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COURSE: CODE: STUDENT NO: SUBMISSION: DATE:

STRATEGIC MARKETING THEORY BUSA7078 9506134M INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT 2012 MARCH 27

TITLE Vulnerable Consumers in Developing Countries: Toward a responsible and sustainable marketing approach

Keywords Subjective World Paradigm, Vulnerable Consumers, Responsible Marketing, Developing countries, South Africa, Sports Sponsorships

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CONTENTS PAGE

1. ABSTRACT 2. INTRODUCTION 3. DEFINING THE SUBJECTIVE WORLD PARADIGM 3.1 DEFINITION OF VULNERABLE CONSUMERS 3.2 BOTTOM OF THE PYRAMID AND VULNERABLE CONSUMER 4. MARKETING AND VULNERABLE CONSUMERS 4.1 SPORTS EVENTS’ SPONSORSHIPS BY ALCOHOL, FAST-FOOD AND TOBACCO COMPANIES 5. CONSUMER PROTECTION LEGISLATION IN SOUTH AFRICA 6. IMPLICATIONS FOR MARKETERS 7. CONCLUSION

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1. ABSTRACT Brenkert (1998) defines a vulnerable consumer as a consumer who is likely to be harmed because what they want, unfairly harms them. Within developing markets, such a consumer has often denoted one who is also of poor means economically, aptly referred to as the Bottom of the Pyramid consumer (Prahalad, 2004). The continued interest by marketers, within developing markets, to pursue their profitcentric strategies has largely in the interest of their businesses (Surujlal (etal 2009). The taking advantage of a vulnerable consumer who is unable to distinguish right from wrong in consumption has enabled these marketers to truly achieve their sales whilst leaving this consumer “harmed”. It is in fact, in the presence of Consumer Protection Laws, that the said vulnerable consumer has been able to now be allowed to operate within a fair marketplace (Wright, 2008). In particular, South Africa - an example of a country with a demographic profile of an audience large in vulnerable consumers, has to date introduced a number of Consumer Protection legislations to create a less-vulnerable marketplace for these consumers inclusive of the Consumer Protection Act of...