Societal Marketing Concept: Definition, Examples, and Advantages

The marketing concept aims to identify the requirements and preferences of target customers and work toward providing a level of service that is superior to that rival businesses offer.

It is true that most businesses and organizations now follow this philosophy; however, it wasn’t always so. Marketing is primarily composed of the following elements:

  • Identifying the optimal market segment.
  • Understanding the needs and preferences of the market’s customers
  • Customer-specified production or service provision.
  • Products should satisfy customers’ needs and desires more than competitors’.
  • Increasing the bottom line of the company while achieving the goal.

Societal marketing emphasizes the concept of social responsibilities and proposes that for a company to prosper in the long term, it should build a marketing strategy focused on improving the customers’ and society’s well-being while maintaining and improving the customer’s well-being.

Societal marketing was developed due to tension between consumers’ short-term needs and society’s long-term needs.

Societal marketing focuses on social welfare as part of its marketing strategy. The article emphasizes how an organization must make strategic marketing decisions while keeping in mind the company’s needs, the wants of its target market, and, most importantly, the interests of society.

Traditionally, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development have led to the development of Societal Marketing.

It emphasizes that for an organization to achieve its mission and vision, it should not overlook the long-term welfare of the society it serves.

An organization should follow ethical and environmentally responsible business practices and comply with applicable laws and regulations.

There is an epidemic of environmental degradation in the modern world, a shortage of natural resources, a huge population increase, and cutbacks in social services. The social concept of marketing is skepticism.

“Do firms meet long-term social welfare while satisfying customers?” is a question.

Take, for example, the example of the fast food sector. They deliver delicious meals, but each item on the menu raises numerous health issues. The burgers, the fries, and the pies all have a high percentage of fat in them. 

These products are packaged conveniently, yet the packaging causes a significant amount of trash.

To maintain a high level of customer satisfaction, these quick-service restaurants are contributing to an increase in the number of health and environmental problems.

What is Societal Marketing Concept?

The societal marketing concept implies that businesses should make sound marketing decisions based on the firm’s needs, customer desires, and long-term social interests and needs.

Societal marketing is also concerned with meeting the needs and expectations of the target market before generating a profit.

However, this idea’s primary goal is to ensure that the firm meets its social responsibilities and ensures a sustainable future. 

Enterprises and companies must consider customers and society when developing their marketing strategies.

Societal Marketing Concept: Definition, Examples, and Advantages

Societal marketing suggests that for businesses to succeed, they must not only fulfill the needs and preferences of the clientele but also ensure that their efforts are consistent with society’s long-term objectives and goals.

However, social media marketing and societal marketing are different concepts; there is a significant difference between the two. 

A marketing strategy such as this aims to improve the public’s perception of the company to increase sales as well as highlight the social responsibilities that the company bears.

Currently, our world is plagued by numerous problems, including global warming, causing glaciers to melt and sea levels to rise.

Thus, corporations must fulfill their social and environmental obligations and serve their customers’ needs.

The goal is to ensure that those who will come after us will live in a world that is habitable and sustainable over the long run.

Now more than ever, corporations are starting to understand the concept of societal marketing. While some people are dedicated to the cause, others only have a partial one.

Philip Kotler summarizes this concept: “The purpose of societal marketing is for organizations to determine the needs, wants, and interests of target markets and to satisfy them more effectively and efficiently than competitors while protecting or enhancing the well-being of consumers and society as a whole.”

Social marketing helps the organization present a more positive image to customers, boosting sales. It is not the same as social marketing or social media marketing; both concepts are used interchangeably.

It is a word closely associated with corporate social responsibility and sustainable development. It emphasizes social obligations and implies that to continue.

It asks for sustainable marketing, which is marketing that is responsible both socially and environmentally and which satisfies the requirements of businesses and customers in the present while simultaneously protecting or strengthening the ability of future generations to satisfy their own needs.

The alarm about global warming has been triggered, and we need a breakthrough to use our resources effectively. Therefore, businesses are gradually attempting to incorporate the concept of societal marketing in its entirety or part.

What Are the Goals of Societal Marketing?

Here is the list of goals of Societal Marketing:

  • To maintain a close relationship with one’s clientele over time.
  • To develop for the corporation in the eyes of society an image that is superior to that of its rivals.
  • To fulfill its obligations to the community.
  • Fostering brand awareness in the community towards its products.
  • To fulfill its obligations to the community.
  • To expand both the customer base and the market share.

