What is Social Responsibility in Marketing?
From supporting local charities to having control over how to support values, here are seven answers to the question, “What does social responsibility mean to you in marketing?”
- Helping the Communities You Care About
- Aligning Your Marketing With Ethics and Morals
- Bringing Wellness and Prosperity to All Involved
- Being Mindful of Social Issues
- Creating a Better World by Taking Social Responsibility
- Having Thoughtful Conversations
- Not Negatively Affecting People or the Environment
Helping the Communities You Care About
Social responsibility to me means businesses should do what they can to help the communities they are part of. This could be anything from supporting local charities to paying a living wage. It’s important that businesses do what they can to help build a better world, and I think that should be part of their marketing strategy.
When a company is socially responsible, it helps build goodwill with customers and makes them more likely to support that company in the future. I think every business should take part in some form of social responsibility; it’s good for the world and good for business.
Matthew Ramirez, CEO, Paraphrase Tool
Aligning Your Marketing With Ethics and Morals
To me, social responsibility in marketing means considering the impact of marketing activities on society and taking action to ensure that these activities align with ethical and moral values.
This includes considering the environmental impact of marketing initiatives, being transparent about the products and services being marketed, and promoting equality and diversity in advertising.
It also involves avoiding exploitation and ensuring that the marketing message does not cause harm to any individual or group in society.
Casey Preston, CRO and Founder, Stratosphere
Bringing Wellness and Prosperity to All Involved
Social responsibility in marketing, to me, means engaging in activities that bring wellness and prosperity to everyone involved—ranging from stakeholders such as customers, collaborators, shareholders, suppliers, and the wider community.
This involves investing time, energy, and resources into practices that create lasting impact while building transparent relationships based on mutual trust and respect. As marketers, it is essential that we recognize and strengthen our social bond with all of our stakeholders so we can appropriately respond to their needs while striving for successful outcomes.
Jim Campbell, Owner, Camp Media
Being Mindful of Social Issues
Social responsibility refers to companies being conscious of the social impact of their marketing campaigns and content. This means understanding the consequences of their decisions on individuals, society, and the environment.
By taking social responsibility into account in their marketing efforts, companies can ensure that their content is not only effective in reaching their target audience but also refrains from harming any person or group of people.
Companies should consider how their campaigns might affect vulnerable demographics and be aware of social issues such as racism, sexism, misogyny, and other forms of discrimination.
Curtis Anderson, Co-Founder and CEO, Nursa
Creating a Better World by Taking Social Responsibility
To me, social responsibility in marketing refers to the ethical and moral obligation of a company to consider the impact of its marketing strategies and activities on society and to act in ways that promote the well-being and interests of consumers, employees, stakeholders, and the broader community.
This can include ethical advertising, sustainability, and corporate citizenship initiatives, as well as considering the effects of marketing on consumers and employees and ensuring that marketing messages and products do not cause harm or exploit vulnerable populations. Besides not causing any harm, it will also support adding value to society in different ways; by providing educational and informative content, supporting social causes, promoting sustainability and environmental responsibility, fostering diversity, and so on.
By taking a socially responsible marketing approach, companies can improve their reputation and attract customers and contribute to creating a better world.
Aygul Mehdiyeva, Digital PR, Planly
Having Thoughtful Conversations
Social responsibility in marketing means creating work that stimulates thoughtful conversations and positive action in order to help support the common good. It means recognizing the power of advertising to influence beliefs and behaviors on a deep level and taking steps to ensure that those influences are beneficial rather than exploitative or damaging.
Social responsibility in marketing also requires paying attention to trends, so that marketing efforts can be strategically focused on bringing about tangible outcomes for individuals and society. It is an active way to make the world better by using the influence of marketing.
Jamie Irwin, Digital Marketing Executive, ELocker
Not Negatively Affecting People or the Environment
For me, this involves being aware of and accountable for the impact of marketing activities on our society and the local environment and taking steps to ensure that these activities are consistent with ethical, social, and environmental values.
As an example, I would prefer not to advertise in publications that don’t align with the values of my business, so it means I need to have greater control over where my marketing spend goes. I prefer to support smaller, local businesses where I can, ones that support the same kinds of values as me and my business.
Cherry Fermor, Owner, Cherries & Carrot Tops
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