Marketing & Sustainability Essay

What on the nose is merchandising? Is it just convincing people to grease ones palms mathematical products through unlike media? Billboards, TV commercials, junk mail and magazines filled with advertisements? From the consumers perspective, that is how it seems (Kotler et al. 2010, p. 5). But from a production lines standpoint, marketing is viewed very differently. trade is viewed as universe based on an ex alteration relationship between a business and its customers, where a business offers something of value, and customers procure this product, which provides the business with the means to continue producing this stage of value (Moscardo et al. 2010, p. 277). Where does sustainability fit into marketing?In the past, the discipline of marketing has been impeach of stimulating unsustainable levels of consumption amongst consumers (Rettie, Burchell & Riley 2012 p. 420). Now with the impact of our overconsumption starting to take its damage on our earth, marketers must reass ess its strategies and practices to accommodate the reality of limited resources and the environmental impact our consumption is having on the planet. In order to sustain our important resources for future generations, businesses need to re-evaluate their research and development strategies, production methods and financial and marketing practices (Kotler 2011, p. 132). This involves integrating social and environmental concepts into conventional marketing strategies (Peattie & Belz 2010, p. 9). Consumer behaviourIn the chapter by Wells, et al, the relevance of consumer behaviour in marketing is discussed and broken gloomy into the four As of sustainable consumer behaviour, sensory faculty, Acceptance, Ability and Action. This addresses a method that stack be accustomd to encourage consumers to support and engage in sustainable behaviours (Moscardo et al. 2010, p. 277). AwarenessIn order for a customer to buy a jet product, they must be aware of the sustainability publicises that are cosmos addressed by the product. If you are non aware of a problem, how screwing you make changes to address it? A study conducted by whirlpool observed that because its customers were not awareof what CFCs were, they refused to pay a reward for a CFC-free refrigerator (Kotler et al. 2010, p. 23). Although many consumers remain uninformed about the earnestness of sustainability issues, the number of people considering the environment and social issues when making a bargain for is on the rise. A study in Norway in 2011 discovered that more or less participants were aware of the sustainability concept, which when compared to a connatural study performed in 1995, showed an increase in the familiarity of sustainability. It is plausible that this could be due to increased media coverage on the issue and is an encouraging finding for sustainability marketing (Hanss & Bohm 2012, p. 679). AcceptanceIn order to trust to solve a problem, you need to accept the problem as h onest and relevant. unitary factor influencing the acceptance of a particular behaviour is the separates level of concern about an issue (Galbreth & Ghosh 2012, p. 128). Is humor change really an issue or is it just another far-fetched theory existence hyped up by the media? (Moscardo et al. 2010, p. 284). People believing the latter may be more likely to disregard products promoting their efforts of reducing their impact on climate change. Another factor that can affect a consumers willingness to get into in sustainable behaviours is the social acceptability of that action. The social acceptability of sustainable behaviours as a whole is becoming less of an issue in recent times, as environmental consciousness has seen things like locally and organically grown produce become more mainstream (Sheth & Sisodia 2012, p. 77). Personal biases can excessively play a role in acceptance. Some consumers may take that products made from recycled materials may be of inferior quality an d therefore their mathematical operation and reliability would be negatively affected (OECD 2009, p. 46). AbilityAbility refers to whether a person has the means in which to pursue the desired action. Products labelled as organic, biodegradable, made from recycled material or other similar green claims are generally priced higher than conventional products (Kotler et al, 2010 pg 405). Low income earners, students, pensioners and the trifling may not be able to afford a grant on sustainable products and will buy the cheapest alternative conventional product. Also, not all products on the market may have an available greenalternative and therefore the consumer has no choice but to purchase a non-green product (Moscardo et al. 2010, p. 284). GreenwashingIn the text, the issue of greenwashing was addressed and its impact on consumer purchase decisions and on the sustainability market. Greenswashing can be described as the practice of overemphasising a companys environmental credentia ls, often by misinforming the public or understating potentially harmful activities (Doyle 2011). The practice of greenwashing has led to consumers being more disbelieving of products marketed as green or environmentally friendly. This scepticism may result in consumers avoiding sustainable products for fear that the green labelling may maneuver an inferior product using promises of sustainable resources and production to increase its prices (Rettie Burchell & Riley 2012, p. 422).One Study in Norway showed that labelling of products was considered the most indicative way to ensure the sustainability of the product and that consumers tended to favour labels in which they were familiar. As there are a considerable number of eco and fair trade labels used in Norway, customers intending to purchase sustainable products may avoid perfectly good sustainable products due to the drop of familiarity of the label and therefore trust and confidence in the product (Hanss & Bohm 2012, p. 685 ). comfort stationAs stated in the text, convenience and green products are not generally two terms that go together, and there has often been a trade-off between convenience and sustainability. Although rechargeable batteries are more environmentally friendly, It is a lot more convenient to just replace sure-enough(a) used batteries with new ones and throw the old ones away. In a ceaselessly moving, time poor world, convenience is highly valued by customers, and sustainable products that cannot match the convenience of its conventional rivals may be unsuccessful in the marketplace (Peattie & Belz 2010, p. 13). CommunicationWhen all is said and done, it all comes down to legal communication. Communication is vital to make consumers aware of the development of products and solutions tackling the issue of sustainability, and how they can meet customers needs and be efficiently integrate into their lifestyle (Peattie & Belz 2010, p. 13). ConclusionThis article effectively examines the challenges presented to companies in the sustainable production and marketing of their products. The movement towards the use of renewable materials is clear, nevertheless, consumers may be reluctant to accept these products for a variety of reasons. By examining the issues confronted by businesses straight off the chapter addresses the main concepts of consumer behaviour and the challenges for the future. Customer expectations are one of the main considerations in producing and marketing a product. While the author discusses the concept of awareness, one candidate that may have been mentioned is possible strategies a company might use in order to effectively increase awareness and methods for effective communication.ReferencesDoyle, C 2011, A Dictionary of Marketing, 3rd edn, Oxford University Press, NY. Galbreth, MR & Ghosh, B 2012, Competition and Sustainability The Impact of Consumer Awareness Decision Sciences, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 127 159. 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