Analysis of a Case Study on Social Marketing

Question: Discuss about the Analysis of a Case Study on Social Marketing. Answer: Introduction: The current assignment aims to demonstrate critically the cause-related marketing, which deals with social marketing, especially with the adoption of pets in the Australian market. In this context, Akgn, Keskin Ayar (2014) advocated that social marketing is an approach that intends to form activities for changing the perceptions of the people to benefit the individuals and the overall community. The two institutions that have been selected to fit the purpose of this assignment include RSPCA and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Accordingly, the marketing mix of both the institutions has been conducted with the help of 4Ps of marketing, which constitute of product, price, place and promotion. Finally, based on the conducted evaluation, the target market has been identified for both the institutions. Product Definition, Core Benefit,Expected Product and Augmented Product: In the words of Chikweche Fletcher (2012), product decision is the basic decision, which a firm needs to make in order to develop an effective marketing plan. The product mix for the two institutions has been briefly explained as follows: RSPCA: RSPCA is a charitable and independent institution, which has been providing protection services and animal care in Australia having staff base of around 1,000 in the nation. The major products of the institution include adopting dogs/puppies, cats/kittens and other small animals. In order to find the right pet, RSPCA offers advice to the customers and judges them based on their capabilities to adopt pets. After the selection of the dog, an adoption assistant of the organisation would visit the customer to provide information about that dog, its background and requirements (Rspca.org.au, 2016).The expected product would be delivered after viewing the photos of the customer backyard, in which the dog is expected to live. Finally, an adoption application form would be provided to the customers for ensuring that the right pet is selected with a cooling period of 24 hours. The core benefits of adopting a pet include providing the animal with a second opportunity to live. Since RSPCA is a shelter for the different pets in Australia, the cost of adopting a pet would be much lower in contrast to that of the breeders. Along with this, adopting a pet would help in increasing the happiness of the families. It would help in overcoming depression, anxiety and stress of the individuals (Gordon, 2012). Furthermore, the pets in RSPCA have been well-trained, which helps in saving plenty of time and additional efforts to train the same. World Wildlife Fund (WWF): WWF is a partnership organisation formed in collaboration with the scientists, government leaders and business leaders. The intention of the organisation is to prevent the hunting of the wild animals and the habitats of those animals (Donate.wwf.org.au, 2016). The organisation has been using hazardous materials company, in which the emotional reward would be conducted with the incorporation of press release in the website of the organisation regarding the partnership. The environmental group of WWF is engaged in selling gifts for the pets, which comprise of toys for adoption of species, crafts, apparel and cards. The scientist group of the organisation is engaged in tax deduction. Price Definition, Initial Cost and Ongoing Cost: As commented by Doan et al., (2015), price is primarily the amount, which a customer pays to purchase a particular product or service. The price mix for the two organisations has been described as follows: RSPCA: In the initial stage, the organisation has selected the scheme of penetration pricing. In this context, Greene (2014) stated that the penetration pricing strategy is a method through which the prices of the products or services are kept low to reach a broader market and commence word of mouth. Therefore, the main intention of RSPCA is to attract the customers to adopt pet animals through direct purchase from the organisation, instead of going to the pet breeders. In the later stage, RSPCA has focused on flexibility with respect to the donations and costs to maintain its animal care activities. Along with this, the organisation sells different types of pet foods and other stuffs at minimal prices for ensuring the living standard of the pets. The organisation provides shipping facilities to its customers at a rate of $9, which is much lower in comparison to the pet breeders. Furthermore, it provides discounts to some of its products like API Peffect Start for Aquariums, which is now valued at $12.95 from $34.95 before. Thus, the pricing strategy of the organisation aims to attract the interested customers towards adopting pet animals. WWF: WWF follows competitive marketing strategy in selling its products and services. The prices of products vary from $25-$250 for the adoptions of symbiotic animals. In addition, the organisation receives both public and private donations for preparing the animal foods and prices its products at a competitive rate in the market. The amount earned is utilised for the welfare of the animals living in the various shelters of WWF. Place/Distribution Definition: In the words of Kim et al., (2014), placement or distribution is a significant part of the marketing mix, in which the organisation needs to position and distribute its products in a place, which could be accessed by the customers. The place mix for the two organisations have been summarised as follows: RSPCA: The shelters of RSPCA are the visible portions of the operations of the Australian society. The role of the shelters includes adoption and rehabilitation centres for the injured and stray animals. Along with this, the organisation provides sanctuary for the horses coupled with livestock and