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OBJECTIVE 3 Define consumerism and |CHAPTER 20 Social Responsibility and Ethics 649
environmentalism and explain how they
affect marketing strategies. (pp 635–641) information, education, and protection. Under the sustainable mar-
keting concept, a company’s marketing should support the best
Concerns about the marketing system have led to citizen action long-run performance of the marketing system. It should be guided
movements. Consumerism is an organized social movement by five sustainable marketing principles: consumer-oriented mar-
intended to strengthen the rights and power of consumers keting, customer value marketing, innovative marketing, sense-of-
relative to sellers. Alert marketers view it as an opportunity to mission marketing, and societal marketing.
serve consumers better by providing more consumer informa-
tion, education, and protection. Environmentalism is an orga- OBJECTIVE 5 Explain the role of ethics
nized social movement seeking to minimize the harm done in marketing. (pp 645–648)
to the environment and quality of life by marketing practices.
Most companies are now accepting responsibility for doing Increasingly, companies are responding to the need to provide
no environmental harm. They are adopting policies of environ- company policies and guidelines to help their managers deal with
mental sustainability—developing strategies that both sustain questions of marketing ethics. Of course, even the best guide-
the environment and produce profits for the company. Both lines cannot resolve all the difficult ethical decisions that individ-
consumerism and environmentalism are important components uals and firms must make. But there are some principles from
of sustainable marketing. which marketers can choose. One principle states that the free
market and the legal system should decide such issues. A sec-
OBJECTIVE 4 Describe the principles of sustainable ond and more enlightened principle puts responsibility not on the
marketing. (pp 641–645) system but in the hands of individual companies and managers.
Each firm and marketing manager must work out a philosophy of
Many companies originally resisted these social movements and socially responsible and ethical behavior. Under the sustainable
laws, but most now recognize a need for positive consumer marketing concept, managers must look beyond what is legal
and allowable and develop standards based on personal integ-
rity, corporate conscience, and long-term consumer welfare.

MyMarketingLab

Go to mymktlab.com to complete the problems marked with this icon .

Key Terms OBJECTIVE 4 Deficient products (p 644)
Pleasing products (p 644)
OBJECTIVE 1 Consumer-oriented marketing (p 641) Salutary products (p 644)
Sustainable marketing (p 627) Customer value marketing (p 641) Desirable products (p 644)
Innovative marketing (p 642)
OBJECTIVE 3 Sense-of-mission marketing (p 642)
Consumerism (p 635) Societal marketing (p 644)
Environmentalism (p 636)
Environmental sustainability (p 637)

DISCUSSION AND CRITICAL THINKING

Discussion Questions

20-1 What is sustainable marketing? Explain how the sustainable 20-4 What is environmentalism? Why is this a starting point
20-2 marketing concept differs from the marketing concept and 20-5 in terms of sustainability for businesses? (AACSB:
20-3 the societal marketing concept. (AACSB: Communication) Communication)

What is planned obsolescence? How do marketers re- What are the five sustainable marketing principles, and
spond to this criticism? (AACSB: Communication; Reflec- how should companies be guided by them in their activi-
tive Thinking) ties? (AACSB: Communication)

How can marketing be criticized in terms of its nega-
tive impact on competitors and competition? (AACSB:
Communication)