Marketers are the natural owners of Corporate Social Responsibility
The big problem is that marketers are the cause of the problem….
Over the years, I’ve met many marketing people who would have me believe that marketing (as a professional discipline) is entirely value-free and entirely neutral… I have difficulty with this, from a sustainability perspective, in as much as it may be true, on a case by case basis, but the cumulative impact of billions of corporate dollars spent marketing their products, year after year after year, stimulating, reinforcing and exacerbating people’s consumerist fantasies, is almost wholly pernicious – especially when it’s directed at children.
Jonathon Porritt, Founder Director of Forum for the Future & Chairman of the UK Sustainable Development Commission
This is a strong opinion and certainly one which proves highly controversial amongst Marketers. That said, despite being a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), a Chartered Marketer, member of the CIM Sussex Committee and CIM member for over 15 years, I agree with Mr Porritt.
Marketers will agree that Marketing is the greatest source of shareholder value of all professions (:)), however, as highlighted by Jonathan Porritt, Marketers drive consumption, and unnecessary consumption is causing the depletion of natural resources and the pollution of our natural environment. Marketers, given their powerful role as influencers of how we all spend our money, have the opportunity to provide a solution. The benefits available from numerous case studies provided on the www.bitc.org.uk website and elsewhere include increased sales and market share, strengthened brand positioning, enhanced corporate image and clout, increased ability to attract, motivate and retain employees, decreased operating costs and environmental / health and safety liabilities and increased appeal to investors and financial analysts.
According to Wikipedia, Marketing is..”concerned with anticipating the customers’ future needs and wants, which are often discovered through market research” . So, by adopting a “leading edge” approach to CSR including the research into customers needs and developing new ethically produced low carbon products and services, Marketers have the potential to uncover entirely new revenue streams for their organizations. If you’re struggling for ideas for your own business, email me at jason dot woodford AT ai-digital.com
Whilst admitting we have a long way to go and questions persist about the some of the green claims being made, major businesses are taking advantage of green and environmentally friendly propositions:
Green advertising by EDF Energy, Diesel, Tesco, Waitrose, McDonalds who are keen to communicate their green credentials,
Renewable energy company Ecotricity’s customer base is growing by 50% per annum
Grocery packaging manufacturers switching from oil based plastics to new cellulose based alternatives required by retailers
Dyson produced the “Air Blade” which is both more effective at drying your hands yet uses less than a quarter of the energy of its traditional “hot air” competitors
The unprecedented success of Toyota’s hybrid Prius has spawned hybrid versions of other Toyota and Lexus models and encouraged most of the competition to offer alternatives
AI Digital has listed below 13 simple ideas to help Marketers to engage with CSR in order to achieve their marketing and business goals.
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