Soul Marketing: impact on companies, customers and society

After several often amusing conversations, Mònica Casabayó and Gerard Costa, professors at the Department of Marketing Management at ESADE, decided to pool their ideas on strategic and consumer trends on the subject they are passionate about: marketing. The result is Soul Marketing, a book that describes how marketing moves along the triangle of company, customers, and society.

The book presentation will take place Thursday 4th of December at ESADEFORUM (Av. Pedralbes 60-62. Barcelona).

What is Soul Marketing?

Gerard Costa: Soul marketing is a business process in which managers create competitive advantages for the company – this is pure marketing – by creating social values. This concept is being researched by various universities around the world. In the book, Mònica and I add a distinctive spin to the concept by showing that we are not talking about strategies launched by businesses, but strategies launched by managers: people who have something in their soul that leads them to choose certain types of strategies.

Mònica Casabayó: Soul marketing is not a judgement on whether managers are good or bad, but a new marketing strategy that is orientated towards the goals of the company that, at the same time, is related to society. This book is for readers who are thinking of introducing soul marketing into their business and helps them decide if it is worthwhile or not. We have tried to provoke opinions because it is an issue that goes beyond marketing, its about people.

How did you decide to write a book together?

MC: From my subjects of ​​consumer behaviour and market research, and Gerard’s subject of marketing strategy, we saw that we were almost going in the same direction. Why? The important part of soul marketing is that a consumer who has decided to do something (such as recycling at home or buying organic products) may also be a company manager who wants to transmit the same values ​​to the job. He or she may wish to apply values such as recycling or helping the environment – while still remaining primarily focused on profit and competitiveness. 

GC: One of the attractive features of the book is that it is written by two authors who do not agree on everything and who add their experiences together to find explanations - although there are many areas that we still see differently. Mònica and I meet senior business executives and managers every week who have a different way of working, or are beginning to question if their approach will have to differ from others. We have detected a trend based on what people are doing – and this is a differential focus.

Does Soul Marketing go beyond corporate social responsibility?

MC: Each company is a unique case. We are already seeing companies of varying sizes and from different sectors and nations beginning to apply this three-sided ‘win-win’ approach.

GC: Mònica and I coincide in a model that includes three social trends:

- Companies want to be socially responsible but are not sure how.
- Companies have a market orientation, but the market is changing. The pure consumer is becoming less predictable.
- Ethical consumption is emerging and consumers understand that their decisions have wider implications.

In the book, we offer what could be described as corporate social responsibility for managers: that is, decision-makers who want to use ethical values ​​to create value and competitiveness in their businesses.

The book reflects, through examining cases of multinationals ans small businesses, on change in marketing strategies. Is marketing evolving in a circular or lineas direction?

MC: I don’t see the evolution as linear, exponential, or circular – it is a neuronal development. It is a matter of: ‘there are a few examples and they are growing steadily in number, we need to know how they connect and what relationships they have’.

GC: Neuronal is a good concept! I would also say it is neuronal because this is an area of reflection on strategy that is already familiar to managers when we discuss it in class. Conviction is spreading in a neuronal manner across strategies. I would add something else: while for managers on our programmes this idea provokes questions – for our MSc students it is a conditio sine qua non.

Where is Soul Marketing in terms of pure marketing?

MC: If we analyse trends in consumer behaviour we can find the ‘back to basics’ trend, as well as another trend related to activism (meaning people spending more free time on social issues). There is a meeting point between consumer and business objectives. As Gerard rightly remarked: ‘It used to be said that companies, and not governments, will change the world.’ Now people say that ‘it won’t be companies that make the changes, but individuals and company managers.’

GC: Marketing is a competitive strategy to create value. It is essential to be able to listen for emerging values ​​and measure their credibility. If a listener is interested in detecting trends, then the company will make changes – regardless of whether it is a small business or a multinational built on fast moving consumer goods. Behind this book is the subject of consumer power: consumers can exercise a political vote while shopping – with boycotts and buycotts. I believe that marketing is based on the power of the consumer as the decision-maker.