Societal Marketing Research Articles

A societal marketing approach to national tourism planning: evidence from the South Pacific

This paper provides a brief overview of the literature on the practice of tourism planning with particular reference to the South Pacific. It examines the tourism development challenges facing South Pacific Island countries and how these may be addressed using an innovative approach to planning. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of marketing and socio-cultural issues within the planning process. Drawing upon recent WTO practice in two Pacific Island countries, Vanuatu and Niue, a model is proposed which seeks to achieve an appropriate balance between community aspirations and destination marketing within a planning framework. The scope for collaboration between academics and freelance consultants as members of tourism development planning teams is explored. Whilst drawing upon the literature, the paper is substantially based upon the experience of the authors as participants in the tourism development planning process in South Pacific destinations.

Firm Orientations

Firm orientations have been discussed in the introductory sections of marketing management texts for many years. These orientations are important because they influence the selection and execution of most marketing activities. However, the empirical foundation of the discussions in marketing texts has been lacking. Notably, most previous empirical research has been conducted in the context of a more general, market orientation context. Neither the existence of the five orientations cited in many texts (product, production, selling, marketing, and societal marketing) nor their performance implications have not been examined empirically. This void is important because any of the five orientations may be used fruitfully by firms in different circumstances. Additionally, most discussions and examples of firms using these orientations have been from the US. The research reported here examines orientations of Israeli firms. The data suggest that the five orientations seem to guide firms in a non-US sample of firms. The results raise a number of questions regarding the impact of firm orientation on performance under different market conditions. They highlight the need for further study of the relationships between organizational orientations, market conditions, and organizational performance.

Sustainable Marketing

In order for marketing to play a role in sustainable economic development, a critical reassessment of marketing theory is required. Both the "societal marketing" of the 1970s and contemporary "green marketing" are efforts to improve the relationship between marketing and the natural environment. Taken alone, however, either approach provides but a partial analysis of the problems that are involved. Starting from the assumptions and limitations of economic and cognitive approaches to marketing and from the dilemmas between micro-marketing objectives and macromarketing goals, marketing is shown to have an inherent drive toward unsustainability. Sustainable marketing requires finding optimal regulatory frameworks for governing the role of marketing within a confined ecological space.

Societal marketing — implications for tourism destinations

This paper examines the concept of societal marketing within a tourism destination framework. It points out the marketing implications for tourism destinations if they are to balance the marketing concept of customer satisfaction with the societal marketing orientation of consumer and societal well-being.

POSIT‐ive and negative aspects of the societal marketing concept: Stakeholder conflicts for the tobacco industry

This article seeks to consider the efficacy of the societal marketing concept using the POSIT framework and a classification of corporate responsibility The exploration of both positive and negative aspects of the societal marketing concept allows an overall discussion of the stakeholder interests concerned and the alternatives exposed This produces some comparisons and contrasts for marketing managers to reflect upon when contemplating the adoption of the societal marketing concept, suggesting it may not always be in the best interests of all stakeholders

A model of internal marketing for building and sustaining a competitive service advantage

A model is presented for a mechanism and process for ensuring that organizational capability for good service is continuously enhanced. The internal marketing concept, in a modified form, is the basis for improving internal working relationships between functional specialists by taking a social process perspective. It is suggested that a macromarketing or societal marketing concept can be adopted to provide a way of thinking about customer‐supplier relationships in the organization as an open system which is not limited by a “market” characterization. In this way the broadened internal marketing concept can contribute to change management to make the organization more flexible and responsive. A number of recommendations are made for operating such a mechanism and process.

Marketing, Parental Choice and Strategic Planning; an Opportunity or Dilemma for UK Schools?

Site-based management, rarental choice, and accountability for the efficient, effective, and economic use of public resources in England and Wales were key themes of the 1988 Education Reform Act. The 1993 Education Act opened the way for greater choice in the marketplace by encouraging specialization and/or selection by aptitude/ability in existing new schools. As a result of the 1993 Education Act, schools will now have to make long-term strategic marketing choices. This paper attempts to answer the following questions: (1) As schools in England and Wales face the realities of a second, and potentially radical wave of market forces, will they advertise and sell an increasingly parent-determined product to attract resources in order to survive? (2) Or will schools adopt a philosophy of societal marketing, with a client rather than product focus that will integrate their strategic planning and marketing? The paper briefly considers some of the dilemmas that parental choice presents to a decentralized education service. It suggests a role for marketing theory in exploring the needs and perceptions of parents, and then describes a possible role for strategic educational marketing planning as a means of informing professional judgment and educating parental choice. Preliminary findings of the Parent and School Choice Interaction Study (1993) suggest that schools continue to respond to choice and competition by increasing their focus on promotional activities. Unless schools actively develop a marketing approach that shapes a coherent program of change and educates client perceptions of need, they will increasingly be driven by a middle-class planning agenda, which will further sharpen the divisions within British society. Contains 24 references. (LMI) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***********************************************************************

