk”

Practitioner Awards

• Best Practitioner Paper: Mike Daniels, The Behavioural Architects – “Why the word ‘tree’ is the very last thing you should say to someone if you want them to plant one”
• Highly Commended: Clare Murray, Madeline Forbes, Clare Johnson and Joanna Munro, Health and Wellbeing Queensland – “Wellness my Way: A health promotion campaign with community at the centre”
• Highly Commended: Carolyn Loton, Linda Lyck, Joanne Pillai and Leah Davies, Juntos Marketing – “Connect, Your Way: Lived experience at the heart of a mental health campaign”

Keynote Speakers

Professor Maria Raciti – Co-director of the UniSC Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre
“Thriving in a VUCA world: Insights and strategies for social marketers”
Explored how social marketers can navigate volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environments, including insights on ‘delicious ambiguity’ and First Nations knowledge systems.

Carolyn Taig – Partner, Alliance Strategic Research
“Disruption or direction? Navigating the ethics of AI in social marketing research”
Examined the transformative impact of generative AI on social marketing research, exploring both opportunities and ethical considerations.

Conference Proceedings

Download the full proceedings here 

The proceedings contain all presented papers, poster abstracts, and conference insights, providing a comprehensive record of the discussions and discoveries shared during this landmark event. ISBN: 978-1-74088-601-7

Panel Discussions

AI Debate: “AI tools are a replacement for humans in designing and evaluating behaviour change programs/campaigns”
Featuring experts from behavioural economics, social marketing, and health implementation science.

Systems Panel: “Social marketing ecosystems in the age of disruption: How might we use social marketing to disrupt under-performing systems and market failure?”
Examining social marketing’s role in addressing system failures and market challenges.

Pre-Conference Workshops (13 May 2025)

• What is social marketing?
• How to convert your conference paper into a journal article
• Research methods for social marketing

Conference Photos

What’s Next?

This conference marked the end of an era and the beginning of something new. From 2026, the conference will continue as the Asia Pacific Social Marketing Conference, reflecting our region’s growing influence in the field.

Learn more about the rebrand 

Legacy

The 2025 ISMC celebrated over 20 years of bringing together social marketing practitioners and scholars, from its origins as the Nonprofit Marketing Conference in 2004 to becoming a truly international gathering that has shaped the future of social marketing practice and research.