Social Implications and Criticisms of Marketing

Abstract

Companies adopt marketing practices to delight their customers, generate revenues and profits, and to create customer relationships. However, companies may focus on their selfish motives of growth and may ignore consumer welfare and social welfare. Marketers are criticized for such practices and for the negative impact created on the society. The practices include high prices of products, deceptive practices, high pressure selling, harmful or unsafe products, planned obsolescence, poor service to disadvantaged customers, and negative impact of celebrities in marketing communications. Adverse impact on society includes false wants and materialism, too few social goods, and cultural pollution. Marketers are accused of harming and reducing competition. In the era of social marketing, companies should respect social concerns of various stakeholders and should maintain a balance between their own objective of growth and long-term social requirements. This will result in mutual trust and in sustaining the society.