Exam 8: Ethics and Social Responsibility in Marketing Strategy

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The pyramid of social responsibility consists of four dimensions or responsibilities: economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic. From an economic perspective, all firms must be responsible to their shareholders, who have a keen interest in stakeholder relationships that influence reputation of the firm and, of course, earning a return on their investment. The economic responsibility of making a profit also serves employees and the community at large due to its impact on employment and income levels in the area that the firm calls home.
Marketers also have expectations, at a minimum, to obey laws and regulations. This is a challenge because the legal and regulatory environment is hard to navigate and interpretations of the law change frequently. Economic and legal concerns are the most basic levels of social responsibility for good reason: Without them, the firm may not survive long enough to engage in ethical or philanthropic activities.
At the next level of the pyramid, marketing ethics refers to principles and standards that define acceptable marketing conduct as determined by the public, government regulators, private-interest groups, competitors, and the firm itself. The most basic of these principles have been codified as laws and regulations to induce marketers to conform to society's expectations of conduct. However, it is important to understand that marketing ethics goes beyond legal issues: Ethical marketing decisions foster trust, which helps build long-term marketing relationships.
In terms of philanthropy, firms that choose to take these extra steps concern themselves with increasing their overall positive impact on society, their local communities, and the environment, with the bottom line of increased goodwill toward the firm, as well as increased profits. Many firms try hard to align their philanthropy with marketing and brand image. During major crises, like Hurricane Katrina or the more recent financial meltdown, firms are given an opportunity to make their philanthropic programs more responsive and visible to the public. Socially responsible behavior is not only good for customers, employees, and the community, but it also makes good business sense. For this reason, philanthropic activities make very good marketing tools. Thinking of corporate philanthropy as a marketing tool may seem cynical, but it points out the reality that philanthropy can be very good for a firm.

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The importance of marketing ethics and social responsibility has grown in recent years, and their role in the strategic planning process has become even more important as many firms have seen their images, reputations, and marketing efforts destroyed by problems in these areas. The failure to see ethical conduct as part of strategic market planning can destroy the trust and customer relationships that are necessary for success. Ethics and social responsibility are also necessary in light of stakeholder demands and changes in federal law. Furthermore, ethical and socially responsible behavior improves marketing performance and profits. Marketing ethics does not just happen by hiring ethical people; it requires implementation of an effective ethics and compliance program.
In response to customer demands, along with the threat of increased regulation, more and more firms have incorporated ethics and social responsibility into the strategic marketing planning process. Any organization's reputation can be damaged by poor performance or ethical misconduct. However, it is much easier to recover from poor marketing performance than from ethical misconduct. Obviously, stakeholders who are most directly affected by negative events will have a corresponding shift in their perceptions of a firm's reputation. On the other hand, even those indirectly connected to negative events can shift their reputation attributions. In many cases, those indirectly connected to the negative events may be more influenced by the news media or general public opinion than those who are directly connected to an organization. Some scandals may lead to boycotts and aggressive campaigns to dampen sales and earnings.