CSR AS A MARKETING TOOL

This research study examines corporate social responsibility as a marketing strategy for organisational performance. CSR in India is more of an obstacle for organisations. New laws related to CSR policies are forcing companies to spend their hard earned money on CSR work. This is a burden for companies. This paper shows how organisations can use the burden of CSR to their advantage. How to use it as a marketing tool. Companies may not like to admit it, but CSR is actually part of a company's marketing strategy to build a positive brand image with consumers. Studies have shown that consumers are more likely to buy from companies that have a good reputation. CSR offers companies the opportunity to identify and address the ills in which they are involved or to which they contribute in society or the planet at large. This starts with identifying the right social cause to target. However, most companies are still not able to comply with CSR best practices in their marketing activities. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to present the requirements of CSR as well as its shortcomings in relation to companies' marketing activities. The aim of the study is rather to examine the influence of corporate social responsibility on an organisation's marketing strategy. No company today is using CSR activities because it is often controversial to use the activities meant for benefitting the society for free being used for marketing purposes but it creates a high level of goodwill and can be used as a marketing tool.