Abstract
Social marketing programs that market and distribute subsidized contraceptives in developing countries do not make money, nor are they intended to. Indeed, attempts to make them profitable have generally undermined the effectiveness of such programs, particularly in very poor countries (Harvey, 1999, pp. 213-225).
The purpose of such programs is to make contraceptives available to even the lowest-income people in developing country markets and, as such, subsidization of overall project activities will always be required. Indeed, contraceptive services, along with health services in general, are subsidized for low-income people in industrialized countries, leading one expert to suggest that it is “patently absurd” to withdraw contraceptive subsidies “for people who struggle to survive on a dollar a day” (The Lancet Eds., 1990, p. 659).
However, there are numerous parties involved in contraceptive social marketing (CSM) projects in the countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin American that do make money from their role in social marketing, and these businesses and entrepreneurs benefit significantly from the parts they play. Such private businesses include, most prominently, advertising agencies, product distribution firms, market research firms, and ancillary businesses like vehicle manufacturers and importers, makers of promotional paraphernalia - from calendars to pens to T-shirts, and others.
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