Corporate Societal Responsibility in Marketing: Normatively Broadening the Concept

The premise of this paper is that corporate societal responsibility in marketing should go far beyond traditionally conceived corporate social responsibility (CSR). Admittedly, some typical efforts like philanthropy and executive volunteerism do have a distinct social component, but in recent years much CSR activity, including choices for corporate charity, are instrumentally infused with branding, product development, supply chain construction and a host of other strategic marketing decisions by corporations. This paper briefly reviews relevant CSR writings, presents a new definition of corporate societal responsibility in marketing, and advances several foundational premises for responsible marketing practice. Implications are drawn for both marketing scholarship and marketing management