Social responsibility and ethics in marketing
Though the pursuit of social responsibility and ethical marketing does not automatically translate into increased profit, it is still the responsibility of the firm to ensure it is responsible for its actions and their impact on society.
This article will study, 1) understanding business ethics and socially responsible marketing, 2) developing and implementing a socially responsible marketing plan, 3) main aspects of socially responsible marketing, 4) characteristics of socially responsible marketing, 5) five benefits of integrating ethics into your marketing strategy, 6) ethical issues faced in marketing, and 7) summary of unethical marketing practices that ruin companies.
To be socially responsible is when the organization is concerned about people, society and environment with whom and where it conducts business. In it’s most basic form, socially responsible marketing is taking moral actions that encourage a positive impact on all the company’s stakeholders, including employees, community, consumers, and shareholders.
The main responsibility of marketers in this aspect is to package and communicate the organization’s decisions that will impact the various communities with which they interact. Consumers have the right and power to decide which companies succeed or fail; so marketers have a major responsibility to ensure their practices are seen as philanthropic without being phony.