Bilal Akbar

Publications

Journal Articles

• Povilionis, R., Akbar, M. B., Tomasella, B. (2025). From Objectors to Supporters: Developing Targeted Pro-Environmental Behavioural Change Interventions. Current Issues in Tourism. 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2025.2539871
• Allison, S., Akbar, M. B., Allison, C., Padley, K. (2025). Smoking cessation in pregnancy: exploring service users’ lived experiences. British Journal of Midwifery. 33(7). https://doi.org/10.12968/bjom.2024.0115
• Akbar, M. B., Arif, A., Khalid, A. (2025). A Social Marketing Perspective on Tackling SMOG – An Example From Lahore. Social Marketing Quarterly, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/15245004251357518
• Arif, A., Akbar, M. B., & Jamil, A. (2025). Reflection on social marketing in Pakistan. Social Marketing Quarterly, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/15245004251372692
• Tomasella, B., Akbar, M. B., Lawson, A., Howarth, R. (2024). Embedding the Sustainable Development Goals into Higher Education Institutions' Marketing Curriculum, Journal of Marketing Education. 46(2), 155-174. https://doi.org/10.1177/02734753241231182
• Allison, S., Akbar, M. B., Allison, C., Padley, K. and Wormall, S. (2024). Evaluating the impact of an incentive scheme to encourage pregnant people to set a quit-smoking date, European Journal of Marketing, 58 (7): 1756–1775. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-06-2023-0467​
• Millard, R., Akbar, M. B. (2023). ­Conceptualising Reflexivity within Critical Discourse of Social Marketing, Journal of Social Marketing. 14 (1): 73–94. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSOCM-11-2022-0234
• Akbar, M. B., Amoncar, N., Cateriano-Arevalo, E., Lawson, A. (2023). Two-Stage Taxonomy for Measuring Success in Social Marketing Practice, Journal of Social Marketing. 14 (1): 4–25. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSOCM-11-2022-0226
• Akbar, M. B., Barnes, L. (2023). Verification of GPDS planning framework for social marketing: a Delphi method. International Review on Public and Non-profit Marketing. 21, 51–81. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-022-00362-2
• Akbar, M. B., Foote, L., Lawson, A. (2023). Conceptualizing, Embracing, and Measuring Failure in Social Marketing Practice. Social Marketing Quarterly. 29(3), 241-256. https://doi.org/10.1177/15245004231187134
• Akbar, M. B., Singh, L., Deshpande, S., Amoncar, N., (2022), COVID-19 Vaccine Perceptions Among South Asian Communities in the UK: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior, Health Marketing Quarterly. 40(3), 271-288. https://doi.org/10.1080/07359683.2022.2092325
• Akbar, M. B., French, J. (2022). A Reflection on the 7th World Social Marketing Conference (2022). Social Marketing Quarterly, 28(4), 271-273. https://doi.org/10.1177/15245004221136337
• Akbar, M. B., Foote, L., Lawson, A., French, J., Deshpande, S., & Lee, N. (2022). The social marketing paradox: Challenges and opportunities for the discipline. International Review on Public and Non-profit Marketing, 19, 367–389. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-021-00308-0
• Akbar, M. B., Garnelo-Gomez, I., Ndupu, L., Barnes, E., Foster, C. (2022). An analysis of social marketing practice: Factors associated with success. Health Marketing Quarterly. 39(4), 356–376. https://doi.org/10.1080/07359683.2021.1997525
• Akbar, M. B., Foote, L., Soraghan, C., Millard, R., Spotswood, F. (2021). What Causes Social Marketing Programmes to Fail? A Qualitative Study. Social Marketing Quarterly, 1(18). https://doi.org/10.1177/15245004211010202
• Akbar, M. B., Ndupu, L., French, J., Lawson, L. (2021). Social Marketing: Advancing New Framework to Guide Programmes. RAUSP Management Journal, 5(3). https://doi.org/10.1108/RAUSP-08-2020-0186
• Akbar, M. B., French, J., & Lawson, A. (2020). Use of social marketing in sexual health: An exploratory review. Social Business, 10(4), 365–381. https://doi.org/10.1362/204440820X15929907056698
• Akbar, M. B., French, J., & Lawson, A. (2019). Critical review on social marketing planning approaches. Social Business, 9(4), 361–393. https://doi.org/10.1362/204440819X15633617555894

