Societal Marketing Approach

Societal marketing is termed as an approach that provides the Australian companies or business enterprises a platform to promote their products and services by considering the consumers’ needs and expectations, society’s welfare and long-term interests, and organizational requirements. This approach identifies a way to the Australian companies to deliver the products (goods and services) not only to meet the company’s needs, but also to satisfy the wants of the consumers as well as for the well-being of the societies (Anna, 2015). This approach is closely related to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainable Development which are the fundamental principles of the societal marketing approach. This essay will develop a broad understanding about how some of the Australian companies are changing the way from typical selling approach to societal marketing approach.

Pringle and Thompson define this approach as an activity through which a company with a product, service and image establishes good relationship with the societies and the consumers with a cause or a number of causes for mutual benefits of both company itself and society. This approach is widely used by a large number of Australian companies to raise the brand awareness, build corporate image, establish long-term relationship, boost sales and clientele, and increase customer loyalty and press coverage. The Australian companies using this approach think that the societal marketing approach will develop a strong brand image in the mindsets of the customers by creating the emotional attachment and demonstrations of the corporate citizenship (Blowfield, 2005). The societal marketing approach allows the business enterprises to take decisions and actions in the interests of both companies and societies. It allows the companies to promote consumerism by focusing on the proper consumption values. This approach also prepares the companies to deliver the products and services by promoting the values, interests, and quality for satisfying the consumers’ wants.

The societal marketing approach provides a framework to the Australian companies for practicing the sustainable marketing concepts by integrating the issues of ethical marketing and corporate social responsibility into the traditional marketing strategies (Cronin, 2016). The large numbers of the Australian companies are changing the way of marketing from the typical selling approach to societal marketing approach to promote their branded products for creating good brand awareness and loyalty among the consumers and the societies. This approach includes societal marketing activities, such as awareness through social media advertising, philanthropy, licensing agreements, sponsorship, volunteerism, social alliances, and cause related marketing.

ARUP are identified which are listed in top 10 Australian’s environmental sustainable and corporate social responsible Companies. Melbourne Water is widely known for its corporate social responsibility and sustainable environmental performance efforts. It uses societal marketing approach to promote the economic, social, and environmental performance (Melbourne Water, 2015). It contributes to protect the interests of the Australian society by promoting the global water utility through reducing the unnecessary water wastage. It uses CSR and ethical approaches to provide solution to strive balance the environmental, social, and economic outcomes. It promotes the global water utility for the long-term interests of the society and community members. It represents on the sustainable committees of the organizations including Victorian Water Industry Association (VWIA), Australian Water Association (AWA), and Water Service Association of Australia (WSAA).

On the other hand, ARUP is also known for corporate social responsibility management capabilities identified by the Australian Center for Corporate Social Responsibility (ACCSR). It invests greatly in the CSR, sustainability, community partnering, Pro-bono work, and community development (Arup, 2015). Arup has experienced pride on its long-term commitment on linking the CSR to core fundamental areas- sustainability, social, economic, environmental, community, and humanitarian causes. Arup contributes to social useful work to help the communities and societies locally and overseas.

These companies use social consciousness and consumerism to attract the customers toward the products and services by meeting their needs and wants as well as societies’ interests. The societal marketing approach changes the traditional marketing strategy by ensuring the companies focusing on producing the sustainable and value-added products for the welfare of the societies and society members (Eilenberg and Hokkanen, 2007). By using this approach, the companies change their marketing strategy by acting best in the long-run interests of the societies and the consumers. The companies make changes in the product development strategy to produce the customer-oriented products and services for satisfying the customers’ needs and wants at the society’s expenses.

