The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty - Pearson

Part 1 Marketing nowthe shares in her company fell even faster than those of Enron. Similarly, recall the dissolution ofthe Arthur Andersen accounting firm, after its involvement with Enron, and the demise of UnionCarbide after the death of thousands of people in the Bhopal disaster.There are voluntary or legal codes designed to assure the governance of companies. Enron,Worldcom and Robert Maxwell’s publishing empire all involved failures in governance thatallowed the senior managers to hide their business’s financial difficulties by ever more desperatemeans. Sustainable marketing, therefore, goes beyond caring for the needs and wants of today’scustomers. It means having concern for tomorrow’s customers as well as the well-being of allthose in assuring the survival of the business, the shareholders, the employees and the society inwhich they all live.Reviewing the conceptsResponsible marketers discover what consumers want and respond with the right products,priced to give good value to buyers and profit to the company. A marketing system shouldsense, serve and satisfy consumer needs and improve the quality of consumers’ lives. Inworking to meet consumer needs, marketers may take some actions that are not toeveryone’s liking or benefit. Marketing managers should be aware of the main criticisms ofmarketing.1. Identify the major social criticisms of marketingMarketing’s impact on individual consumer welfare has been criticised for its high prices,deceptive practices, high-pressure selling, shoddy or unsafe products, planned obsolescenceand poor service to disadvantaged consumers. Marketing’s impact on society has been criticisedfor creating false wants and too much materialism, too few social goods, cultural pollutionand too much political power. Critics have also criticised marketing’s impact on other businessesfor harming competitors and reducing competition through acquisitions, practices thatcreate barriers to entry, and unfair competitive marketing practices. Some of these criticismsare justified, some are not.2. Define consumerism and environmentalism and explain how theyaffect marketing strategiesConcerns about the marketing system have led to citizen action movements. Consumerism isan organised social movement intended to strengthen the rights and power of consumersrelative to sellers. Alert marketers view it as an opportunity to serve consumers better byproviding more consumer information, education and protection.Environmentalism is an organised social movement seeking to minimise the harm done tothe environment and quality of life by marketing practices. The first wave of modern environmentalismwas driven by environmental groups and concerned consumers, whereas thesecond was driven by government, which passed laws and regulations governing practicesimpacting the environment. The first two environmentalism waves are now merging into athird and stronger wave in which companies are accepting responsibility for doing no environmentalharm. Companies now are adopting policies of environmental sustainability –developing strategies that both sustain the environment and produce profits for thecompany.114