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Title: For a Better Tomorrow: Strategic Executions for Social Change

Abstract: This presentation synthesizes formative research, key findings, and offers strategic recommendations for practitioners and researchers committed to addressing today’s complex social problems. As such, four distinct yet thematically interconnected social change studies, each addressing a pressing societal challenge through formative research, strategic communication, advocacy and community engagement, will be reviewed. Together, these studies illuminate the multifaceted nature of social change and the diverse methodologies employed to achieve meaningful, lasting impact across varied contexts.

The first study investigates the environmental crisis of pollution experienced by Macedonians, exploring formative research and a campaign to increase individual behaviors that potentially reduce pollution. The second study turns to the growing phenomenon of image-based sexual harassment (IBSH), focused on motivating individuals to talk to someone about the harassment. The third study examines pathways to recovery through formative research aimed at understanding stigmatizing health interactions and proposing a stigma reduction toolkit. The fourth and final study evaluates a non-profit social media campaign, critically reviewing its strategic design, audience engagement, and measurable outcomes.

Title: Growing Yourself as a First-Generation American Football Fan in China: A Consumer Socialization Perspective

Abstract: This study examines the consumer socialization of first-generation American football fans in China, focusing on how these individuals became National Football League (NFL) consumers within an emerging, under-resourced sport market. Based on thematic narrative analysis of 26 interviews, this study finds that (a) media plays an influential role, but its effectiveness is limited by consumers’ geographic locations, individual media consumption habits, and socioeconomic conditions; (b) active participation can effectively foster social connections that are otherwise absent, yet sustaining engagement demands considerable individual effort due to limited institutional infrastructure; and (c) personal attributes, particularly sport literacy and personality tendencies, significantly influence the overseas socialization process among these first-generation NFL consumers. By illuminating a more actor-centric pathway, this research enriches consumer socialization theory and provides actionable strategies for organizations pursuing global market expansion.