Page 53 - Foundations of Marketing

20 Part 1 | Strategic Marketing and Its Environment

meaningful long-term relationships with
An environmentally friendly marketing message customers while maintaining, supporting,
makes consumers think… and enhancing the natural environment.
Safeway and Whole Foods, for example,
Snapshot 50% negative impact that businesses have on the
have been recognized by Greenpeace as
60%
the supermarket chains with the most
sustainable seafood buying practices.
Understanding that overfishing is a major
40%
concern, these supermarkets discontinued
sales of several threatened fish popula-
30%
33
tions. Such initiatives not only reduce the
20%
environment but also serve to enhance their
10%
reputations as sustainability concerns con-

tinue to grow. By addressing concerns about
0%
A product has a positive or A product has a lighter impact than the impact of marketing on society, a firm
neutral impact on the environment similar/older products
can contribute to society through socially
responsible activities as well as increase its
Source: 2012 Cone Green Gap Tracker Survey of 1,019 consumers. financial performance.
Marketing Offers Many Exciting Career
Prospects

From 25 to 33 percent of all civilian workers in the United States perform marketing activi-
ties. The marketing field offers a variety of interesting and challenging career opportunities
throughout the world, such as personal selling, advertising, packaging, transportation, stor-
age, marketing research, product development, wholesaling, and retailing. In the most recent
recessionary period when unemployment was high, sales positions remained among the most
attractive job opportunities. Marketing positions are among the most secure positions because
of the need to manage customer relationships. In addition, many individuals working for
nonbusiness organizations engage in marketing activities to promote political, educational,
cultural, church, civic, and charitable activities. Whether a person earns a living through mar-
keting activities or performs them voluntarily for a nonprofit group, marketing knowledge and
skills are valuable personal and professional assets.

Going Green

Garbage Takes On an Entirely New Meaning

Levi Strauss is taking on a new initiative and it involves For Levi’s spring collection 3.5 million recycled plastic
recycling. Levi’s, the largest producer of jeans in the bottles were used to create the line. Not only are the prod-
world, has developed an eco-friendly product line that ucts more eco-friendly but they are also stylish. The fiber
incorporates at minimum 20 percent of recycled plas- used from the different plastic bottles enables the denim to
tic into its jeans. The Waste<Less denim collection is attain a different sheen then most jeans. Levi’s found that
reducing the company’s carbon footprint by starting at the more an individual wears the denim, the more the color
the beginning. Its sustainability efforts began when Levi’s of the denim will resemble the color of the bottle used to
wanted to improve methods of cotton growing. The produce it. This gives consumers an idea of the process
company joined the Better Cotton Initiative that educates and what was used to make their clothing. Levi’s has
farmers on how to grow cotton with less water. It also realized that many consumers enjoy participating in eco-
d
began to focus on reducing its energy use. friendly initiatives that add hope for a better tomorrow.

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