A Social Marketing Perspective on Tackling SMOG – An Example From Lahore

Air pollution is a pressing environmental challenge on a global scale, with profound implications for public health, economic stability, and ecological balance. It is one of the leading risk factors for premature mortality globally, with approximately 6.7 million premature deaths, predominantly due to ground-level ozone (O3), particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and sulphur dioxide (SO2) (Kalashnikov et al., 2022). The economic cost is equally staggering, with billions lost annually in healthcare, environmental damage, and productivity (World Bank Group, 2023).

South Asia exemplifies the severity of the air pollution crisis, where India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh frequently record the highest PM2.5 levels worldwide. This reflects broader South Asian regional patterns of pollution driven by shared socioeconomic and climatic factors. This transboundary nature of air pollution complicates mitigation efforts, necessitating regional cooperation and shared policy frameworks. It also underscores the urgency of coordinated global action to mitigate air pollution and its far-reaching consequences. A combined approach to robust policy measures, technological advancements, and international collaboration has been suggested to combat air pollution challenges. We take a different turn and reflect on the role of social marketing in presenting potential solutions throughout the social marketing ecosystem. While acknowledging the broader nature of air pollution issues, we use the topic of smog in Lahore as a case study, followed by our proposed social marketing approach.

The City of Lahore: Smog, Struggle, and Survival

Lahore’s geography, low winds, and temperature inversions worsen pollution, hindering mitigation. Despite Euro-V fuel adoption, air quality continues to deteriorate, demanding stronger enforcement and innovation. Smog stems from various factors. This includes air pollution from traffic (e.g., poor quality vehicles, roads, lack of public transport), farmers’ practice of burning crops inside and around Lahore, climate changes (e.g., lack of rain), the domestic and hospitality sector’s coal usage, burning domestic and industry waste, and overall general pollution (e.g., uncontrolled construction activities and unpaved roads generating significant dust and particulate matter), resulting in smog every winter (Abbasi, 2022; Ali, 2021; Shaikh, 2022). In November 2024, Lahore’s air quality was constantly above 700 and 1000, sometimes reaching 2000; it is crucial to note that an air quality index of 50 is considered safe and healthy (The Guardian UK, 2024). Critics attribute the crisis of governance and cohesion to the escalating smog issue. Smog’s suffocating grasp has exposed governance gaps and negligence, with emergency measures appearing as temporary fixes. The public frustration over unkept promises undermines social cohesion.

Smog deeply affects health, the economy, individual and societal well-being, and Lahore’s cultural identity, impacting people and industry in the region.

Impact on Health

Smog has led to a surge in health issues such as asthma, bronchitis, respiratory, and cardiovascular diseases, straining healthcare. In November 2024, the Punjab Healthcare Department reported 1.93 million such cases, including 126,230 in Lahore. Over two days, 13-14 November, 6236 respiratory cases were recorded in Lahore. Around 500 children have died from pneumonia due to various smog-related effects (Chaudhry, 2024).

Vulnerable groups, including babies, children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing conditions, bear the brunt, further exacerbating social inequalities. According to Human Rights Watch, if the air pollution in Pakistan persists, it will shorten average life expectancy by 3.9 years for Punjab and 7 years for Lahore (Ijaz, 2023). Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF’s representative, said the

…. smog effects in Lahore are devastating, far-reaching and life-threatening for children (UNICEF, 2024).

The psychological toll of perpetual smog extends beyond physical health, manifesting as stress, anxiety, depression, irritability, cognitive impairments, and sleep disturbances. The semi-lockdown not only restricted mobility, it enhanced health fears, and limited outdoor activities reduced life satisfaction and strained mental health services, highlighting the emotional cost of the crisis.

Socio-Economic Impacts

The relentless smog has dimmed Lahore’s vibrant culture and history, weaving into the city’s socio-economic fabric. From 16-22 November 2024, worsening conditions prompted a semi-lockdown, closing schools, shifting university classes online, and limiting office occupancy to 50%. Poor Internet, limited tech access, and travel restrictions (e.g., motorway and ring-road closures) disrupted education (Ashfaq, 2024). Meanwhile, smog-related illnesses also increased workplace absenteeism, lowering productivity. The danger was even more significant for daily wage earners: lost workdays and eroded incomes deepened poverty. In addition, outdoor construction, agriculture, and delivery service workers faced heightened risks, making smog a harbinger of economic hardship.

