Social marketing applies marketing principles to influence welfare-driven behaviors of individuals and society, providing a powerful framework for addressing social development goals and promoting the common good. Introducing Social Marketing as an elective course for master's students in the Work and Organizational Psychology module at the University of Belgrade, Serbia, aimed to strengthen a scientist-practitioner-humanist approach, empower future psychologists in societal applications of psychology, and equip them with skills to foster social change for sustainability and societal wellbeing—across domains such as environmental protection, health, climate change, and other areas of sustainable development.
Di Fabio and Svicher introduced the concept of eco-generativity and developed the Eco-Generativity Scale, encompassing ecological generativity, social generativity, environmental identity, and agency/pathways. The concept and scale were chosen as central resources for the course, alongside the book Social Marketing by Kotler, Roberto and Li.
This contribution had two main objectives: (1) to adapt and validate the Eco-Generativity Scale-Short Form (EGS-S) for use in Serbia, and (2) to explore its use as a teaching tool supporting master's students in applying the scientist-practitioner-humanist paradigm. Three student groups independently translated and adapted the EGS-S; a committee version was developed through joint review and refined using cognitive interviewing. Each team then applied the scale in situation analyses for projects promoting sustainable behaviors, including reducing plastic bag usage (Your Eco Signature), minimizing food waste, and fostering various ecologically responsible behaviors (Eco Wave). The scale demonstrated good psychometric properties. Future research should explore EGS-S application across different sustainable development goals.
Students used EGS-S results to define target audiences, set goals, and design creative interventions. By the end, they reported an "Aha!" moment in integrating EGS-S findings into their social marketing projects, effectively addressing all elements of the scientist-practitioner-humanist approach in responding to complex global challenges.