Sustainable marketing and strategy

Abstract

The theme of this Special Issue (SI) is Sustainable Marketing and Strategy, as in the literature, we have seen growing evidence of how sustainability efforts are increasingly bringing significant benefits to enterprises. This effect has been further witnessed following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, whereby we have seen an even more conscious consumer appear. The benefits include increased brand awareness, as those firms that stand out tend to catch attention by being keen to help and not hurt the environment as well as local communities. Consumers are thus opting for more environmentally and community-friendly firms, which is thus a means to achieving greater competitiveness. That the sustainability theme may be seen simply as a marketing tactic has also been debated. It surely makes strategic and marketing sense to be nice to the community, above what is required by law. Doing so in sincere and planned efforts will reap better returns in the age of the informed consumer. Greenwashing must be avoided at all costs, as firms will be punished for not being authentic in their social responsibility efforts. The articles published in this SI discuss how companies are managing the issues related to a new era whereby sustainability is a major goal for academics and practitioners alike.