Research consistently shows that both consumers and other stakeholders believe companies must play a significant role in addressing systemic societal and environmental issues. A recent PwC study found that 83% of consumers expect businesses to actively shape best practices in areas like sustainability and social responsibility, and 76% of consumers say they will stop supporting companies that fail to meet these expectations. At the same time, however, many—if not most—shareholders remain focused solely on maximizing profits. How can companies balance these seemingly competing priorities?

The answer lies in rethinking marketing’s role in society. Marketing—services marketing in particular, which began with a focus on the marketing of intangible services—has recognized the need for an additional imperative: guiding managers in serving society. This evolution reframes marketing’s potential, positioning it as a strategic force for helping to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges. By embracing this role, marketing can help businesses generate both societal value and sustainable profits.

Importantly, all organizations—professional services, retailers, manufacturers, and others—are service organizations to some degree. Whether they offer services exclusively or provide both goods and services, services now dominate economic output, add value, and contribute to employment in both developed and developing economies. Even manufacturers are increasingly offering services to complement the sale of goods, underscoring the reality that all organizations play a role in the service economy. 

Moving Beyond Traditional Corporate Social Responsibility

For decades, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been the primary way businesses give back to society. CSR initiatives are often well-intentioned but typically operate separately from the core business functions. Many CSR programs are viewed as external efforts, disconnected from what companies fundamentally do to create value.

However, today’s challenges require more than the traditional CSR approach. Many consumers and other stakeholders demand greater accountability and integration of social impact into a company’s central strategy. Enter social profit orientation (SPO)—a cultural imperative that moves beyond isolated acts of goodwill and weaves social impact directly into the company’s mission. SPO shifts the focus to proactively making societal benefits a core element of business operations.

In a recent Journal of Marketing article, we examined how companies can adopt SPO to make social impact an integral part of their operations, ensuring that societal contributions move beyond peripheral initiatives to become central to business strategy.

This transition reframes the question: How can companies address social and environmental challenges without sacrificing profitability? The answer, as SPO demonstrates, is by embedding purpose into their business DNA, leading to long-term sustainable value creation that benefits both society and shareholders.

The Role of Services Marketing in Social Profit Orientation

By nature, services marketing is boundary-spanning—it requires deep integration across functions like operations, human resources, and management. This integration facilitates marketing professionals connecting various business functions in service of a larger purpose.

In SPO, services marketing plays a critical role in aligning a company’s societal contributions with its business objectives. Marketing leaders can craft campaigns, initiatives, and partnerships that showcase the company’s commitment to solving pressing social problems—whether it’s addressing climate change, improving community access to better housing, education, or healthcare, or promoting inclusivity. In this new paradigm, marketing no longer functions as an afterthought or add-on—it becomes the driving force behind societal and business growth.

For example, World Central Kitchen has redefined disaster relief, providing sustainable solutions for hunger while addressing systemic issues around food insecurity. Similarly, Gundersen Health System has achieved energy independence while delivering exceptional healthcare, demonstrating the profound impact of combining social responsibility with business goals. These examples highlight how SPO can be applied across sectors, with services marketing at the core of these efforts to align societal contributions with business objectives.

From CSR to SPO: A Practical Guide for Marketing Professionals

For businesses looking to make this transition, moving from CSR to SPO requires a significant shift in mindset and operations. Marketing professionals are uniquely positioned to lead this transformation. Here’s how companies can successfully transition and implement SPO:

1. Secure Board Commitment

The first step in embedding SPO into a company’s strategy is securing top-level commitment. Without strong support from the board, SPO initiatives often face underfunding or lack priority. Marketing leaders must advocate for the business case behind SPO, showing how social impact initiatives can generate brand loyalty, customer and employee retention, and even revenue growth. Board-level buy-in is crucial to ensuring that SPO is implemented as a core business function rather than a peripheral program.