wide array of wild animals. The extension and campaign would be developed within the existing operation systems of RSPCA. The location services are available on-site, which have adoption features. Such facilities are designed so that the customers could visit the shelters and adopt pets in a convenient manner (Huang Sarigll, 2014). In addition, the RSPCA are located in such situations that communication with the distribution of local support could be conducted effectively. WWF: The place mix strategy of WWF is entirely different in contrast to that of RSPCA. This is because all the stray and pet animals are solely transferred to the customers over internet. In addition, the animals are sold to the customers during fund raising events as well. In this context, Kim et al., (2014) stated that sale of products through online media helps in saving the time of the customers, which might increase their satisfaction level. However, as argued by Morris Koleszar (2015), since the products are not tangible in nature during online views, the promised quality might fail to meet the expectations of the customers. Since the organisation has only relied on selling pet animals over internet and fund raising events, it saves additional cost of maintaining a number of shelters. Promotion Definition: As cited by Rahmani, Emamisaleh Yadegari (2015), promotion is a significant constituent of marketing, as it might help in increasing the revenue margin and brand recognition of an organisation. The promotion mix for RSPCA and WWF are briefly summed up as follows: RSPCA: The promotion strategy of the organisation is aimed at increasing the penetration in the mass market with higher focus on advertising campaign. The main objective of such campaign is to increase the awareness regarding cruelty with the stray and unwanted animals. Some of the most notable campaigns in this respect include layer hen welfare, greyhound racing industry and live export. In case of the first campaign, it has been identified that nearly 11 million hens in Australia are confined to the battery cages. After conduction of a scientific report, RSPCA has found that the cages are causing problems for hens, which could be resolved by releasing them out from the same. The campaign has been made popular with the help of posters and television commercials. This has helped in increasing the consumer awareness, which lead to review of the standard guidelines and procedures (Schuhmacher Kuester, 2012). The same approach has been followed in case of the other two campaigns, in which the organisation has used television and social media to generate the awareness of the customers. WWF: WWF has formed partnerships with several governmental agencies and organisations to carry on with its current projects. It has been observed that WWF has supporters of around 5 million in the global countries, which have been developed with the help of its brand image. The organisation has used social media and newspaper advertising for promoting its fight against cruelty with different kinds of animals. In this regard, Sharma Lambert (2013) remarked that social media and newspapers are the most feasible techniques to promote services, as it helps in attracting the attention of the individuals rapidly. Along with this, WWF has concentrated on protecting the marine life by hard-hitting campaigns with the help of social media and television advertising. The marine life covers areas of Antarctica, the Southern Ocean, the Great Barrier Reef and the island and coastal communities of the Pacific. The intention is to eliminate the traditional practices to ensure protection of the species through sustainable development programs. These programs have been promoted in the official website of WWF, since it is engaged in online selling of products and services. Target market: Based on the above discussion, it could be stated that the main target market for RSPCA includes the farming industries, the government and the entire society of Australia. This is because the operations of the organisation are restricted to the boundaries of Australia. In addition, the domestic households with stable income level constitute of the target market of RSPCA, as it intends to encourage adoption of pet animals along with generating attention for current projects through media releases. Such target market would help the organisation in achieving its long-terms goals and objectives (Singh, 2012). On the other hand, the target market for WWF includes the global government agencies, farming industries and the common households to prevent cruelty on animals and other species. The top global organisations include the target market of the organisation as well, as it is involved in a partnership with Coca-Cola for protecting the polar bears. In addition, the use of social media on the part of WWF aims to attract both the global young adults and teenagers. Conclusion: From the above discussion, it has been evaluated that both RSPCA and WWF aim to protect animal cruelty and encourage people to adopt pet animals. RSPCA follows penetration pricing scheme to sell its services, while WWF follows competitive pricing strategy for selling its services. In addition, RSPCA has different shelters in Australia for conducting its operations, while WWF is engaged in internet marketing in the global arena. Finally, it has been identified that RSPCA uses posters and television commercials to generate the consumer awareness. On the contrary, WWF uses social media and newspaper to raise the awareness of the customers. Therefore, the target market for RSPCA includes farming industries, government and the entire Australian society. WWF, on the other hand, targets the global organisations, farming industries, governmental agencies, households and teenagers. References: Akgn, A. E., Keskin, H., Ayar, H. (2014). 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