Book chapters

• Howarth, R., Akbar, M. B., Eyre, A., Randle, P. (2025). Navigating Marketers through Sustainable Marketing Strategy, In The Elgar Companion to Marketing and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035328208.00022
• Akbar, M. B., Howarth, R., Tomasella, B., Lawson, A. (2025). Unpacking the Challenges: Integrating SDGs into Marketing Education, In The Elgar Companion to Marketing and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035328208.00033
• Akbar, M. B., Nadeen, S. P. (2025). How the Delphi method can help validate conceptual frameworks, In Doing Marketing Research: Alternative Methods for Market Sensing. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003592808-13
• Akbar, M. B., Lawson, A., Tomasella, B. (2024). What a Waste! How Charities Can Help Use Food Wisely, In The Future of Charity Marketing, London: Routledge Studies in Marketing. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003396802-14
• Akbar, M. B., Shaikh-Kamal, M., Akbar, A., Lawson, A. (2023). UOKM8? Mental Health Campaign to Break Social Stigma. In, The Palgrave Encyclopaedia of Social Marketing. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14449-4_169-1
• Akbar, M. B., Azara, I., Lawson, A., Tomasella, B.  (2023). Achieving sustainable tourism: social marketing as a strategy to increase tourists’ pro-environmental behaviour, In, Handbook on Tourism and Behaviour Change. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800372498.00017
• Akbar, M. B., Nadeem, S. P. (2023). Delphi method - a practical guide for verifying and validating novel developments, In, Research Methods in Business and Management, Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003107774-14
• Akbar, M. B., Lawson, A., Turner, N. (2023). Extending Lauterborn’s 4Cs for Social Marketing. In, The Palgrave Encyclopaedia of Social Marketing. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14449-4_12-3
• Shaikh-Kamal, M., Akbar, M.B. (2022). Improving Maternal Outcomes for Women in Rural Nepal Through Songs. In, The Palgrave Encyclopaedia of Social Marketing. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14449-4_166-1
• Lawson, A., Akbar, M. B. (2022). Improving mental health (case study no 26). In, Success in Social Marketing100 Case Studies From Around the Globe. Routledge.

Reports for external bodies

• Allison, S., Akbar, M. B., & Padley, K. (2023). Evaluating the pilot maternity tobacco treatment service incentive scheme at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust
• Kubacki, K., Akbar, M. B., Chamorro, J. B., French, J., Lee, D., Ong, D., …Ward, D. (2022). ISMA Ethics Principles. International Social Marketing Association

