Challenging Competition with CSR: Going Beyond the Marketing Mix to Make a Difference

Social initiatives that make a difference for the consumers are able to win consumers’ hearts and build close and lasting relationships. A program that offers real participation and goes beyond the standard marketing mix can therefore effectively reshape the competitive game with a market leader. Key consumer/societal problems present unprecedented opportunities for companies to gain long-term competitive advantages by creating both social and business value. We show how making a noticeable difference in the quality of oral health care of the children in Hispanic immigrant communities helped an American brand gain significant ground in this market. Rather than competing head-to-head against the market leader by making incremental improvements in product attributes or relying on price promotions, the challenging brand resorted to an innovative CSR initiative.