Both of the Australian companies are showing their social consciousness attitude toward the Australian society and the consumers by adopting the corporate social practices, sustainable practices, environmental safety policies, eco-friendly policies, and social welfare programs for the wellbeing of the societies and common interest of the consumers. These Australian companies ensure the transparency, fairness, and fair competition policies in the trade marketing practices by avoiding the discrimination, prejudices, and monopolistic conditions. The companies are adopting the organization-based societal marketing approach for enhancing the social and environmental sustainable business performance of the products. The organization-based societal marketing approach is based on the internal marketing theory and organizational change theory (Social Ventures Australia, 2015). These companies have been increasingly using the societal marketing approach for realizing the benefits of this approach in boosting the sales performance and turn-over. By adopting this approach, the companies are able to create a good brand identity and corporate image among the societies and the consumers. The societal marketing approach assists these companies to hold socialand ethical responsible by consideringthe consumerism, CSR, and ethical principles. 

Both of the Australian companies adopt the societal marketing tools that provide the long-term benefits to both companies and the Australian society. Eco-friendly marketing, Sustainability marketing, Green marketing, and digital marketing campaigns are important societal marketing tools that promote the products and services of the companies in order to create a good brand identity among the society members and the consumers. The eco-friendly marketing promotes the company’s products and services by focusing on recycling of old products, minimization of wastage of resources, water, and unused materials, and prevention of hazardous activities to the societies. The green marketing tool is adopted by the Australian companies to create clean, green, and safe environment by ensuring the protection of the societies and the consumers from the green-house effect, ozone depletion, carbon footprints, and unnecessary wastes (Yeh, Lin and Chen, 2016). The Australian companies also use the sustainability marketing to enhance the environmental sustainability performances of the products and services. Along with this, the sustainability marketing enhances the product durability, reliability, efficiency, and social image. The Australian companies have also been promoting their products and services by posting the digital campaigns on social media sites (Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Yahoo, Instagram, and Google+) to create the brand awareness and loyalty among the consumers and society.

These Australian companies are claiming their valuable contribution for the wellbeing of the Australian society by using the societal marketing approach. These companies are proving their contribution to the Australian society by following the corporate social responsibility practices, ethical approaches, and environmental sustainable practices. These business enterprises are continuing with their best efforts to protect the interests of the Australian society and society members by adopting the social consciousness and eco-friendly approach. By using the societal marketing approach, the companies have been promoting the products and services to preserve the values and interests of the consumers and welfare of the Australian society. These companies are holding themselves socially responsible by ensuring the minimization of the resource wastage, reduction of environmental deterioration, elimination of pollution and carbon footprints, alleviation of hunger and famine (Rix, 2015). Along with this, these are producing the quality and value-added goods and services by meeting the quality and performance standards set by the National Standards Authority of Australia. The both of companies are mainly focused on producing the consumer-oriented products and services and earning the reasonable profits. 

Australia is the workplace where a large numbers of ethnic companies exist contributing to the Australian society by using the societal marketing approach. These Australian companies present a good corporate image in the society by adopting the environmental protection measures. These companies are offering the sustainable products as per consumers’ wants and society’s expectations. The companies have been using the societal marketing approach to prevent the Australian society from the unnecessary harms and threats. These Australian companies have also been adopting the fair competition policies as well as following the society norms and regulations by eliminating the possibilities of monopolistic conditions, over profits, biases, and unfair trade policies. The products are marketed by the companies not only by considering the organizational needs but also the customers’ needs and wants and long-term well-being of the societies as a whole. These companies take into account the ethical and social considerations into the marketing plan while promoting their products and services (Idowu, 2015).  

These companies use the societal marketing campaigns which promote the consumer health and safety and society welfare. The eco-friendly approach assists the companies to protect the Australian society from the unprotected damages and undesirable pollution by giving emphasis on the recycling of old or wastage products to be used in the development of new products. Additionally, the eco-friendly approach assists the companies to prevent the wastage of materials that can be used for producing the alternative products through recycling of old products, unused or rejected materials and waste. In addition to this, the green marketing and sustainability marketing will enhance the environmental sustainable performance of the products and services by protecting the Australian society from the ecological footprints, Co2 emissions, unnecessary wastes, and global warming effect (Social Ventures Australia, 2015). So, all these societal marketing tools will assist the companies to contribute to the Australian society by protecting the interests of society and society members. 

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