Discussion: The Power Of Marketing To Effect Positive Social Change

If you had to choose between two companies for a product that was nearly identical in quality and price, would knowing that one company contributes a portion of its profits to a good cause sway your decision to buy its product? What if the product cost 10% more? How about 25% or 50% more? Or, if the company only donated 2% of its profits, would you be less inclined to purchase it as opposed to a company that donated all of its proceeds? And, how might your feelings change if the cause the company supported is one you are passionate about versus one about which you feel neutral or disagree with fundamentally? Some companies may avoid social change issues in order to keep their appeal as broad as possible, while others may stand behind their cause even if it causes them to lose potential customers. Those companies may find solace in knowing that, while they may lose some customers whose principles differ, they can also develop a stronger connection to and loyalty from customers who share similar values.

In this Discussion, you will locate a marketing campaign that was designed to create a positive impact and will discuss its effectiveness. You will also discuss the responsibilities of marketers and the role of ethics in marketing.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Think about the idea that marketing can be used to tell a story that changes the world.
• Locate one or more social and/or sustainable marketing campaigns that you believe have had a positive impact on society, and prepare to share the link to the image or video (or resource containing information about the marketing campaign).
• Review the Academic Writing Expectations for 2000/3000-Level Courses, provided in this week’s Learning Resources.

By Day 3

Post a 150- to 225-word (2- to-3-paragraph) explanation of the ethical and positive social change implications of your selected marketing campaign. In your explanation, address the following:

• Include a link to an image or video of your selected marketing campaign (or the resource containing information about the campaign).
• Explain how you feel the campaign was effective in not only conveying a particular message but in setting the stage for positive social change.
• Explain the responsibility of marketers to tell the right story, including some ethical challenges marketers face as they try to make a difference through their marketing campaigns.
• To support your response, be sure to reference at least one properly cited scholarly source.