Societal Marketing Concept: Definition, Examples, and Advantages

The societal marketing concept places Human welfare on priority before profits and serving the wants. Societal Marketing focuses on social responsibilities and recommends maintaining long-term success; the company should form a marketing strategy to provide value to the consumers to maintain and enhance both the customers’ and society’s well-being better than the competitors.

The societal marketing concept has emerged from the conflict between individual consumers’ short-term requirements and society’s long-run well-being.

This idea is also known as “the human concept,” “the intelligent consumption concept,” and the “ecological imperative concept.”

What is Societal Marketing?

The societal marketing concept believes that a company should make good marketing decisions by analyzing consumers’ wants, obligations, and society’s long-term interests.

Philip Kotler describes it as “the societal marketing concept believes that the organization’s task is to define the needs, wants, and interests of target markets and to achieve the coveted satisfactions more efficiently and effectively than contenders in a way that protects or enhances the well-being.” of the consumers and the society.

Societal Marketing builds a positive image for the company that boosts sales. It is different from social marketing and social media marketing. However, it is a term closely associated with CSR and sustainable development.

It highlights social responsibilities and suggests that to sustain. Further, it calls for sustainable, socially, and environmentally responsible marketing that meets consumers’ and businesses’ present requirements while preserving or enhancing future generations’ ability to meet their needs.

The global warming panic button is pushed, and a revelation is needed to use our resources. So companies are gradually, either fully or partially, trying to achieve the societal marketing concept.

 

Goals of Societal Marketing Concept

• To have a long-term relationship with customers.
• To build a better image in the society for the company than its competitors.
• To carry out its social responsibilities.
• Developing community awareness towards its brands.
• To carry out its social responsibilities.
• To improve the consumer base and market share.

 

Considerations of Societal Marketing Concept

Companies have to consider three considerations in marketing strategies: company profits, consumer wants, and society’s interests.

1. Society (Human Welfare)
2. Businesses need to ensure the products, services, actions, investment innovations serve society first.
3. Consumers (Satisfaction)
4. Products and services should be filling the consumer’s needs.
5. Company (Profits)
6. Developing long-term customer relationships, being socially responsible, and giving satisfactory products are essential for profit-making and wealth maximization.

Societal Marketing Concept Advantages and Benefits

• It supports building a better image for the company.
• It provides a competitive edge over the competitors.
• Helpful in customer retention and long-term relationships.
• Boosts sales and market share.
• Promote expansion and growth in the long term.
• Products and company management should prioritize social welfare and society in general.
• Economic resources are properly utilized.
• Societal marketing boosts the living standard of people in society.
• It ensures economic planning is more significant and more fruitful to society.

 

Importance of Societal Marketing Concept

Societal Marketing is vital to the environment, society and businesses. This concept was formed to tackle consumerism and profit, only the motive of business.

The societal marketing concept leads to maximizing profits for the organization and forms a long-term relationship with customers.

It further encourages developing products that serve society in the long run and satisfies consumers.

Examples of Societal Marketing

Examples of societal marketing concepts are the super bowl 2017 ads of several companies.

Most ads took on issues like the environment and immigration.

• Kia’s “Hero’s Journey” advertisement starring Melissa Mccarthy is the best example of societal marketing.
• Coca-Cola releases an ad that shows people of various ethnicities and chants “America is Beautiful” in various languages.
• Airbnb’s #WeAccept super bowl 2017 ad.
• Budweiser ad shows how its immigrant founder founded a company.

Societal marketing did not stop there; it made companies actively seek to change social policy, engage in social activities, invest time management and money in corporate social responsibility.

Societal marketing concept further questions whether the pure marketing concept neglects possible disputes between short-run consumer wants and long-run consumer welfare.

It involves “marketing strategy should give value to customers in a way that keeps or enhances both the consumer’s and society’s well-being.”

Instruments of Societal Marketing

Philip Kotler classified four categories of products based on long-term benefits and immediate satisfaction:

• Deficient products bring neither long-run nor short-term benefits.
• Pleasing products deliver a high level of immediate satisfaction but cause long-term harm long in society.
• Salutary products deliver low short-term satisfaction to the Nut Benefit society in the long run.
• Desirable products deliver both long-run benefits and immediate satisfaction.

Based on societal marketing, Kotler proposed deficient products must be eliminated from the market. The delightful and salutary products require modification to bring long-term benefits to society and instant satisfaction to the consumer.

It means that these products should be launched on the market without turning them into useful products. This way, rather than concentrating on selling products, the focus is on customer and societal well-being.

Conclusion

In this post, we have learned a lot about the societal marketing concept and its definition, examples, and advantages. Not only this we also looked at instruments and goals that societal marketing has. We hope you find this blog useful.

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