Delicious VUCA: Reimagining Social Marketing in an Era of Radical Change

Explore how social marketers can navigate volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environments and how First Nations knowledges and perspectives can guide the way.

We're thrilled to bring you Professor Maria Raciti from the University of the Sunshine Coast. Following Maria's popular keynote at the recent International Social Marketing Conference, the NZ Social Marketing Network Committee invited Maria to share her kōrero with you.

In the age of disruption social marketers increasingly wrestle with the challenges posed by a VUCA world—characterised by Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. In this new, dynamic environment traditional social marketing mindsets and methods are becoming less effective. On the front lines, many social marketing scholars, practitioners, participants, and policymakers sense a distinct shift in the landscape, yet struggle to pinpoint exactly what has changed and what to do about it. This session explores how social marketers can navigate volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environments and how First Nations knowledges and perspectives can guide the way.

Maria is Professor of Marketing and Co-director of the UniSC Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast. Maria is an Australian Aboriginal woman with cultural connections to the Kalkadoon, Thaniquith and Bwgcolman peoples. She serves on several national and international committees and is regularly engaged as an expert advisor. Her research has produced impactful outcomes including informing national policy.