What Is the Need for a Societal Marketing Concept?

The term “societal marketing concept” refers to the limits a corporation must consider when making marketing decisions.

The company ought to consider the requirements of the company, the demands of the customers, the customers’ long-term interests, and society’s long-term interests.

When a firm is making decisions about its marketing, the executives should consider all of these factors.

Societal Marketing Concept: Definition, Examples, and Advantages

Implementing this idea will provide results that cater to the current requirements of both customers and businesses while preserving or enhancing future generations’ capacity to do the same.

The planet on which we currently live is beset by several problems, including the accelerated depletion of the ozone layer and land desertification.

As a result, businesses should also assume responsibility for society and the environment in addition to meeting the requirements of their customers.

This idea emphasizes that for corporations to achieve their strategic aims, they must not overlook the long-term well-being of the societies in which they operate.

An organization is responsible for ensuring that appropriate regulations and codes are applied and maintaining moral and environmentally beneficial policies.

What Are the Objectives of Societal Marketing?

Here are some objectives of Societal Marketing:

  • Bringing about shifts in the mindset, worldview, and expectations of the populace fosters concern for the natural world among individuals.
  • Businesses need to implement marketing techniques to motivate consumers to alter their behavior.
  • It would be beneficial for social marketers to modify the conventional marketing mix (product, price, place, and promotion) and include it in their marketing campaigns. This would cause the campaign to have a greater impact.
  • The promotion of the product of the company ought to also include raising awareness of the environment in which the companies are carrying on their operations.
  • Messages from social marketing campaigns should be so compelling that individuals and businesses begin to assume some kind of responsibility for the environment.
  • The societal marketing strategy should grow both the market share and the client base.

What Is the Importance of Societal Marketing Concept?

Almost all businessmen know the importance of the relationship between marketing and business. The purpose of any business is to generate products, put them on the market, and make a profit while fulfilling the needs of its clients.

It is essential to consider the needs of society and the environment while accomplishing all other tasks.

A company is an engine that drives and drives around the economic activity in a society. Members of the society also include individuals associated with businesses, such as owners, manufacturers, and marketers. 

As a result, their activities affect not just the individuals of society but the social environment as a whole.

The economy and environment of society are both intertwined and interconnected. The purpose of marketing tactics targeted at society should be replaced by marketing strategies focused on the business in enterprises and companies.

Societal Marketing Concept: Definition, Examples, and Advantages

Henry Ford once stated that he intended to contribute to society rather than simply increase his company’s profits by producing more automobiles.

Mahatma Gandhi said society should benefit from the riches of enterprises, and society’s money should be used as its trustee. 

The concept of wealth in this context refers to the qualities that a society values rather than only monetary gains.

When you stop and give it some thought, you’ll realize that society allows businesses to function by supplying them with land, resources, and other essentials.

Therefore, the company’s marketing and commercial policies should consider the general welfare of society as a whole.

What Are Advantages of Societal Marketing?

Here are some advantages of Societal Marketing:

  • Societal marketing can enable corporations and businesses to communicate their concerns for the natural world more effectively.
  • You would have an advantage over competitors if you took an environmentally responsible strategy.
  • There would be an increase in the percentage of clients loyal to a business if the company offered environmentally friendly goods and services to its clientele.
  • When consumers have a strong attachment to a particular brand, the associated goods and services sales tend to increase directly.
  • When there is a rise in sales, companies will have the opportunity to broaden and deepen their activities.
  • A sociological marketing system would efficiently use the company’s available financial resources.
  • The utilization of economic resources would result in the creation of employment possibilities and an improvement in the standard of living for the populace.

What Are the Disadvantages of Societal Marketing?

Here are some disadvantages of Societal Marketing:

  • According to Kotler, if a firm focuses on producing goods and services that are beneficial to society rather than meeting the demands and expectations of its clientele, this might lead to tension between the clientele and the business.
  • The situation makes it impossible for a business to pursue profits and social responsibility simultaneously if it implements a societal marketing strategy. Due to this reason, industrialized countries have not yet embraced societal marketing. Because of this, you may claim that they haven’t arrived at the stage of maturity yet.
  • We know alcoholic beverages, including wine, coke, whiskey, brandy, and cigarettes, harm one’s health. Even the corporations who make cigarettes include the term “cigarettes are harmful to your health” on the packaging of their products yet still fail to convince consumers to quit smoking. Even though lung cancer and other ailments are caused by smoking, many people continue to buy cigarettes.
  • Tobacco and cigarette production and sales are still going strong because these products continue to meet the requirements of consumers. They give the people what they want rather than what is beneficial for those individuals and society as a whole.

