EXPRESS: Disaster Recovery: How Ad Hoc Marketing Systems Build and Mobilize Social Capital for Service Delivery

Communities are increasingly confronted with disasters that bring acute and chronic challenges. Past research highlights the importance of ad hoc marketing exchange systems for expanding community resource capacities following a disaster. The current study builds on this research taking a granular look at an existing ad hoc marketing system that provided exchange services before a disaster. Prior to an earthquake, this ad hoc system built three forms of social capital—structural, cognitive, and relational—and expanded latent capacities for self-organizing and learning. Following a natural disaster, the ad hoc marketing system flexed to meet individual and community needs. Specifically, three types of learning—routine, extended routine, and improvisational—emerged mobilizing existing social capital to deliver recovery services and goods. This study highlights the delivery of recovery goods and services as an ad hoc marketing system evolved to become a learning system during the months and years of recovery. Implications are explored for citizens, municipalities, policy makers, and businesses by highlighting the importance of building and practicing diverse forms of social capital before a disturbance so capacities can be mobilized during recovery.

Social marketing through a music festival

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine a social marketing initiative pursued by the privately owned Swedish music festival Way Out West during 2012-2014. This paper’s aim is to explore how events can support individual behaviour changes, and it seeks to assess the effects of Way Out West, as well as to understand what motivated visitors to change. Design/methodology/approach The theoretical lens of perceived consumer value (Holbrook, 1999) as the individual outcome of a social marketing exchange is used for the analysis. The paper uses a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods; a Web survey (n = 1757) monitors self-reported behaviour over time, and in-depth interviews are conducted with a handful visitors who reduced regular meat consumption. Findings The results of this paper suggest that the initiative was a strong inspiration for 15 per cent of the sample (corresponding to ca. 9,300 festival visitors who decreased their meat consumption 2012-2014). It was evident that these “Decreasers” perceived functional, emotional, social and altruistic value as outcomes of changed behaviour. The paper identifies and discusses links between the adoption of a new behaviour in the temporal non-ordinary setting of a music festival and the endurance of the behaviour in a mundane environment. Originality/value This paper examines self-perceived effects on behaviour that a private social marketing initiative had on consumers. The paper contributes by applying Holbrook’s (1999) theoretical framework of perceived consumer value to empirical context, by investigating hedonic aspects of social marketing consumption in the non-ordinary setting of a music festival. The paper discusses how a temporarily adopted behaviour continues to create value for consumers, when maintained in ordinary life.

Balancing self/collective-interest: equity theory for prosocial consumption

Purpose This work aims to use equity theory to explore how consumers assess prosocial actions as part of a mental portfolio of purchases and behaviors in a broader marketplace, seeking balance in market exchanges. Conceptualizing marketing exchange as both an exchange of perceived value and a balance between self- and collective-interest allows for segmentation by consumer sensitivity to equity and sheds light on why prosocial consumption might occur. Design/methodology/approach Two studies validate and segment consumers via their equity sensitivity. Between-subject designs with samples of consumers and marketing managers validate an equity sensitivity index that segments how people balance self- and collective-interests in marketplace exchange and predicts prosocial consumption choices. Findings The results indicate that Entitled decision makers are more willing to exchange collective-interest for self-interest and emphasize choices that maximize lower prices for consumers or greater profits for firms in lieu of prosocial outcomes. Benevolent decision makers, however, are more willing to exchange self-interest for collective-interest and support prosocial outcomes. Originality/value This work moves beyond research that focuses on attitudes, values and situational factors, instead using equity theory to uncover broader marketplace motivations for prosocial consumption. The research reveals that a motivating force behind prosocial consumption is how much consumers perceive they have given to, and gotten, from, the marketplace. Segmenting the market according to how consumers balance gains and losses provides an alternate approach to studying prosocial consumption, as well as a practical approach to developing targeted marketing strategies.

Marketing

This invited commentary is a reflection on and response to an essay on “The Long Macro View”, by Robert Lusch, who articulated key themes of human, societal and marketing evolution, and challenges marketing scholars to consider ways to reduce costs inflicted by prolific human activity, particularly (marketing) exchange. Those costs cumulatively pose existential threats to humanity; they also present opportunities, which potentially can be redressed by better understanding of conflict resolution theory, relevant marketing applications to reduce social conflict, and guidance by complementary macromarketing precepts. Consistent with some ideas in the aforementioned essay, the author of this commentary argues for constructive engagement by individuals, organizations and governments via institutional entrepreneurship, which is crucial to enhance the efficiency, effectiveness, fairness and sustainability of a complex and increasingly global macromarketing system, and the well-being and long-term survival of Homo Sapiens.

Social License to Operate and Adaptive Co-Marketing: Exchange, Social Capital and Community-Based Social Marketing

The concept of a Social License to Operate (SLO) has become increasingly important in the sustainability literature in recent years. Having its origins in the business discourse of the mining industry with respect to limiting opposition to mining projects, the notion of a social contract above and beyond legal requirements has since become applied across a number of different industries. Despite the concepts adoption confusion exists over the practices and outcomes of SLO, and particularly the nature of engagement. Given this situation it is surprising that not more attention to the role of marketing, and social marketing in particular, in operationalizing the concept. The paper discusses the potential of social marketing to contribute to SLO. Economic, political and social relations are complex in SLO and exchange is intricate in such relational environments. A community-based social marketing orientation is proposed as a means to improve exchange relations and enhance engagement. Seven models of SLO related social marketing models are discussed with community-based social marketing and adaptive co-marketing models being regarded as the most positive for the achievement of an SLO. Potential barriers to adoption of these approaches are noted.