According to Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz, "Consumers now commonly engage in a cultural audit of [product and service] providers. People want to know your value and ethics demonstrated by how you treat employees, the community in which you operate." Discuss the concept of social responsibility marketing and how it impacts both companies and consumers.
Answer: The social responsibility marketing concept holds that the organization's task is to determine the needs, wants, and interests of target markets and to deliver the desired satisfaction more effectively and efficiently than competitors in a way that preserves or enhances the consumer's and society's long-term well-being. Many companies actively engaged in corporate social responsibility campaigns to both motivate employees and attract consumers. As goods become more commoditized, and as consumers grow more socially conscious, some companies are adding social responsibility as a way to differentiate themselves from competitors, build consumer preference, and achieve notable sales and profit gains. They believe customers will increasingly look for signs of good corporate citizenship.