Stakeholder Marketing? Part 3 — A Drastic Shift in Marketing Is Overdue

A Drastic Shift in Marketing Is Overdue

Like ecosystems in the natural world that sustain life on earth, social systems are complex. Our communities overlap, interact, expand and contract in ways that are never easy to define or measure. What may be true when observing one group in one environment may be untrue when observing another-even if certain individuals are in both groups! This may paint a picture of an extremely complex environment, but the goal is to at least make the attempt to understand it.

A company that wants to achieve sustainable success today must anticipate the needs of the ecosystem that supports its existence. To do that, brands need to understand the ecosystems they operate within by truly seeing each group of stakeholders as well as their needs, values and interests. Once seen, a map of how these individual communities overlap, interact and engage with the world around them can be visualized. Once this groundwork is laid a brand can begin to converse with their communities authentically, in an improvisational manner, helping them connect their value to the company’s value s.

Does conducting stakeholder group mapping increase the expectations of marketers and generally make our jobs harder? Without a doubt. But, awareness of the fact that your messages and actions have an effect on the world as a whole is the first step toward participating as a member of a global community, not to mention correcting the wrongs of the many marketers who have come before.

Brands capable of making this shift in perspective have found themselves supported by their communities (Ben & Jerrys, Patagonia, Clif Bar). Brands that don’t will make it hard on themselves in the short term and even harder on their reputations, communications efforts and bottom line in the long term.

Originally published at https://consciouslyinc.com on October 23, 2020.