Abstract
The aim of this paper is to introduce the concept of commercial social marketing (CSM) and discuss some major ethical aspects of CSM. In the first section, we introduce 6 social marketing benchmark criteria. Against this background, we demonstrate Dove’s ‘Campaign for Real Beauty’ to be an instance of CSM. In
relation to the benchmark criteria, the second section focuses on 3 key ethical challenges in CSM. a) We describe the problem of paternalism and suggest that CSM can deal with it by anchoring social campaigns in the target groups’ world-view. b) We address the problem of power imbalances and argue why it is more severe in nonprofit social marketing. c) We argue that CSM could create a new and unethical kind of social competition due to its inherent motivation to gain ownership of the social cause it addresses.
relation to the benchmark criteria, the second section focuses on 3 key ethical challenges in CSM. a) We describe the problem of paternalism and suggest that CSM can deal with it by anchoring social campaigns in the target groups’ world-view. b) We address the problem of power imbalances and argue why it is more severe in nonprofit social marketing. c) We argue that CSM could create a new and unethical kind of social competition due to its inherent motivation to gain ownership of the social cause it addresses.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Sustainable Social Enterprise - International Nonprofit and Social Marketing Conference 2009 – Proceedings |
| Place of Publication | Melbourne |
| Publisher | Victoria University |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Publication status | Published - 2009 |
| Event | Sustainable Social Enterprise - International Nonprofit and Social Marketing Conference 2009 - Swinburne University of Technology and Victoria University , Melbourne, Australia Duration: 14 Jul 2009 → 15 Jul 2009 |
Conference
| Conference | Sustainable Social Enterprise - International Nonprofit and Social Marketing Conference 2009 |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Australia |
| City | Melbourne |
| Period | 14/07/09 → 15/07/09 |