Social Marketing

Social Marketing

Social Marketing

Introduction

What is marketing?

Marketing can be defined as a process of exchange though which humans try to satisfy each other's needs and wants (Kotler, 1981). Marketing has experienced rapid growth and continuous change since its inception. It being a comparatively new and vibrant concept, many marketing scholars have described it in many different ways which add a complete new dimension to its concept. Several other authors also defined it as a process of exchange like Kotler (1981), did. According to Dennis Adcock (2001, p.46), this exchange process has always been in practice since the very beginning of its inception, however its purpose and the context has varied from the exchange process to a much more broader concept dealing with the exchange process of services and even exchange of ideas.

Discussion

Lazer's Era Marketing

During the 1960's, William Lazer came out with an article regarding “Marketing changing social relationships”. This was the time when marketing was merely taken as a tool of encouraging people for consumption of goods and products or even services and also as a tool that paved way for profit generation and economic growth especially to the marketers. In his article he discussed about the role of marketing in the society focusing on the American people. With the markets showing immense amount of growth, it has played a vital role in increasing the people's expectations, providing them with a picture of accessibility of more goods and services. Painting a complete fantasy of a brighter future due to economic growth, leading people to believe that the only way to recognize their hidden potentials was only through acquiring of material goods; was a completely wrong concept. This is where Lazer and other people were in the wrong impression that consumption and acquiring of goods may not be the only way, as the resources will not last forever and were never abundant.

Also during this time, western markets witnessed immense amount of innovation, as the western countries went through a phase of fast and rapid growth which then lead to the development of new products and services. This was made possible just because the growing markets were able to push the industrial society in terms of creative and intellectual capacity. This then paved way for the creation of new machines and gadgets, which lead to decrease in the use of physical labor. Due to this, lifestyle improved and was more focused on providing luxury and comfort. With less physical labor and luxurious lifestyle, lead to overconsumption, paving way for an increase in obesity rate (Rizvi, 2004, p. 249).

According to Lazer (1969, p.5), increasing social concern needs are to be practiced and pondered over, if the abundance is prevalent in the society. It should be a matter of concern for the nations and the people living in it. He justified this marketing materialism through the motivation theory by Maslow. He explained that people reach saturation from abundance in terms of the needs, (Maslow, 1943, p.385) then it is more likely they come to ...