(Steve Hoeffler, Kevin Lane Keller 2002). These results can also be represented from the words of Jim McNeish, head of executive development who said that: "The view that companies have a simple agenda of making money for shareholders is now waning. Business is now seen as agents in an intricate set of relationships and responsibilities". (Overell, Stephen 2001).
So, nowadays, companies, under the name of Corporate Societal Marketing are implementing this "new" kind of marketing. .
As we mentioned above, the element that most differentiates the "traditional" marketing from the societal marketing is the interest for the long run consumer welfare in the product and the market plan. And as Kotler said (1972, p.55), "businessman is asked to do this not only to meet his social responsibilities, but also because failure to do this may hurt his long run interest as producers." (Andrew Crave, John Desmond 2002). And that bring us to the most important factor that makes companies to adapt Corporate Societal Marketing: Differentiation from the competition!.
Companies that implement C.S.M (Corporate Societal Marketing) actually want to "create a differential advantage through an enhanced corporate image with consumer". (Lichstein, Druwright and Braig 2000, p.4) (Steve Hoeffler, Kevin Lane Keller 2002). This enhanced corporate image actually is used for building an emotional bond with the consumers. .
WHAT ETHICS HAVE TO DO WITH BUSINESS?.
Judging from the above C.S.M is the more sensible, more responsible face of the traditional marketing. Sensibility and responsibility towards social, ecological and cultural issues can also be seen as "morality". So, we can say that C.S.M is the "moral" face of traditional marketing. But morality has to do with ethics! One might ask: "What ethics have to do with business?". If we examine C.S.M from an ethical perspective of view, then, we can quite easily link C.S.M with the concept of ethics, and more particular with the concept of "ethical business".