Impact on Hospitality, Tourism and Agriculture

Poor air quality has severely impacted Lahore’s tourism and hospitality industries, discouraging visitors and reducing economic gains. Smog has dimmed the charm of Lahore’s iconic gardens and bazaars, strangling the hospitality sector’s lifeblood. It may continue to do so with governmental mitigations, such as proposed yearly wedding bans from October to December (Tribune Express, 2024). Popular tourist events, such as the Lahore Fort Tour and the Thal Jeep rally, were severely affected in numbers and execution due to smog. Smog has also affected the city’s celebrated infrastructure, with acidic air corroding historical monuments that were symbols of Lahore’s rich heritage (Hussain, 2024). Additionally, smog-reduced sunlight has stunted crop growth across Punjab, harming agriculture and deepening economic losses. This economic-environmental crisis has overshadowed the vibrancy and spirit of Lahoris.

An Integrated Framework – From Individuals to Systems

Social marketing offers collaborative and impactful solutions to address social challenges, emphasising the importance of collective responsibility (Akbar et al., 2022). Hence, we call for a more collective approach to deal with smog in Lahore, partnering with individuals, communities, policymakers, funding bodies, local governance, and all levels of society working in synchronisation, supporting each other and working simultaneously towards better air quality. Our recommendations are grounded in Andreasen’s (2002) benchmark criteria, which involve conducting in-depth consumer research to co-discover social issues and co-design solutions through a customer-oriented lens. By applying marketing principles such as segmentation, the marketing mix (price, place, promotion, and product), and Weinreich’s (2010) four Ps (partnership, policy, public, purse strings) and the concept of exchange, rewards, and competition, we aim to address smog effectively.

As mentioned earlier, several factors contribute to smog in Lahore; however, we focused on the farmers’ practice of burning their crops as an example to illustrate the proposed recommendations (see Table 1 for an overview).

Table 1.

Crop Burning, Smog & Social Marketing Ecosystem.

Level	Audience	Strategies to influence	Expected outcomes
Downstream	Farmers who burn their crops in Lahore and surrounding areas	Co-discovery and co-design of suitable products/solutions, awareness, education, nudging, promoting alternative products and solutions	Reduced crop burning and increased adoption of sustainable farming practices
Midstream	Local agricultural department and farmers’ unions, institutions, organisations	Capacity building, community connectedness and engagement	Strong local support for sustainable practices helping social norms shifting where farmers’ move away from burning their crops
Upstream	Local government, leaders and policymakers	Policy advocacy, evidence-based support, and funding pilot programmes	Policies, facilities and enforcement
Systems	All levels working together	Interdisciplinary collaboration to aid policy and practice	Long-term behavioural and structural change for sustainable air quality improvement

Downstream Social Marketing Approach

The downstream approach targets individual behaviour (Kenny & Hastings, 2011). It offers alternative products, services, and relevant information while involving individuals in identifying needs, understanding and co-discovering social issues, and developing unique solutions, material and messages (Akbar & Barnes, 2024). In the case of practice of farmers burning stubble in their fields, a critical first step would be conducting in-depth consultations with farmers to gain insights into their lives, understand the core reasons why they burn their crops, what would be involved in changing their practices and their level of knowledge on the impact of their practice and awareness of alternative methods. Are farmers burning their fields because they do not know of other methods, other methods are unavailable to them, too time-consuming and costly, or there are no systems in place to support alternative practices? If, for example, the research shows that farmers are open to alternative methods, developing and making available suitable products, such as bio-decomposers in capsules and microbial sprays, or other composting products suitable (and affordable) for the local needs to improve soil fertility, is necessary. Crucially, involving farmers in co-designing and co-developing cost-effective products/solutions will foster a sense of ownership and advocacy, leading to higher engagement and effectiveness. Such an approach allows the development of unique solutions to the local context.

Segmentation of audiences will also be useful. In cases where lack of knowledge is a major barrier to behaviour change and when promoting new products and practices, messaging should be designed in multiple languages (e.g., English, Urdu, Punjabi, and Pashto) to ensure relevance and inclusivity, emphasising the significance of individual roles and actions (whether personal, domestic, social, or collective). Similarly, identifying the media used by farmers, along with suitable times and places for delivering the messages, would be useful for better uptake.

Midstream Social Marketing Approach

Although behaviour change at the individual level is necessary, it will not be enough, and midstream social marketing interventions to build community infrastructure and provide support and incentives will be needed. Social marketers must analyse the community assets, activities, impacts, barriers, and benefits of local governmental, public, and private institutions and organisations in Lahore, including industries, charities, nonprofit organisations and NGOs, religious institutions, and media organisations (McKenzie-Mohr & Smith, 1999).

