Rethinking Marketing

For decades, marketing has been synonymous with driving sales and increasing brand visibility. But what if it could do more?

A recent episode of Oxford Brookes Unscripted explores how businesses, nonprofits, and academics can refocus marketing strategies to create meaningful social change, rather than just boosting profits.

Dr Sarah-Louise Mitchell, a Senior Lecturer in Marketing at Oxford Brookes University, joins the conversation to discuss her research on the Social Impact Pathway (SIP) framework—a structured approach to ensuring marketing efforts contribute to net-positive social impact.

In a business world increasingly scrutinised for shallow corporate social responsibility efforts, Sarah-Louise argues that measuring impact is the key to real progress. The SIP framework helps organisations map out and evaluate their contributions to critical global issues like climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequality. Unlike traditional marketing metrics that prioritise reach and engagement, SIP emphasises measurable, long-term change.

"Marketing has incredible power—not just to sell, but to shape behavior, influence communities, and support sustainable initiatives," says Sarah-Louise. "The challenge is moving beyond rhetoric and ensuring companies actually deliver on their promises."

Drawing from both academic research and real-world case studies, Sarah-Louise highlights how organisations can embed social impact into their marketing strategies:

• Identify the core societal issue your brand wants to address and align it with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
• Engage in co-creation by collaborating with nonprofits, community groups, and policymakers to ensure solutions are effective and credible.
• Measure impact rigorously, differentiating between outputs (what was done) and outcomes (the tangible difference made).
• Adopt an iterative approach, using feedback loops to refine and improve social impact initiatives over time.

The implications of this shift in marketing strategy are profound. Consumers are increasingly demanding authentic, purpose-driven brands, and investors are factoring in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) criteria when assessing business success. Companies that embrace this new approach not only contribute to a better world but also build stronger, more loyal customer relationships.

As businesses face mounting pressure to prove they are more than just profit-driven machines, Sarah-Louise’s research offers a practical roadmap for embedding genuine social impact into corporate marketing strategies.

Could this be the future of marketing? Listen to the full episode of Oxford Brookes Unscripted to learn more about the Social Impact Pathway and how businesses can take meaningful steps towards marketing for good.