Chapter 20: Sustainable marketing

Sustainable marketing is socially and environmentally responsible marketing that meets the
present needs of consumers and business while also preserving or enhancing the ability of future
generations to meet their needs. Only satisfying consumers immediate needs, does not always
serve the future best interest of either customers or the business. The sustainable marketing
concepts considers both strategic planning and societal marketing.

Marketing receives much criticism. Many critics say that marketing causes prices to be higher,
because of three reasons. The high costs of intermediaries in the distribution channel lead to
price increases, as well as high advertising and promotion costs and excessive mark-ups. There is
also criticism of deceptive practices. These can be because of deceptive pricing, deceptive
promotion and deceptive packaging. Deceptive practices have led to legislation and other
consumer protection actions.

Salespeople are sometimes accused of high-pressure selling, because they persuade people to
buy goods these consumers did not really wanted before. Another criticism concerns poor
product quality or function. Some companies have been accused of planned obsolescence,
causing their products to become obsolete on purpose, so that they need replacement. A final
piece of criticism is that of poor service to disadvantaged consumers.

Marketing also has an impact on society as a whole. Critics state that marketing is the cause of
creating false wants and materialism, of which the industry benefits but not so much the
customers. Businesses have also been accused of overselling private goods at the expense of
public goods. Marketing also supposedly led to the creation of cultural pollution. Because of
constant advertising, peoples minds are polluted with these messages.

Marketing also has an impact on other businesses. There are three big problems involved:
acquisition of competitors, marketing practices that create barriers to entry and unfair
competitive marketing practices.

Consumerism is an organised movement of citizens and government agencies to improve the

rights and power of buyers in relation to sellers. Traditional seller rights include:
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The right to introduce any product.

The right to charge any price for a product, provided there is no discrimination.

The right to send any amount on promotion, if it is not unfair.

The right to use any product message, provided it is not misleading.

The right to use buying incentive programmes, if they are not misleading.

Traditional buyers rights include:

The right not buy a product that is offered for sale.

The right to expect the product to be safe.

The right to expect the product to perform as claimed.

Consumer advocates also call for additional consumer rights:

The right to be well informed.

The right to be protected against questionable products.

The right to influence products and marketing practices in ways that improve quality of
life.

The right to consume in a way that will preserve the world for future generations.

Environmentalism is an organised movement of concerned citizens and government agencies to

protect and improve peoples current and future living environment. Modern environmentalists
are not against marketing, but just want people and organisations to operate with more care for
the environment.
Environmental sustainability is a management approach that involves developing strategies
that both sustain the environment and produce profits for the company. Environmental
sustainability involves preserving the natural environment, while marketing sustainability
involves both the natural and social environments. There are generally four forms of
environmental sustainability.
1. Pollution prevention: eliminating or reducing waste before creation.
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2. Product stewardship: minimising environmental impact throughout the entire life cycle
process.
3. New clean technology: developing new sets of environmental skills and capabilities.
4. Sustainability vision: creating a strategic framework for future sustainability.
In todays world, environmental issues are high on the awareness list, but environmental policies
still vary widely from country to country. Marketers must take responsibility for sustainable
marketing.

There are five sustainable marketing principles:

1. Consumer-oriented marketing: a principle of sustainable marketing that holds a
company should view and organise its marketing activities from the consumers point of
view.
2. Customer value marketing: a principle of sustainable marketing that holds a company
should put most of its resources into consumer value building marketing investments.
3. Innovative marketing: a principle of sustainable marketing that requires a company to
seek real product and marketing improvements.
4. Sense-of-mission marketing: a principle of sustainable that holds a company should
define its mission in broad social terms rather than narrow products terms.
5. Societal marketing: a principle of sustainable marketing that holds a company should
make marketing decisions by considering consumers wants, the companys requirements,
consumers long-term interests and societys long term interests.

Sustainable marketing calls for products that are not only pleasing, but also beneficial. Products
can be classified according to their degree of satisfaction and long term benefit. Deficient
products are products that have neither immediate appeal, nor long term benefits. Pleasing
products are products that give high immediate satisfaction, but may damage the consumer in
the long term. Salutary products are products that have low appeal but may benefit the
consumers in the long term. Desirable products are products that give both high immediate
satisfaction and high long-term benefits.

Good ethics are important in sustainable marketing. Increasingly, companies are responding to
need for guidelines of marketing ethics. Guidelines cant resolve all the ethical decisions that
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firms must make, but there are some general principles that can be applied. Ethical norms for
marketers include do not harm, foster trust in the marketing system and embrace ethical
values. Ethical values include honesty, responsibility, fairness, respect, transparency and
citizenship.

The core of marketing is that firms will fulfil the needs of their customers. Sustainability goes
beyond the needs of todays customers, but means having concern for tomorrows customers as
well.