Reconceptualizing marketing: An interview with Philip Kotler

Philip Kotler is a name synonymous with the development of marketing as an academic discipline and operational practice over the last three decades. He has published not only the classical texts on the subject, like Marketing Management, but in recent times has added radical new interpretations, like social marketing. In this interview in London with EMJ's editor, Paul Stonham, he recounts some of the major new concepts he has introduced to make the subject a more comprehensive and powerful business tool, reviews the current state of marketing, sometimes said to be in a ‘mid-life crisis’, and makes some hard forecasts about the subject and the direction in which its practitioners are going. Kotler makes the point that ‘marketing’ has at least four meanings. It is important to be clear. Kotler himself has broadened marketing thinking considerably to include non-profit organizations, by searching for the fundamental concept underlying the subject. He goes on to explain some of his new ideas, societal marketing, demarketing, and megamarketing, as steps in this direction of reconceptualizing marketing. The future for marketing is exciting and full of potential change. It must certainly involve market-oriented strategic planning, specifically STP: ‘segmentation, targeting and positioning’. Subsegmentation is another firm trend. Future marketing will be assisted by greater scientific analysis like geodemographics. Kotler sees marketing's so-called ‘mid-life crisis’ as a strength not a weakness — since it is involving a re-examination of our ideas. He considers the corporate organizational aspects of revitalizing marketing, as well as the rapid growth of megaretailers and its associated tidal wave of private brands. Other trends to watch are an emphasis on value marketing and the growth of third-world middle-class markets. Such changes to marketing and the market place have educational implications for new generations of business school students and Philip Kotler spells out four major lessons to be learned.

Churches in Crisis

This manuscript discusses historical and socio-cultural changes which have occurred in the United States and influenced the religious landscape. Today, individuals have many distinct religious and spiritual institutions from which to choose and the value of religion to consumers' lives is questioned. Due to these changes, many religious institutions have withstood dramatic declines in membership and attendence and face possible extinction. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the role of marketing in religious organizations. Religious firms' use of three marketing strategies or philosophies-the selling, marketing, and societal marketing concept are discussed and their usefulness to present day religious institutions is examined.

Tourism and marketing — a symbiotic relationship?

Tourism has emerged as a major industry throughout the world. Yet, as was demonstrated at the Globe '90 Conference on Tourism in Vancouver, Canada, in March 1990, there is considerable criticism of the impact has had on host communities. This article is written from a European perspective with particular reference to package holidays. Companies and governments in tourism have applied only part of the marketing mix to tourism, ie promotion, with little attention being paid to the other components of marketing, but if tourism is to survive by generating satisfaction among interacting tourists and hosts, it must adopt societal marketing strategies.

The Marketing Concept – Necessary, but Sufficient? An Environmental View

The contemporary relevance of the traditional marketing concept is a source of continuing debate as marketers question its universal application across all situations. In the past, the emergence of the societal marketing concept and the marketing warfare metaphor represent challenges to the veracity of the marketing concept. It is argued that the continuing relevance of the marketing concept and the emergence of alternative paradigms can be linked to changes in the operating environments of firms or industries. The traditional marketing concept finds application in relatively placid, benign environments which characterised post‐war economies and markets. The emergence of the “societal marketing concept” can be linked to the emergence of turbulent environments which found expression in the consumerist and ecological movements in the 1970s. More recently, a new emphasis has emerged with the growing recognition of the importance of competitive forces in imperfectly competitive markets and the inadequacy of the marketing concept in such environments. These changing operating environments are examined, arguing that the traditional marketing concept is applicable in “placid clustered” environments, as described by Emery and Trist. Finally, the examples of three contemporary Australian industries are discussed to illustrate the relevance of the argument.

Green consumerism and the societal marketing concept: Marketing strategies for the 1990's

This paper examines the impact of these trends on the role of the marketing department in the J990's. Essentially, when the buying habits of consumers are being strangely influenced by green and other environmental issues, the paper argues that the marketing concept and subsequent strategies need to be rethought. The paper then imaginatively develops the concept of societal marketing within this framework, arguing for the need for a long term marketing perspective rather than the short term window dressing approach taken by many marketing departments.

