Socially responsible marketing

Overview

Socially responsible marketing is critical of excessive consumerism and environmental damages caused by corporations. It is based on the idea that profit-driven, but they must also reinforce social and ethical values ​​for the benefit of citizens.

The idea of ​​socially responsible marketing is an extension of the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). CSR is promoted to a business model to help companies self-regulating, recognizing that their activities impact an assortment of stakeholders, including the general public. ^[2] CSR is sometimes described in terms of a pyramid, starting with economic as its basis, then legal, ethical and philanthropic actions at the top. It is in the last two layers of the CSR pyramid, ethical and philanthropic, that socially responsible marketing opportunities appear the greatest. The first two layers, economic and legal, are necessary for a business to thrive in the future. ^[2]

Socially Responsible Marketing and Ethics

Social responsibility in marketing is often discussed with ethics . The difference between the two is that what is considered ethical, and can not be the same thing – nor do they all business actions necessarily have to be socially responsible in order to be considered ethical. Some viewpoints of socially responsible behavior that the qualifying marketing actions not simply meet the minimum ethical guidelines of business, but voluntarily exceed them. ^[3]

As a Response to Mainstream Marketing

Socially responsible marketing emerged as a questionable marketing practice that has adverse effects on society. The major economic criticisms that the Mainstream Marketing Strategies generally lead to. Due to the size of the chain of intermediaries in marketing, the distribution of commodities to consumers costs a lot. As a result, individuals pay higher premiums for the goods and services they receive. 2) Contemporary marketing links heavily on aggressive advertising and promotion. In order to offset the costs, companies charge higher prices through excessive markups. 3) Product differentiation is one of the most commonly used marketing tools. But this not only creates an artificial psychological value attached to higher-priced brands but also raises environmental concerns about packaging. As such, socially responsible marketing rejects all deceptive marketing practices in pricing, promotion and packaging, even if they may seem technically legal.

In addition to the economic implications, marketing exerts a significant impact on the values ​​of the society. The advocates of socially responsible marketing argue that the current system creates false wants, ie, encourages people to buy, and leads to excessive spending. Too much obsession with material goods in the long run can cause damage to the society as a whole. Corporate profit should not eclipse the collective benefit of the society. Thus, socially responsible marketing draws attention to the “social costs” ^[1] that are embedded in the marketing, selling and consumption of private commodities. It calls for a marketing system that contributes to social and environmental sustainability, while producing profits for businesses.

Types

There are several related marketing concepts, such as: social marketing , cause related marketing , environmental or green marketing , environmental marketing, quality of life , and socially responsible buying. ^[4]

Enlightened Marketing

The philosophy of enlightened marketing is a concept that falls under the umbrella of socially responsible marketing. Enlightened marketing states that “a company’s marketing should support the best long-run performance of the marketing system. This concept contains the five principles: consumer-oriented marketing, innovative marketing, value marketing, sense-of-mission marketing and societal marketing. ^[1]

In consumer-oriented marketing , the company’s marketing and marketing activities focus on the needs of a defined user set. ^[1]

Innovative marketing states that a company must continue to improve its products and marketing efforts, recognizing that it does not ^[1]

The principle of value marketing contends that a company “should put most of its resources into value-building marketing investments.” One criticism of marketing its short term focus in the sense of promotions and minor improvements. Value marketing seeks to create long term customer loyalty by adding significant value to the consumer offer. ^[1]

Sense-of-mission marketing suggests a company mission defined as “broad social terms” as opposed to “narrow product terms.” This technique frames the business goal in a way that the organization can rally behind a deeper sense of purpose. ^[1]

The principle of societal marketing asks the company to consider the “consumers” wants and long-run interests, the company’s requirements and society’s long-term interests. ^[1]

Benefits to Business

The practice of socially responsible marketing has many distinct advantages for businesses who choose to embrace it.

In terms of financial advantages, the government has established a number of tax-cuts and other benefits for companies in many industries as incentives to be more socially responsible. For instance, companies that reduce their carbon emissions and pollution levels are often granted tax exemptions and other assets for their cooperation in the country’s drive towards environmental awareness and responsibility.

Even in cases where pre-determined benefits are not available as incentives, it is still in a company’s best interest in the long run to move towards more socially responsible methods. By dealing proactively with potentially harmful or socially detrimental marketing methods and deciding to promote the public well-being with their products, a company can effectively eliminate the need for legislative and regulatory obstacles in the future. In other words, by making a concerted effort to be socially responsible in the first place, . ^[5]

Similarly, social responsibility in marketing helps to ensure that a company is, in fact, following the rules of the law and not only also in terms of public relations. ^[6]

Customers also appreciate the benefits of business as a business, and they can gain business and maintain it with ease. For example, if a company certifies their product as “green,” they gain a certain degree of competitiveness because they are more willing to buy their product than “green” perceive the value of the product to be higher than others. Further, these types of things can be used to improve customer satisfaction and improve customer satisfaction in the first place. Socially responsible marketing makes sense as a business strategy because it is not only broadens and expands the customer base,^[6]

References

• Spitzer, Randy; Is Social Responsibility Good? Journal for Quality & Participation. Oct2010, Vol. 33 Issue 3, p13-17. 5p