How Australian social enterprises use strategic marketing and social marketing to drive accountability and change for sustainable development

Abstract

Globalisation, population growth and climate change are ushering in rising societal concerns. In response, new approaches need to continue being fostered in research, production and marketing to address sustainability. Initiatives by a cross-section of businesses, government and community working in partnerships seem to offer the best chance to catalyse societal transformation.Against this backdrop, social enterprises are an incubator for implementing activities within society to produce commercial and social value. They have social, economic and often environmental imperatives embedded in their core objectives. These organisations are historically characterised by entrepreneurship, innovation and the willingness to take risks to create and exploit marketplace opportunities. They undertake projects in the face of constraints imposed by limited resources while serving numerous constituents. However, there is a dearth of empirical research on their strategic marketing and social marketing activities in conjunction with their accountability for social impacts.A multiple case study protocol was therefore employed to examine how strategic marketing, social marketing and accountability were applied as mechanisms across diverse Australian social enterprises to achieve sustainable missions. Findings showed the organisations' marketing functions go beyond traditional approaches to ensure viable income streams. They catered to broader target audiences by offering two-tiered price schemes, developing products in concert with customers, promoting a sustainable place, and engaging in two-way communication to influence policy. Deep collaboration between social enterprises and stakeholders included joining forces with competitors to enhance resources and capabilities.Results on social marketing reflected tailored community-based interventions brought a range of environmental benefits, taught skills for employment, and provided a voice for marginalised members of communities who might not otherwise have an outlet. Successful outcomes led to iv replication of unique business models in some cases. Notably, collaboration and competition with target audiences occurred both vertically and horizontally in marketing channels. These findings extend theory on coopetition in the third sector, highlighting the value of using a systems framework, the social ecological model, underpinned by co-creation of social value. The research contributes empirical evidence to an important but under-researched area within strategic marketing management on interorganisational relations.Data from social enterprises that carried out comprehensive forms of reporting also provided insights to the emerging area of integrated reporting for conveying a more meaningful approach than standalone social audits issued to constituents apart from financial reports. Findings demonstrated that smaller organisations have the ability to issue a clear, cohesive account of their triple bottom line. This study thus adds practical contributions of cases using integra...