The idea of the marketing concept is to find out the needs and wants of customers, and then try to satisfy them better than competitors. Nowadays, most businesses and companies follow this ideology, but it hasn’t been the same in the past. The main points of the marketing concept are;
- Finding the right target market
- Trying to understand the needs and wants of customers in the targeted market,
- Making a product or service based on the customer’s requirements,
- The product should satisfy the needs and wants of customers better than competitors’,
- Achieving the target while earning profit for the company,
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What is Societal Marketing Concept?
The purpose of the societal marketing concept is also to satisfy the needs and requirements of customers before making any profit. But the emphasis of this concept is to make the company fulfill social responsibilities for a sustainable future in the long term. The marketing strategy of businesses and companies should include both customers and society as well.
The idea of the societal marketing concept is that the businesses should satisfy the needs and wants of customers, but this target should be aligned with the long term interest of society.
But there’s a difference between social media marketing and societal marketing concepts, and they aren’t the same concept. This marketing concept aims to present a good image of the company to increase sales while focusing on the social responsibilities of the company at the same time.
The world we live in today is facing many challenges like global warming causing glaciers to melt and increase the sea level. Therefore, businesses should also take societal and environmental responsibility, while satisfying customers’ needs of customers.
The purpose is to achieve a sustainable future in the long term for our upcoming future generations. Now, businesses are coming to realize this societal marketing concept. Some are fully committed to it, and the others are partial.
Societal Marketing Driven by Philosophy
Although societal marketing is a marketing management concept, the idea and philosophy behind this concept is to influence the decision-making process of the company. However, the areas societal marketing influences are as follows;
Human Welfare
Human welfare in general means the overall goodness and wellness of the society. The marketing decisions and actions of the company shouldn’t include anything that could jeopardize the peace of the society. For instance, noise pollution, air pollution, acid drainage into the water dams and rivers, etc.
Consumer Needs
While in the race of satisfying the needs and wants of customers with competitors, businesses should produce what’s good for the customers and society. Instead of solely producing and delivering what customer wants, because what’s good for them and what they want, they both are completely different things.
Profit/Company
When businsesses start producing products and services that are not only good for the customers but also good for the society; consequently it creates a long term profitable relationship between the customers and the company as well.
Societal Marketing Objectives
Some of the objectives of societal marketing are as follows;
- Changing attitude, beliefs, and expectations of the people; so that people should care about the environment,
- Companies should adopt such marketing strategies that would make people change their behavior.
- societal marketers should change the traditional marketing mix (product, price, place, and promotion) and use it in their marketing campaign, which would increase the impact of it.
- Marketing of the company’s product should also spread awareness about the environment in which companies are operating their businesses.
- societal marketing campaign messages should be so effective that people and businesses start taking responsibility about the environment.
- The marketing share and consumer base should increase with the societal marketing campaign.
Importance of Societal Marketing Concept
As we know that marketing and business are essential for each other. The goal of any business is to produce products and services and then sell it in the market, earn profit and satisfy the needs of customers. While doing everything, the needs of the environment and society should also be considered.
A business generates and circulates an economic activity in society. Business personals like owner, manufacturer, and marketers are also a member of the society. Therefore, their actions impact not only the members but also the whole social environment of society.
The business and environment of society are interdependent. Therefore, businesses and companies should adopt society-oriented marketing strategies. Instead of business-oriented marketing strategies.
Henry Ford said that he wanted to serve society rather than making only profit by manufacturing more cars. Mahatma Gandhi said that the wealth of businesses should serve and benefit society, and that wealth should be used as trustee of the society. Here wealth means goodness that a society wants, not just making profit.
If you think about that it’s the society that provides land, resources and other necessities to the businesses to run their operation. Therefore, marketing and business policies of the company should consider the well being of the society as a whole.
Advantages of societal Marketing
- Societal marketing helps companies and businesses to send a good message that they care about the environment.
- An eco-friendly approach would provide you a competitive edge over competitors.
- If a company provides eco-friendly products and services to its customers, then it would increase the customer retention ratio.
- When customers are loyal to a certain brand, then the sale of products and services would also increase.
- When the sale increases, then businesses would have the opportunity to expand and grow their operations.
- Societal marketing system would properly use the economic resources of the company.
- The usage of economic resources would generate employment opportunities and the living standard of the people would also rise.
Disadvantages of Societal Marketing
- According to Kotler, when a company produces products and services that are good for the society, instead of fulfilling the needs and requirements of the customers, then it would create conflict between the customers and the company.
- The reality of the situation is that when a company adopts societal marketing concept, then profit and social responsibility can’t go along. That’s why companies and businesses in the developed countries haven’t adopted the societal marketing concept yet. You can say that they haven’t reached the level of maturity yet.
- We all know wine, coke, whiskey, brandy, and cigarettes aren’t good for health. Even the cigarettes companies print the phrase ‘cigarettes are injurious to the health’ on the packets and fail them. Smoking cigarettes causes lung cancer and other diseases, but people still buy it.
- Manufacturing and selling tobacco and cigarettes continue because they fulfilling the needs of customers. They are providing what people want, instead of what’s good for them and society as a whole.
Real-life Examples of Societal Marketing
Adidas
Adidas is one of the top leading sportswear companies in the world. When it comes to the environment, Adidas is committed to manufacture its products that could be reused over and over again.
Coca Cola
Coca Cola is the top soft drinks company, and Coca-cola is also committed to the social-environmental responsibilities by providing products across the world regardless of their ethnicities.
Kia’s “Hero Journey”
Kia’s ‘hero journey’ shows its commitment to the society by removing the usage of spirit from its organization.
Conclusion
Converting into societal marketing strategy is easier said than done, but some top leading companies have taken the step toward it. Other companies should do the same. Companies and businesses are also using the environmentally friendly phrase in their marketing and spreading awareness. Hopefully, all the companies would adopt a societal marketing strategy in the future.
