Greater Good: How Good Marketing Makes for Better Democracy

Citation

Stanaland, A.J.S. (2009), "Greater Good: How Good Marketing Makes for Better Democracy", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 26 No. 2, pp. 136-136. https://doi.org/10.1108/07363760910940500

This book has an engaging premise – not only is the field of marketing a good representation of democracy, but it also can be a positive force on behalf of democracy. The authors, John A. Quelch and Katherine Jocz, provide a philosophically interesting yet grounded discussion of how the practice of marketing reflects and contributes to a democratic society. The authors state their thesis as follows: “First, marketing performs an essential societal function and does so democratically; and second, people would benefit if the political and public realms were guided by the best of marketing, and vice versa” (p. 2).

The book is divided into two sections, each with multiple chapters to address the topics relevant to supporting the section's scope.

Marketing as Democracy. This section discusses the “essential societal function” (p. 2) that the authors previously used to describe the marketing realm. Marketing offers consumers six benefits that make the practice of marketing inherently democratic, and this section devotes a chapter to each. First, there is the benefit of “exchange”, which encompasses free and fair transactions. Second is “choice”, which represents consumer control over market offerings. Third is “engagement”, which reflects consumer participation in the nature of the marketplace itself. Fourth is “information” held by consumers, and fifth is “inclusion”, which refers to the broad reach of the marketplace. The final benefit is “consumption”, which of course refers to consumers actually satisfying their needs and wants via the entire process.

The authors lead the reader through a concise history of the development of the marketing orientation, the evolution of consumer demand, and how the myriad of marketing functions permeate society. Ultimately, the act of engaged and informed consumers satisfying their needs by way of choice in a free market is shown to be analogous to the participation of citizens in a free democracy. As such, the marketing process itself not only mirrors the democratic process, but it also has the potential to influence and shape society in positive way, which brings us to section two of the book.

Marketing for Democracy. The book's second section focuses on ways the marketing process can be utilized to improve society, and it includes chapters on politics, media, programs (of the government as well as non‐profits), and nations. Examples of societal improvement include the use of marketing principles to enhance the political process by motivating more consumers to participate fully and improving the information available for their decisions; to encourage the proliferation of differentiated, independent media though the advertising‐supported media model; and to increase the reach and effectiveness of programs developed by public and private sector organizations for the public good. In each of the previous examples, consumer/citizens benefit from conscientious application of marketing principles throughout society.

The authors pepper the discussion with many practical contemporary examples, ranging from the imagery of a consumer embracing the self‐service concept via self‐assembly of newly acquired IKEA furniture to the illustration of consumer fairness issues with a description of H&R Block's refund loan practices. Other creative examples include the uses of buzz marketing in the movie industry and even the public relations efforts of the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Such commonplace and relatable material enhances the book's readability to a wide audience. Granted, the subject matter may appeal primarily to marketing academics and those in the public policy realm, but the style of writing and presentation makes the book accessible to a broader market (and in keeping with the topic at hand, good marketing will help this book to reach such a market). People already involved in public sector communication and promotional roles will likely appreciate the well‐placed social welfare justification this book grants to their efforts. In the education realm, the book would also make an obvious contribution to the reading materials of a “Marketing and society” course, no doubt spurring student discourse on the wide range of subjects that are related back to marketing.

A potential weakness of this book, perhaps, centers on the lack of adequate attention given to the “dark side” of marketing and the sometimes negative perceptions of the field among the public at large. The authors do state early on in the book that they are focusing on “good marketing”, but perhaps a stronger acknowledgement of the “bad” aspects of the profession (e.g. its role in the promotion of unhealthy or dangerous products and behaviors) would in fact strengthen the credibility of the book's thesis regarding marketing's positive contributions to society. In general, the individual chapters provide a wealth of examples in each topic area, but the introductory chapter itself provides the best explanation of the authors' central arguments. As the authors state, marketers themselves “should be more conscious of the social importance of their work and of the moral principles that underpin their daily decisions” (p. 272). This book, with its readable format and modern illustrations, provides the encouragement for that consciousness to flourish.