This is a great book for marketers looking to engage around the sustainability debate. What sounds like an oxymoron, "Sustainability Marketing", is examined as part of the evolutionary process of marketing thought. The authors propose that this approach needs to be brought into the mainstream of marketing. They suggest that sustainability marketing is marketing that is:
- Ecologically orientated
- Viable- ( technically feasible and economically competitive)
- Ethical- in promoting greater social justice and equity
- Relationship based- as someone who faciltates stakeholder dialogue, this is particularly important. We need to move away from seeing marketing as purely an economic exchange, and begin to see the role the marketers can play in contributing to collaborating with customers and key stakeholders.
Belz and Peattie suggested six key elements for sustainability marketing:
- Socio-ecological problems
- Consumer behaviour
- Sustainability marketing values and objectives
- Sustainability marketing strategies
- Sustainability marketing mix
- Sustainability marketing transformations
The book provides a very comprehensive framework and is an ideal tool for marketers to begin to consider their response to the sustainability debate without falling foul of the very common "greenwashing" tactics.
Andy Brough (Chartered Marketer, SA)