Summary of what we learned this week

In this third week of the course, we have explored sustainable marketing. More specifically, we have covered:

• What marketing is.

• A market orientation.

• The marketing concept.

• The creation of customer value.

• The marketing mix.

• The societal marketing concept.

• Benefits of addressing sustainability-related issues.

• Strategies for bridging the attitude-behaviour gap.

• Third-party sustainability accreditation.

During the week, we have learned that:

• A market orientation is a philosophy that assumes that a sale does not depend on an aggressive sales force but rather on a customer’s decision to purchase a product.

• A societal marketing orientation is a philosophy that states that an organisation exists not only to satisfy customer wants and needs and to meet organisational objectives but also to preserve or enhance individuals’ and society’s long-term best interests.

• Marketing seeks to create customer value that is superior to that offered by the competition.

• A business that practices responsible marketing seeks to safeguard the wellbeing of individuals and society in the long-term.

• Third-party sustainability certification assists consumers in categorising a product as sustainable and so increases the credibility of the product, which may lead to a purchase.

• Making it personal, creating better defaults and making it tangible, all represent strategies for bridging the green gap.

In week 4, we will take the perspective of consumers by addressing responsible consumption. Our starting point will be that of the consumer decision-making process that consumers go through when considering product purchases. We will also explore some of the recent terminology associated with responsible consumption. During the week, we will explore some opportunities to practise responsible consumption too.