— Overview
Profit, the essay says, is no longer imagined as something a firm wins only by satisfying a customer in the short run. It can also come through work that a society finds desirable, and buyers, in this account, are less willing to stay with a firm that seems to chase only its own gain. Societal marketing is placed on a firm’s ethics toward society, and is called a more evolved marketing idea: not only short-term customer satisfaction, but society’s welfare in a longer view.
Corporate social responsibility, here, is not interest in a few issues, but a wider claim that a firm may pursue profit while also pursuing a society’s interest or welfare. The term societal marketing, the essay says, was first used by Kotler, who held that when a for-profit firm sets its marketing concept it should consider the interest of society as a whole and the long-term interest of consumers. Around 1950, a marketing concept had more or less settled the debate: the actor was a for-profit firm, the scope was profit-seeking work, and the object was goods and services.
In the late 1960s the argument returned. In 1969, Kotler and Levy held that the marketing concept could also apply to non-profit bodies — a party, a museum, a church, a university — each of which has a product, a market, and a marketing apparatus. In the 1970s a broadening view added that a for-profit firm’s marketing should also include the design, carrying-out, and control of plans to spread a sound social idea. Societal marketing, in this telling, means a widening of range and of object, and marketing through a for-profit firm’s non-profit work.
The background, the essay says, is consumer discontent with selfish selling: high prices, crude or dangerous goods, exaggerated or false advertising, and profits felt to be too high, along with a charge that a highly developed marketing system can feed materialism, falsehood, cultural pollution, hedonism, and a concentration of wealth, and that firms may trample other firms. Advertising is named as a main target of the social critique.
A survey is cited, without a year or a named institute in the extracted text, as finding consumers somewhat unfriendly toward corporate marketing; this page does not turn that into a In the 1990s, international bodies are described as pushing an “Ethics Round,” an effort to standardize the ethical conditions of economic activity, and as treating a failure of ethical management as a breach of global trade conditions. Annual social-performance reports are mentioned as a way for firms to show their responsibility to stakeholders.
Korean firms, the essay says, had often been passive, using social work as a stopgap when criticism rose. Two cases are dated. From 1984, Yuhan-Kimberly set aside 1 percent of sales for an environmental fund under the “Keep Korea Green” campaign, with tree-planting and, the account adds, work opportunities for the unemployed. From 1993, the Industrial Bank of Korea opened a green-environment trust account, putting 1 percent of the customer’s deposit interest and 2 percent from the bank into a 3 percent environmental fund.
— Contents and key concepts
Kotler’s term, and how the idea widened
Profit, the essay says, is no longer imagined as something a firm wins only by satisfying a customer in the short run. Societal marketing is placed on a firm’s ethics toward society: not only short-term satisfaction, but society’s welfare in a longer view. The term, the essay says, was first used by Kotler, who held that a for-profit firm should consider the interest of society as a whole and the long-term interest of consumers.
Around 1950, a marketing concept had more or less settled the debate: a for-profit firm, profit-seeking work, and goods and services. In 1969, Kotler and Levy held that the concept could also apply to non-profit bodies such as a party, a museum, a church, or a university. In the 1970s a broadening view added the design and control of plans to spread a sound social idea.
A critique of practice, and two dated Korean cases
The background, the essay says, is consumer discontent with selfish selling: high prices, crude or dangerous goods, exaggerated or false advertising, and profits felt to be too high, along with a charge that a highly developed marketing system can feed materialism and a concentration of wealth. Advertising is named as a main target of the social critique. In the 1990s, international bodies are described as pushing an “Ethics Round” to standardize ethical conditions of economic activity.
From 1984, Yuhan-Kimberly set aside 1 percent of sales for an environmental fund under the “Keep Korea Green” campaign, with tree-planting. From 1993, the Industrial Bank of Korea opened a green-environment trust account, putting 1 percent of the customer’s deposit interest and 2 percent from the bank into a 3 percent environmental fund. The same Korean report, at fuller length, is on CampusDown.
Sources
- Profit also through socially desirable work; buyers less willing to stay with a firm that chases only its own gain. Societal marketing on a firm’s ethics toward society; short-term satisfaction plus society’s longer-term welfare. CSR as pursuing profit together with society’s interest, not only a few issues. Term first used by Kotler: a for-profit firm’s marketing concept should consider society’s interest and consumers’ long-term interest. Around 1950: actor = for-profit firm, scope = profit-seeking, object = goods and services. Late 1960s debate; 1969 Kotler and Levy: concept also for non-profits (parties, museums, churches, universities). 1970s broadening: design, execution, and control of plans to spread a sound social idea. Background: consumer discontent (high prices, crude or dangerous goods, exaggerated or false ads, profits felt too high); charges of materialism, falsehood, cultural pollution, hedonism, concentration of wealth, firms trampling firms; advertising a main social target. A survey cited without year or named institute in the extracted text — not turned into a 1990s Ethics Round; annual social-performance reports; Korean CSR often passive, a stopgap. Yuhan-Kimberly from 1984: 1% of sales to an environmental fund, Keep Korea Green, tree-planting, work opportunities for the unemployed. IBK from 1993: green-environment trust, 1% of customer interest + 2% from the bank = 3% fund. Hyun So-eun, 2009, as a source the material names.
Last updated: 14 November 2026
Frequently asked questions
How does the essay define societal marketing?
As a term first used by Kotler: when a for-profit firm sets its marketing concept, it should consider society’s interest as a whole and a consumer’s long-term interest, not only short-term satisfaction.
What earlier debates does it set beside that idea?
Around 1950 the actor, scope, and object of marketing were treated as a for-profit firm, profit-seeking work, and goods and services. In 1969 Kotler and Levy extended the concept to non-profit bodies. A 1970s broadening view added plans to spread a sound social idea.
Which Korean cases are dated?
Yuhan-Kimberly’s “Keep Korea Green” campaign from 1984, with 1 percent of sales for an environmental fund, and the Industrial Bank of Korea’s green-environment trust account from 1993.
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