Perceptions of the Societal Marketing Concept

Whether societal marketing is regarded as a legitimate and necessary aspect of marketing in the tobacco and liquor industries is investigated. A review of previous research on societal marketing has been undertaken. The views of both industries are discussed and some conclusions are made with regard to their role in practising societal marketing and, thus, their influence on consumer welfare.

The marketing challenge: Towards being profitable and socially responsible

This article reviews the history of marketing thought in relation to social responsibility and business ethics. The main objective of the article is to show that business can be profitable and socially responsible at the same time by practising the societal marketing concept. More specifically, it presents the development of a marketing philosophy, discusses the influence of consumerism on the marketing concept and deals with ethics and social responsibility in marketing. It is argued that organisations who adopt the societal marketing concept will be the ones most likely to make long-run profits as well as be beneficial to society as a whole.

Marketing: The Consumers' View

The perceptions of 497 consumers of the various philosophies involved in the evolution of marketing thought — product, selling, marketing and societal marketing concepts are examined. Results show that the sample fails to delineate the subtle distinctions between the product, marketing and societal marketing concepts, and support is lent to the view that if the marketing concept is to be more broadly implemented, product and social dimensions found within the definitional domain of the product and societal marketing concepts should be encompassed to establish a wider marketing‐oriented philosophy.

The moral minefield: Legal and social issues of tobacco and liquor marketing

This article focuses on the liquor and tobacco industries. These two industries were chosen because they have been catapulted into the foreground of the societal marketing polemic as a result of the widespread agreement that the consumption of their products can cause serious damage to personal and social welfare. The legal and social context In which tobacco and liquor products are marketed internationally and in South Africa are discussed. Some general conclusions are drawn from this review which will have implications not only for the two industries involved, but society as a whole.

Dangerous territory: The societal marketing concept revisited

The “societal marketing” concept, or the view that marketing has a greater social responsibility than just satisfying customers at a profit, is an erroneous and counterproductive idea. For marketers to attempt to serve the best interests of society is not only undemocratic but dangerous as well.

Societal Marketing Boards: a Possible Substitute for the Marketplace in Regulating Production, Distribution and Sale of Agricultural Products

Societal Marketing Boards: a Possible Substitute for the Marketplace in Regulating Production, Distribution and Sale of Agricultural Products

Objectives and Performance Evaluation of Marketing Boards

Discusses marketing boards which have responsibility for directing and guiding major branches of agriculture in countries and are prominent in England, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Israel and The Netherlands, in addition to some developing countries. Shows marketing boards to be flexible, using wide ranges of farm products, under differing conditions, and can serve different functions. Concentrates primarily on marketing boards and their responsibility for major functions in this article. Defines a marketing board as a compulsory organisation by the government to act as a central marketing authority, operating usually in a specific branch of agriculture, as a coalition of firms and organisations with varying interests and objectives. Aims, first, to analyse and clarify basic objectives of a marketing board; and second, concentrates on recommendations. States there are five basic goal areas in which specific objectives are needed and these are: profitability; productivity; market development; social responsibility; and innovation, goes on to explain these fully. Regarding recommendations these are also listed and discussed individually, and are mentioned above but with different conclusions, of course. Sums up that the five major areas common to most marketing boards have been identified — these goal areas are derived from the concept of a societal marketing board and represent intersectorial interests of the legislative or public representatives.

Integrative processes in agricultural marketing channels

The study traces patterns of inter-organizational coordination in marketing channels and shows how changes in the relationship among organizations are associated with shifts in orientation and mode of interaction. The analysis is based on developments in agromarketing and food distribution organizations. The current crisis in food supplies and international concern with the availability of raw products should bring this neglected area into the forefront of marketing concern. The study is based on observations of current trends of inter-organizational integration in the U.S., U.K. and Israel. It points to the emergence of a new institutional form the authors call the Societal Marketing Board. The Societal Marketing Board (SMB) is a federated inter-organizational system, comprised of all sectors of an industry, established by legislation to promote the interests of that industry. The analysis concludes that the SMB has the potential: 1) to generate resources and ‘increase the pie’ for the benefit of all; 2) to broaden the oriengation of sectorial organization to reflect a wider range of social interests; 3) to achieve the above goals while curbing direct government intervention. It suggests that the operation of the Societal Marketing Board can contribute toward mitigating the tension from contradictory pressures for greater coordination in the complex marketing system on the one hand, and for economic freedom and market competition on the other.