Social marketing is being adopted by a growing number of government and nonprofit organizations around the world because of its power to bring about important social changes. An array of commercial marketing concepts and techniques has been applied to problems ranging from child abuse to teen smoking to environmental neglect. However, in crafting these programs, agencies face complex ethical challenges. For example, is it acceptable to exaggerate risk and heighten fear if doing so saves more lives? What if improving the lives of one group has negative effects on another? How does a marketing campaign respect a group's culture while calling for fundamental change within it?
In Ethics in Social Marketing, ten contributors draw on their professional experience and the literature of ethics to set forth a range of problems and offer frameworks for their resolution. They introduce philosophical rules and practical models to guide decision making, and they focus on such complex issues as unintended consequences, ethical marketing alliances, and professional ethical codes. The book not only introduces students to the special moral and ethical burdens of social marketing but also challenges practitioners to address difficult issues that are easily minimized or avoided.
Table of Contents
1. Ethics and the Social Marketer: A Framework for Practitioners
William A. Smith
2. Ethical Considerations in the Use of Marketing for the Management of Public Health and Social Issues
Michael L. Rothschild
3. The Ethics of International Social Marketing
George G. Brenkert
4. Social Marketing as Business Strategy: The Ethical Dimension
D. Kirk Davidson and William D. Novelli
5. Alliances and Ethics in Social Marketing
Alan R. Andreasen and Minette E. Drumwright
6. Social Marketing and Social Contracts: Applying Intergrative Social Contracts Theory to Ethical Issues in Social Marketing
N. Craig Smith
7. Marketing Ethics to Social Marketers: A Segmented Approach
Susan D. Kirby and Alan R. Andreasen
8. Teaching and Modeling Ethics in Social Marketing
Michael D. Basil
Reviews
"Timely and thought provoking. Not only does the volume provide a valuable review of ethical issues relevant to social marketers, it does so within the context of cutting-edge conceptual thinking and real world programs. As a result, the reader comes away with a deeper understanding of the importance as well as the complexities involved in the practice of ethical social marketing."—Dana L. Alden, University of Hawaii
About the Author
Alan R. Andreasen is a professor of marketing at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. During the preparation of this volume, he was the executive director of the Social Marketing Institute. His books include Marketing Social Change: Changing Behavior to Promote Health, Social Development, and the Environment.
