Doing the right thing provides payoff; Ad firm aims to attract companies to make a difference through social marketing,

Won, Shirley, “Doing the right thing provides payoff; Ad firm aims to attract companies to make a difference through social marketing,” The Globe and Mail, Canada, August 29, 2003.

The concept of social marketing originated in the 1970’s when Philip Kotler and Gerald Zaltman argued that the marketing principles used to sell products to consumers could be used to sell ideas, attitudes and behaviors. This article discusses the potential of selling ideas as opposed to just product. The Enron situation made the public suspicious of the internal activities of big businesses as a whole. Social marketing has traditionally been used by government and non-profit agencies in health and environmental campaigns. Industry observers say this kind of marketing strategy has become more attractive to businesses because of its dual promise of making the world a better place to live, as well as improving the bottom line. Businesses look to this type of campaign to get “increased sales, an enhanced corporate image, strong brand equity, better employee relations and improved consumer and stockholder relations. The ultimate goal of social marketing is behavior change.