2. Champion the Champion

While one or more visionary executives or change champions will be responsible for leading the SPO transformation, marketing must play a critical role in supporting the champion(s). This includes providing essential stakeholder research, market insights, and promotions that highlight the benefits of SPO, helping to secure buy-in from key stakeholders. Marketing professionals can provide the data and narratives needed to rally the organization behind the transformation. And marketing professionals themselves may perform the “champion” role.

3. Develop an Initiative Framework

SPO is not about supporting every social initiative available. Companies need to be strategic in selecting societal initiatives that align with both their core values and business objectives. Marketing professionals, particularly service marketers, with their boundary-spanning capabilities, can facilitate collaboration across departments in designing a decision framework. Departments such as operations, finance, human resources, and corporate strategy should be involved in this process to ensure that the initiatives selected are aligned with the company’s strengths and potential for long-term societal impact. This approach ensures that resources are allocated wisely, contributing to both the community and the bottom line.

4. Achieve Early Wins

As with any major change, quick wins are crucial. Early successes demonstrate the value of SPO and build internal and external support for further initiatives. Marketing teams should focus on highlighting these early wins through targeted campaigns that show the positive effects of SPO.

5. Foster Leadership Synergy

For SPO to succeed, there must be alignment between senior leadership and grassroots efforts within the company. Marketing professionals are in a unique position to facilitate this connection, ensuring that social impact initiatives are supported from the top while engaging employees at all levels. This fosters a culture where SPO is a company-wide priority, not just an executive initiative.

6. Forge Strategic Partnerships

No company can drive large-scale social change alone. Strategic partnerships with external organizations—whether nonprofits, governments, or other businesses—are often essential to amplifying the reach and impact of SPO. Marketing professionals are well-versed in building relationships and can lead efforts to form partnerships that fill resource gaps and expand the company’s influence. These alliances further the company’s ability to create meaningful social profit.

7. Integrate Impact Metrics

Measuring the impact of SPO is critical to proving its effectiveness. Marketing professionals must incorporate tools like social return on investment (SROI) to track both the societal and financial outcomes of SPO initiatives. By integrating impact metrics into marketing dashboards, companies can clearly communicate progress to stakeholders, ensuring transparency and accountability.

8. Leverage Storytelling

One of marketing’s greatest strengths is its ability to tell stories that resonate. By crafting compelling narratives around the company’s social impact, marketing professionals can engage customers, employees, and investors in a meaningful way. Storytelling humanizes the organization and demonstrates how its actions are making a tangible difference in society. These stories are powerful tools for building loyalty and trust, showcasing the value of SPO initiatives.

The Future of Marketing: A Catalyst for Change

As businesses continue to evolve, marketing will play an even greater role in shaping the future of society. SPO is not just a model for integrating social good into a company’s mission—it’s the next frontier in marketing strategy. By embedding SPO into their core operations, companies can foster customer, employee, and other stakeholder loyalty, build sustainable growth, and help address the urgent challenges facing society.

In a world where purpose increasingly drives purchase decisions, SPO offers a clear pathway for businesses to succeed both financially and socially. Many consumers and employees are demanding that companies step up and address the urgent issues facing society. Meanwhile, managers increasingly recognize that “doing well by doing good” isn’t just a slogan—it’s a reality. In fact, McKinsey found that 48% of executives view sustainability as contributing positively to shareholder value, underscoring the growing alignment between social responsibility and business success.

Despite the growing recognition of the value of socially responsible business practices, there has been notable pushback. Some critics argue that these practices can detract from immediate financial returns or advance political agendas. However, as societal challenges like climate change and inequality become more pressing, such resistance is likely to diminish over time. SPO, by focusing on long-term value creation for both society and businesses, ensures that companies remain resilient and committed to addressing these challenges, even in the face of short-term political opposition.

Marketing professionals are at the forefront of this movement, equipped with the skills and knowledge to drive SPO forward. As companies transition to being more socially profit-oriented, they will discover that doing good isn’t just beneficial for society—it’s essential for sustained business success.