a) Social marketing is the use of normal marketing methods to achieve the benefits of social change, such as informing the public about the harm of under-age drinking, rather than for direct commercial gain.

Other examples include: promoting the use of anti-drug campaigns, contraceptives, protection of animals, encouragement of recycling, anti-smoking campaigns and the promotion of healthy eating.

b) The Singaporean government is probable to use social marketing tactics in order to control litter problems in its country. Educating people, more willingly than simply fining them, is likely to be more cost effective in the long term as it becomes part of the culture. The case study mentions the use of litter laws being educated and promoted in schools as a way to embed the desired culture from a young age. It is therefore expected that the government's success will depend heavily on aspects of social marketing. However, much of this will also rely on marketing tactics used to inform the general public about the punishments for littering.
Other considerations include:

• Action will only be assume if people believe that the benefits of doing so compensate the costs, i.e. the littering penalties must be adequate

• The government is more liable to succeed if its strategy is based on educating people to comprehend the social benefits and goals, rather than allowing their own perceptions to dictate personal action

• Education, not social marketing itself, has been used to establish a culture of cleanliness

• Success does not rely on social marketing itself; legislation (such as the Corrective Work Order and littering fines) is also used to achieve the government's objectives.

In conclusion, the combination of the use of social marketing and government control have clearly worked in ensuring that Singapore remains one of the cleanest countries in the world.