How To Implement Societal Marketing?

You may implement the idea of social marketing in your outreach and advertising in various ways. There are many different approaches you can take.

Here are five different ways that you may incorporate the idea into your marketing strategy for the year:

Maintain an ethical business practice

Set an ethical standard for your business. When practicing ethical marketing, you make marketing decisions based on what the community needs and treat your staff fairly.

It is also necessary to research how one might create and market products to make the world a better place.

Promote positive causes

Make the most of your commercial marketing initiatives to sell more of your products and increase awareness of important social concerns. 

The goal of your business should be to provide customers with products that will satisfy their long-term and short-term needs.

The advent of social media marketing has made it easier than ever to launch a campaign with the potential to go viral to raise brand awareness and broaden people’s understanding of social issues.

Invest in sustainability

Ensure the well-being of future generations by committing to sustainable marketing and development practices.

Your clientele will appreciate that your business is doing what it can to lessen the impact of environmental issues such as global warming, climate change, and other problems.

If you distribute printed advertisements, for instance, you might want to think about doing it entirely on recycled paper.

Produce useful products

You should put your best effort into developing desirable things in every sense. They should cater not only to the immediate happiness of your customers but also to the long-term good of the globe.

This entails the utilization of environmentally friendly resources, the renunciation of the sale of ineffective or socially damaging goods, and the production of dependable, long-lasting wares for one’s clientele.

Meet consumer needs

The importance of the customer’s experience cannot be overstated, and this holds not only for advertising and sales but also for marketing with a social focus.

It is not impossible to satisfy your clientele’s requirements while also considering the necessities of society’s long-term interests.

Importance of Management in Business

One satisfied client at a time, you can make the world a better place by marketing products manufactured ethically and environmentally responsible.

Examples of Societal Marketing

CocaCola

Coca-Cola is the most successful manufacturer of soft drinks, and the firm is also dedicated to fulfilling its social and environmental duties by making its goods available in countries all over the world, irrespective of the peoples’ ethnicities.

Adidas

Adidas is a well-known and respected brand in the athletic clothing industry. Adidas strongly believes in protecting the natural world by creating products that can be recycled and reused over and over again.

Beyond Meat

Beyond Meat is a company that manufactures plant-based meat intending to have a beneficial impact on four rising global challenges, including animal welfare, human health, climate change, and restrictions on natural resources.

Green Toys

Toys made entirely from recycled materials are produced by the company. The majority of their toys are constructed from milk bottles that have been recycled. 

Waste management services gather plastic, which is then cleaned, shredded, and recycled into various toys. The company abides by all rules governing health and safety and environmental protection.

Yes Straws

The use of plastic straws is detrimental to the health of our environment. YesStraws is an environmentally responsible company that makes an alternative to damaging plastic straws.

The Body Shop

The Body Shop is a well-known brand name in the cosmetics industry. The company intends to make its products using synthetic components that are less harmful to the natural environment.

They also established a fair trade program to procure high-quality components and accessories from thousands of manufacturers, farmers, and craftsmen worldwide.

Who Gives A Crap

Who Gives A Crap manufactures toilet paper that is 100 percent recycled and does not use any inks, dyes, or smells in the production process. 

In addition, the company gives up fifty percent of its income to help construct toilets in countries that are still developing.

Pela

Pela envisions a world free of trash in the not-too-distant future. Pela Case produces a 100 percent biodegradable, eco-friendly phone case. The company creates goods made of less harmful materials to the environment.

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The global community of people dedicated to having a beneficial effect on our planet is also informed and inspired by the company, which plays an educational role in the community.

Final Words on Societal Marketing Concept

Many successful organizations have already taken the first steps toward implementing a social marketing strategy.

It would be wise for other businesses to follow suit. Businesses and corporations also use the phrase “environmentally friendly” for marketing purposes.

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