Remembering Giuseppe Fattori

Giuseppe was one of the pioneers of social marketing in Italy. He helped establish the Italian Social Marketing Association and served as its President. He was among the first to introduce and teach social marketing within an Italian university, as Adjunct Professor at the University of Bologna, where he taught social marketing to new generations of students and professionals.

A physician with extensive experience in health services and health promotion, Giuseppe combined academic excellence with a profound commitment to improving people’s lives. His work focused on social marketing, health promotion, and social media.

His influence extended well beyond Italy. Giuseppe served on the advisory boards of the Journal of Social Marketing and Social Marketing Quarterly (SMQ), and he was also a member of the International Doctors Society for the Environment.

We will also deeply miss his monthly newsletter, one of the most complete, thoughtful and inspiring contributions to our community. Many of us looked forward to receiving it every month, and it often served as an inspiration for our own ESMA newsletter. Without Giuseppe’s voice, insight and generosity in sharing ideas, we feel profoundly orphaned.

Beyond his remarkable achievements, we will remember Giuseppe for his generosity, kindness, enthusiasm, and unwavering belief in the power of social marketing to create positive change. He was a true giant of our field, and his legacy will continue to inspire us!!

He will never be forgotten.

Our thoughts are with his family, friends, colleagues, and all those who had the privilege of knowing and working with him.

ESMA Board members remembering Giuseppe

Giuseppe was one of the great pioneers of social marketing and a giant in health promotion in Italy and beyond. He made so many important contributions to our field, being one of the founders of the European Social Marketing Association and contributing with dedication and passion to health promotion and sustainability. I had the privilege of working with him on the ESMA Board where he so generously shared his vast experience, bringing a thoughtfull approach to how we engage with practitioners and students and advocating for ‘making the theory real’ for those working in the social marketing field. I am so grateful for his constant support on the ESMA Board. Beyond all his professional achievements, Giuseppe was a wonderful human being, always kind and genuine that I will deeply miss.

Nadina Luca

I have so many amazing memories with Giuseppe. He shaped what we did with ESMA, from the very first idea until now. He built Social marketing in Italy and was dedicated beyond the call of duty. His soft and always kind voice will never get out of my head. I hear him saying now “mmm Suzanne” in a way that made you smile and de-stress immediately. It’s a loss for the world. For social marketing, he will always remain a pioneer and his legacy will live on. I am grateful that I could know him, work with him, profit from his drive, curiosity, and kindness, and to call him a friend.

Suzanne Suggs

Giuseppe was an ESMA Board Member until last year and a huge influence on Social Marketing both in Italy and wider afield. He was also a good and kind man, who I regarded as a friend.

John Landels

He was always kind, caring, and especially supportive of others, including early-career researchers. Giuseppe was genuinely committed to promoting Social Marketing initiatives and facilitating the dissemination of our work — he was a truly passionate advocate.

Boris Chapoton

Giuseppe was a leading light in social marketing and health promotion, a visionary, a founding member of ESMA and a passionate advocate for social marketing excellence throughout Europe and beyond. I have very fond memories of Giuseppe’s warm personality and generous caring nature. He will be sadly missed.

Rita Brophy

Giuseppe was a towering figure in European social marketing and an unusually kind and generous person! I grew very fond of him during our work on ESMA’s board – his openness to new people, ideas and practices is unrivalled.

Thomas Anker

I perceived his appreciation and positive attitude toward social marketing and his colleagues. He was always willing to share his newsletter and generously invited me to take part by interviewing and sharing news. He showed a great talent to make you feel comfortable and connected. I shall miss him.

Gonzalo Díaz Meneses

He was a key reference in social marketing and an outstanding communicator, always committed to sharing knowledge and advancing our field. His legacy will remain with us.

Franco Sancho Esper

We will miss Giuseppe. I only met him one or two times but he was really a nice colleague.

Patricia Gurviez

I would like to express my condolences to his family and publicly note his contributions to social marketing. As a board of ESMA he was always very kind and a visionary of how social marketing could grow visibility within the community by simple and meaningful actions. I will always remember Giuseppe as an example to follow.

Beatriz Casais