cbsm.com

What It Is

Community-Based Social Marketing is a training and resource website built around the methodology of “community-based social marketing,” led by Dr. Doug McKenzie-Mohr, the founder of the field. Its courses focus on applying behavioral science to the design and delivery of community programs, especially in sustainability and health behavior change. The website explicitly notes that traditional approaches relying on advertising, brochures, or websites to drive change are often limited in effectiveness, while community-based social marketing has been adopted by many projects worldwide.

Core Dimensions

The course focus is highly specialized. It mainly covers behavior-change topics such as reducing waste, improving water and energy efficiency, changing transportation habits, protecting local species, as well as healthy eating, exercise, smoking cessation, and sun protection. In terms of delivery format, the site repeatedly mentions workshops, training, and keynotes, but does not specify whether these are in-person, live online, recorded, or 1-on-1. Judging from the many testimonials from cities, group workshops are at least part of the offering. No certification or certificate information is disclosed. The teaching language is also not stated directly. The website content is in English, and past training locations include English-speaking countries as well as Hong Kong and Bangladesh, but this does not confirm multilingual support.

Instructors and Pricing

The instructor profile is the program’s biggest strength. Doug McKenzie-Mohr has over 30 years of experience applying behavior-change science to community programs and is the founder of community-based social marketing. He was previously a psychology professor and is currently an adjunct professor at Canada’s University of Victoria and Royal Roads University. He has also authored or co-authored multiple books in the field. One of them, Fostering Sustainable Behavior, was recommended by Time Magazine. The site also mentions that his newsletter is read by nearly 20,000 subscribers each week, and that more than 75,000 program managers have attended his international workshops. As for pricing, the captured content does not list any fees; the only clue is a participant comment saying it was “worth every cent,” so the actual price level cannot be determined.

Pros, Cons, and Who It’s For

The main advantages are a clear methodology, an authoritative instructor, and extensive international practice-based feedback. It is especially suitable for government agencies, nonprofits, environmental organizations, and leaders of public health or sustainability programs. The downside is that the available website information is not complete enough for learners to make a fully informed decision: it lacks details on the course syllabus, duration, registration process, pricing, certificates, and post-course support. Users looking for a standardized online course, Chinese-language service, or a verifiable certificate should contact the provider for more information.

Access from China and Alternatives

Access from mainland China cannot be determined from the available text, and payment methods are not disclosed, so both should be marked as unknown. If access or registration is not smooth, alternatives include behavior science, social marketing, and sustainability courses on Coursera, edX, or FutureLearn, as well as environmental communication and community governance training offered by continuing education programs at Chinese universities or nonprofit organizations.