Conference contributions

• Akbar, M. B., Allison, S., Padley, K., Allison, C. (2025). Impact evaluation of a smoking cessation intervention. World Social Marketing Conference, Alicante, Spain (4-8^th of November 2025).
• Akbar, M. B., Sulieman, Y., Gallage, S., Id Boumsoud, W. (2025). What Causes Partnership Tension in Social Marketing? The Academy of Marketing, University College Cork, Ireland.
• Akbar, M. B., Tomasella, B., Lawson, A., Howarth, R. (2024). Embedding SDGs in Marketing Curriculum: Examples from the Current Practice. The Academy of Marketing, University of Cardiff.
• A webinar on Marketing and SDGs Framework, On behalf of the Academy of Marketing, Marketing Education SIG. This was facilitated by Dr Barbara Tomasella & Dr Alison Lawson (University of Derby), Dr Bilal Akbar & Dr Richard Howarth (Nottingham Trent University), Time: Thursday, 7 December, 12 - 1pm 2023.
• Allison, C., Padley, K., Allison, S., & Akbar, M. B. (2023, September). Evaluating the pilot maternity Tobacco Dependence Treatment Service (TDTS) incentive scheme at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (July 2023). Poster presented at Smoking Cessation and Health (SCaH 2023), Manchester.
• Padley, K., Allison, S., Allison, C., & Akbar, M. B. (2023, September). Consideration of the individual impact on participants of a financial incentive scheme designed to eliminate tobacco dependency during pregnancy at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Poster presented at Smoking Cessation and Health (SCaH 2023), Manchester.
• Tomasella, B., Akbar, B., Lawson, A., & Howarth, R. (2023, July). Embedding sustainability in UK HEIs' marketing curriculum. Poster presented at Learning and Teaching Conference, University of Derby
• Tomasella, B., Lawson, A., & Akbar, M. B. (2023, July). Social marketing for social enterprises: a case study of reducing food waste. Paper presented at the Academy of Marketing
• Tomasella, B., Akbar, B., Lawson, A., & Howarth, R. (2023, July). Integrating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) marketing curriculum. Paper presented at the Academy of Marketing
• Akbar, M. B., & Lawson, A. (2022, September). Conceptualising success: A creative way to capitalise on social marketing. Paper presented at Seeing differently: Exploring how creativity can help find new solutions to societal challenges. Nineteen International Research Colloquium on Arts, Heritage, Nonprofit and Social Marketing, Academy of Marketing, Oxford Brookes Business School, Oxford.
• Delbuono, N., Akbar, M. B. (2022). Why do Younger People in the UK Have no Intention to Take the COVID-19 Vaccine? The Academy of Marketing, University of Huddersfield.
• Akbar, M. B. (2022). Vaccine Perception among South Asian Communities in the UK. Paper presented at the Academy of Marketing, Huddersfield.
• Akbar, M. B., Singh, L., Deshpande, S., & Amoncar, N. (2022, September). Factors affecting COVID-19 vaccine uptake among UK based South Asian Communities. Paper presented at World Social Marketing Conference, Brighton
• Akbar, M. B., & Lawson, A. (2022, July). Conceptualising Failure in Social Marketing. Paper presented at Academy of Marketing
• Akbar, M. B. (2022, July). Perception and Intention of UK based South Asian Communities towards Covid Vaccine. Paper presented at Academy of Marketing
• Lawson, A., & Akbar, M. B. (2021, July). Seeing people for who they are: the Alzheimer’s Society. Paper presented at Academy of Marketing
• Akbar, M. B., & Lawson, A. (2021, July). UOKM8 social marketing case study: men’s mental health. Paper presented at Academy of Marketing
• Akbar, M. B., & Lawson, A. (2021, July). Extending Lauterborn’s 4Cs as a social marketing planning model. Paper presented at Academy of Marketing
• Akbar, M. B. (2019, June). Use of Social Marketing Principles in Intervention on Sexual Health. Paper presented at World Social Marketing Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland
• Akbar, M. B. (2018, September). Role of social marketing in sexual health. Paper presented at Arts, Heritage, NonProfit and Social Marketing, Academy of Marketing, University of Stirling
• Akbar, M. B. (2018, September). An Evaluation of Social Marketing Planning Approaches. Paper presented at World Social Marketing Conference, Antwerp, Belgium
• Akbar, M. B. (2018, July). An analysis of sexual health in the UK from social marketing point of view. Paper presented at Academy of Marketing, Stirling, Scotland
• Akbar, M. B. (2017, September). An evaluation of existing social marketing techniques for contraceptive products and services and their impact on consumer behaviour. Paper presented at British Academy of Management, University of Warwick
• Akbar, M. B. (2016, May). Accessing the impact of contraceptive marketing techniques on consumer behaviours. Paper presented at PGR conference, University of Derby

Website content

• Allison, S., Akbar, M. B., Allison, C., Padley, K. (2025). The experiences of service users from a maternity smoking cessation service in England, UK. Kudos.
• IUCN – Behaviour Change Taskforce - 6 Questions with Bilal Akbar: Bridging Behaviour Change Through Social Marketing. Access article.