A Comparative Study of the Application of Societal Marketing Concepts by Firms Dealing in Socially Stigmatized and Non-stigmatized Products

Abstract

Societal marketing is the latest method of marketing, it looks at marketing as a process

that would lead not only to the betterment of the society but would also ensure long term profitability. This concept is actively being pursued in developed world and lately being adopted in developing countries. This study therefore attempts to find out the extent to which Kenya -has adopted this new concept (earlier studies show that it actually has been adopted and whether the application of societal marketing concept is influenced by the type of product a firm is offering. It considered two categories of firms: those offering socially stigmatized products and those offering non-socially stigmatized products.

The study was carried out 111 Nairobi usmg structured questionnaire. The target respondents were marketing executives or their equivalents in manufacturing firms falling in ether category of firms (i.e. those with stigmatized ancl those with 11011- stigmatized offers). The researcher personally administered the questionnaire in more than 50% of the cases; the rest he used drop and pick method. The finding of this research was then exposed to statistical analysis, specifically measures 01' variation and t-

statistics were used . •

The finding was that there is a difference in the extent of application. Those firms with socially stigmatized products tend to apply 1110re societal marketing concepts than those with non-stigmatized products.' If societal marketing is meant to take societal wel rare when marketing products, then its higher application by firms offering socially

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stigmatized products could be understood from the background of the fact that they arc trying to make up for the social stigma attached to their products.

The study considered tobacco and alcohol as stigmatized products whi Ie banking and food processing were considered as non-stigmatized products.