<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>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.
</p>
</abstract>

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.

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

Assistant Professor of Marketing, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, USA

Professor of Marketing, Baruch College, City University of New York, New York, USA

NIM Marketing Intelligence Review

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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...

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

Published Online: Apr 29, 2016

Page range: 18 - 23

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/gfkmir-2016-0003

Keywords
CSR, Competitive Advantage, Differentiation, Relationship Marketing, Communication

© 2016

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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

Published Online: Apr 29, 2016

Page range: 18 - 23

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/gfkmir-2016-0003

KeywordsCSR, Competitive Advantage, Differentiation, Relationship Marketing, Communication

© 2016

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
CSR, Competitive Advantage, Differentiation, Relationship Marketing, Communication