Partnership tensions in systems social marketing

The nature of social issues facing the world requires to build systems social marketing partnerships that necessitate the involvement of many organisations, groups, individuals, and the development of system partnerships for successful significant social change. Particularly, when it comes to complex or wicked issues. Involving multiple partners in systems social marketing partnerships is challenging as there are differences between partners in terms of their interests, power relations, and perspectives etc. These differences constitute a fertile ground for tensions, which if not dealt with appropriately, may lead to partnership failure. Despite the importance of partnership tensions in systems social marketing, partnership tensions are considered as an overlooked issue that needs to be addressed. Therefore, both conceptual and practical developments are needed to establish the state of knowledge about partnership tensions in systems social marketing. In this, this thesis aims to gain an in-depth understanding of partnership tensions in systems social marketing. Having a broader understanding of partnership tensions can provide more valuable information to design appropriate interventions to deliver effective change. In this, this research uses the paradoxical perspective as a lens to explore partnership tensions in systems social marketing. This research contributes to filling this gap by building a solid understanding of partnership tensions in systems social marketing that helps social marketers to deliver effective change.