Discuss social, ethical and legal aspects of marketing.

Ans.

Social, Ethical and Legal aspects of Marketing

Marketing is considered an economic activity as marketing is an economic process by means of which goods and services are exchanged and their values are determined in terms of money prices. Business organisations are performing this job by sensing, serving and satisfying individual as well group consumers wants. Now the question arises whether marketing may keep its conceptual and functional activities limited to consumer or group of consumers or to a target market. Modern thinkers believe that marketing should extend its functions to satisfy the needs of society. Such thoughts. giving a new dimension to marketing emerged into a new concept of Social Marketing.

In social marketing concept the marketing concept side steps the potential conflicts among consumer wants, consumer interests and long run societal welfare.’ The techniques of marketing are used to achieving society’s satisfaction as a whole.

1. Social Marketing: Though marketing aims at satisfying human needs its stress is always on sale of product. In social marketing the needs of the customer are satisfied taking into considering the needs and conditions in society. Selling of cigerattes, wine near college boundaries may be considered unethical from social point of view.

In book ‘Marketing Management’ Philip Kotler has given an example of a fast food industry that offers tasty but unhealthy food. The hamburgers supplied by them have high fat content. The other product that the same fast food company markets ‘fries and pies’ both high in starch and fat. According to Philip Kotler in satisfying human wants these restaurants may be hurting, consumer health and environmental problem.

Social Marketing concept involves that marketing must develop a social consciousness. It is based on the thinking that marketing should be involved in vital social issues like removal of poverty, unemployment, environmental deterioration, populations growth etc.

Philip Kotler has defined his social marketing concept as, “a management orientation aimed at generating consumer satisfaction and long run consumer and public welfare as the key to satisfying organisational goals and responsibilities.”

The advocates of social marketing lay emphasis on achieving society satisfaction as a whole. According to them marketing must include more and more amount of services for the benefits of society and humanity.

Marketing has laid its hands very successfully in some area relating to social uplift. Marketing of family planning has taken up another issue “donation of eyes and removal of blindness. Undoubtedly marketing efforts and techniques will prove more effective and persuasive.

Ethical Aspect: This is another aspect which marketing must keep in view. Profit maximization must not lead to consumer exploitation.

Advertising sometimes has a corrupting influence on young minds and encourages immorality. This adversely affects the social values. Introduction of new products sometimes destroys the utility of existing products even before their usefulness is over. It also promotes artificial living as people are forced to buy things beyond their means. Marketing has to avoid such practices.

Legal Aspect: This is another aspect which marketing has to consider. While making strategies it must be ensured that limits of laws and regulations are not crossed.

Delivering the goods, more especially necessities like sugar, pulses, curd etc. in polythin bags is very common these days. You never know how hazardous are these bags which are infusing some amount of poision in our edibles every day. Moreover these polybags when thrown carelessly on the roadsides increase pollution every where. That is why the advocates of social marketing keep the society infront and the consumer behind.

Social marketing is the extension of ideas on marketing to social fields. It is the marketing which should come in the fore front to fight the social evils like dowry, widow marriage, unemployment illiteracy, population growth etc.