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The purpose of the editorial is to accompany this special issue on “Social marketing: social change”.

The editorial presents three invited reflections by Philip Kotler, Michael Polonsky and Gerard Hastings. It also discusses the articles in this special issue.

Overall, the contributed papers demonstrate that there are many layers to social marketing.

The articles featured in this special issue help to advance social marketing theory as well as offer valuable implications and recommendations for managers, practitioners and policymakers.

Focuses on the use and role of older people in advertisements in the UK. Investigates the current situation in the UK with regard to the use of older models, and considers the views of advertising executives in relation to which types of products and services are considered appropriate by advertisers for representation by older people. Using a framework developed in the USA, this initial study which included responses from 19 London agencies found executives were cautious of using models that they considered might alienate the younger audiences for their advertisements. Aims to open a debate which is already well developed in the USA but less so in the UK as to the approach taken towards advertising and older people. In particular it raises the question as to whether this is purely a social issue of discrimination or a broader one of consumer and managerial concern.

Demographic trends are suggesting that older people are growing in importance in the population. The advertising industry has been accused of ignoring older people in advertisements, or treating them inappropriately. In order to respond to accusations of ageism within the industry it is suggested that regulation may be required to raise the awareness of advertisers and agencies to the importance of older people, and to encourage more age diverse advertising. This paper presents the findings of a study conducted to elicit the opinions of advertising industry commentators about the issue of ageism in advertising. The general opinion was that the industry was ageist, and may require the incentive of regulation before it will respond to the needs of the older population.

The current global recession is presenting new and difficult challenges for those customers wishing to consume sustainably and ethically, and the marketers who seek to provide the goods that allow them to do so. The purpose of this paper is to explore to what extent international marketers can engage consumers with a social conscience and retain their loyalty both during and after the recession.

This paper explores the impact the global recession is having upon consumers and marketers, and considers the evidence surrounding concerns that the demand for ethical products will decline across international markets as the recession deepens.

The discussion acknowledges that while discount retailers are thriving, and customers are trading down, evidence suggests that across international markets a significant number of socially conscious consumers are still exhibiting ethical consumption behaviour. Future marketing opportunities lie in providing consumers with products that will deliver value without compromising their ethical social values.

The paper offers a balanced perspective on the significance of ethical consumers to international marketers. The analysis highlights a number of threats and opportunities that exist in the current global recession, and the discussion is illustrated with several examples of successful marketing ethics in action.

Marketing ethics and social responsibility are inherently controversial, and years of research continue to present conflicts and challenges for marketers on the value of a socially responsible approach to marketing activities. This article examines whether or not consumers care about ethical behaviour, and investigates the effect of good and bad ethical conduct on consumer purchase behaviour. Through focus group discussions it becomes clear that although we are more sophisticated as consumers today, this does not necessarily translate into behaviour which favours ethical companies and punishes unethical firms. The article concludes by some thoughts on how marketers might encourage consumers to engage in positive purchase behaviour in favour of ethical marketing.

To broaden the scope of our knowledge of collective voluntarily simplified lifestyles in the UK, by exploring whether voluntary simplifiers achieve their goals by adopting a simpler life.

Radical forms of voluntary simplifier groups were explored through participant‐observation research. The methodology can be broadly classified as critical ethnography, and a multi‐locale approach has been used in designing the field.

Although for some of these consumers voluntary simplicity seems to have reinstated the enjoyment of life, certain goals remain unfulfilled and other unexpected issues arise, such as the challenges of mobility in the attainment of environmental goals.

This is an ongoing research, however many opportunities for further research have arisen from this study. Quantitative research could be undertaken on the values and attitudes buttressing voluntary simplicity specifically in the UK. The extent to which such communities influence mainstream consumers could be studied both quantitatively and qualitatively. Mainstream consumers' attitudes to the practices of such communities could prove useful for uncovering real consumer needs.

Despite these communities position in the extreme end of the voluntary simplicity spectrum, their role in shaping the practices and attitudes of other consumers is clear.

This paper provides new consumer insights that can re‐shape policy‐making and marketing practice aimed at achieving a sustainable future.

This study aims to assesses the relative importance that Belgian consumers attach to different characteristics and marketing practices of ethically labelled coffee, i.e. type of ethical issue, label issuer, amount of information provided, distribution and promotion strategy and branding.

Buying behaviour is studied by means of a web‐based survey in a sample of 750 Belgian consumers, using conjoint analysis.

Consumers attach greatest importance to the distribution strategy of ethically labelled coffee, followed by the type of ethical label, and the issuer of the label. Ethically labelled coffee should be available in ordinary supermarkets and be presented along with non‐ethical coffee brands. Fair trade labelled coffee is by far the most preferred over eco‐ and bio‐labels. European government labels, or labels issued by non‐governmental organizations, are preferred over national (Belgian) government endorsed labels. Consumers prefer extra information on the package, in addition to a label. Out‐of‐shop promotion of the label and the type of brand are of minor importance. The results are similar across different socio‐demographic groups.

Implications for governments, NGOs, and manufacturers and distributors of ethically labelled coffee (and possibly other ethical products) are offered.

The contribution of the study is that it measures the relative importance of factors that have previously been identified as relevant in a realistic multi‐attribute preference‐formation framework.

This paper examines the ethics of marketing both fair trade products and the movement's message of change, as fair trade shifts from a distribution system that relied on alternative distribution channels to one that is increasingly reliant on the commercial mainstream. The marketing of fair trade through mainstream commercial distribution channels has been the major success and the major challenge for the fair trade movement over the past decade.

A conceptual approach and discussion are taken.

First, we introduce the term “Clean‐wash” to describe a range of ways in which marketing fair trade through mainstream distribution channels creates opportunities for commercial businesses to appropriate and regulate the terrain. Second, the paper illustrates how mainstream marketing of fair trade has shifted the message of fair trade from participation in an international programme of trade reform to one about “shopping for a better world”. Finally, the paper explores a number of innovations the movement is using that protects the integrity of the principles of fair trade and sells both products and the message of change.

Innovations discussed in the paper termed “the Alternative High Street”, see the merging of consumption with social action, and counter‐pose them with the mainstream idea of ethical consumerism. The concept of an Alternative High Street describes the fair trade movement's attempts to address the challenges and dangers of mainstreaming, and presents a way of thinking about the co‐creation of value between producers, retailers and consumers.

This paper will be of interest to marketing professionals and “values‐driven organisations”, providing a case study of how a seemingly highly successful brand marketing strategy may actually undermine the original ethical interest of a venture.