The target audience here will be the local agriculture department and the Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee (PKRC), a local farmers’ union operating in Lahore, which will be engaged through community advocacy and engagement. In this, we propose a partnership among these organisations, local higher education institutions, entrepreneurs, and laboratories. Local higher education institutions can provide a platform (e.g., Farm Machinery Bank) that enables small and marginal farmers to access necessary equipment and machinery on a rental basis. This approach, first, offsets the adverse economies of scale arising from small land holdings and promotes the use of sustainable farming practices. Second, it would enable higher education institutions to have direct access to the farmers’ community in Lahore, which can be used for further collaboration on developing suitable solutions with the help of local entrepreneurs and laboratories. Our research suggests that most universities in Lahore have public health, sustainability and agriculture departments; therefore, establishing dedicated centres within these departments can aid the partnership to remove barriers, build local capacity, and develop long-term, research-driven solutions, such as the development of suitable composting facilities for farmers. Academics can also support the development of educational material for farmers’ capacity building, such as online (e.g., videos, forums, blogs, vlogs, podcasts, and programmes on local radios) and offline (booklets, leaflets, and other information material), offering details on the impact of burning crops, alternative products demos and how farmers can contribute and play their roles. While such solutions can increase farmers’ access and connectedness, they are not standalone solutions; they can complement upstream and downstream efforts by demonstrating actions and encouraging farmers’ engagement. This approach balances systemic change, infrastructure improvement, and individual behaviour modification, creating a more holistic strategy to combat smog.

Upstream Social Marketing Approach

These solutions also need to consider policy, economic, and social determinants contributing to farmers’ behaviours. e.g., crop burning is an easy method requiring a minimum of effort and funding that has been applied for years in Lahore to clear land, fertilise the soil, and prepare it for new plantations. Associated upstream factors include low economic status of farmers, culture and tradition, limited access to alternatives, and loopholes in the local governance system that can allow farmers to continue old habits. Therefore, an upstream approach is necessary to target leaders and policymakers to develop and enforce policies (e.g., a strategy to influence farmers’ behaviour and a ban on burning crops), funding for pilot programmes (e.g., offer financial support to facilitate the alternative solutions), and implement enforcement measures to disincentivise crop burning (e.g., fines for burning crops), to aid downstream and midstream efforts.

For example, in 2024, the Punjab government provided 500 Happy Seeders to local farmers as an alternative to burning crops, alongside training material on the use of the new machinery. These Seeders shred crop residue and mulch it into the soil, reducing carbon emissions by 78%. Similarly, penalties were enforced; for example, a PKR 50,000 fine per acre for stubble burning is in place to prevent harmful practices and encourage sustainable alternatives. An analysis of these schemes, including what went well, what did not go well, lessons learned, and, importantly, the impact of these schemes on controlling air quality and smog informs us that these data-driven outcomes would help policymakers assess the sustainability of the schemes, make adjustments to the schemes, or develop new ones.

Systems Social Marketing Approach

A systems approach promotes collaboration across all levels, from individuals and communities to policymakers and government, to align goals and actions (Domegan, 2021). We believe the smog crisis in Lahore is not merely an environmental challenge but a socio-economic and moral imperative requiring a strict regulatory framework backed by strong enforcement, alongside voluntary behavioural changes at individual and community levels. Therefore, an integrative social marketing approach is necessary to leverage synergies from different partners to ensure comprehensive coverage and impact. For example, to aid individual behaviours (downstream), relevant policy changes (upstream), transforming social norms (midstream), strengthening communities (midstream), improving environments and accessibility (upstream & midstream), coordinating multi-sector (government, decision-makers, funders, communities, higher education, individuals) solutions (systems) are needed. Such an integrated approach has the potential to tackle smog in Lahore if supported by relevant enforcement, policies and support.

Takeaway

Lahore’s smog reflects South Asia’s broader air pollution challenge, with profound implications for public health and the environment. Addressing this crisis requires a multifaceted approach, including strengthening regulatory frameworks, investing in clean energy solutions, and fostering public-private partnerships. In the case of Lahore, the battle is not only for clear skies but also for Lahore’s soul, a fight to reclaim its heritage, spirit, and promise of a healthier future for all, young and old, poor and rich and everyone belongs to it. The proposed social marketing approaches involve individuals, the community, higher education institutions, organisations, and policymakers in a joint effort to tackle the crop burning practice. Similar approaches can be applied in other areas, such as vehicle emissions, coal burning, burning of waste, and poor infrastructure, which also have a significant impact on smog and require addressing different groups of people. Lahore is a populous city with various classes (e.g., elite, middle and lower class), each with different needs, levels of education, awareness and approaches to air pollution, and requiring tailored interventions. The ‘one size fits all’ approach cannot work. Therefore, an integrated approach must be used for a wider reach and uptake. The outcome will determine whether Lahore’s story becomes one of resilience and recovery or a cautionary tale of inaction.