The Implementation of Marketing Concepts in Covid-19 Phenomenon

Various efforts have been made by the government and non-profit organizations to cope with the impact of the corona-19 virus (co-19). The existence of co-19 has affected people's lives, especially in the economic sector. There have been pros and cons to government policies that try to balance the interests of society from the economic aspects and health aspects. It is very difficult to judge which of the two is more important, because both are very important and complementary.

This co-19 pandemic phenomenon can be explained by various disciplines, both health and social sciences. One of the social science disciplines is marketing, specifically social marketing. Social marketing defined by Social Marketing Institute (SMI) as the use of commercial marketing concepts and tools in program designed to influence individual’s behavior to improve their well-being and that of society (Kotler & Armstrong, 2014-253). The emergence of social marketing is triggered by the increasing number of social problems that require a separate approach involving many parties.

If in commercial marketing it can be clearly seen that what is marketed is goods or services that can be consumed by consumers to meet their needs and or desires, then in social marketing, what is marketed is ideas or programs aimed at the target community so that they want to behave well with the aim of increasing quality of life (such as healthy behavior), preserving nature (such as saving electricity and water), avoiding bad behavior or illicit behavior (such as drug consumption, premarital sex, bullying). In commercial marketing, marketers are those who offer various means of satisfying their needs and or desires, while the market which is a group of consumers is a party that is willing to exchange money to get satisfaction from the offer. Marketers will enjoy benefits through customer satisfaction and loyalty, while consumers get satisfaction after consuming the goods or services. Meanwhile, in social marketing, marketers are governments or organizations or individuals who convey certain ideas or programs, while consumers are the general public or special communities who are certain targets to be influenced by their behavior. Marketers do not aim to gain profit but rather to social aspects to improve the people’s quality of life and welfare.

One of the main concepts that are well known in marketing science is the marketing mix, which is a tool used by marketers to influence consumers, consisting of 4P's (Product, Price, Place, Promotion). Product is a product / service offered, price is the amount of sacrifice that must be exchanged to obtain the goods / service, place is a marketing channel used to distribute the product / service, and promotion is a media / communication program which is used to convey the existence of the goods / services.

In the context of this co-19 pandemic, the government with the NGO’s are endeavor to convey various information, programs, and steps on all matters related to co-19. Their objective is to make the community have a better understanding of Co-19, how it is transmitted, how to prevent it, and how to handle or treat it if it is infected our bodies. The price or cost to acquire all this knowledge does not come from consumers, but is borne by the government and its partners. Meanwhile, the marketing channels used are very diverse, either directly from the government or indirectly through its agents, including non-profit organizations / foundations. In terms of communication, various communication media have been used, starting from printed, electronic, and digital media. In order for communication to succeed effectively, the messages are conveyed by a variety of sources, from experts, celebrities, community leaders, even comedians, so that messages can be easily understood by the people. In other words, many parties are expected to be involved in educating the public.

Although the noble aim is to improve the quality of life or welfare of society, the implementation of social marketing does not always run smoothly without challenges. The success of social marketing is largely determined by the collaboration between the marketer and the community. In the phenomenon of the co-19 pandemic the challenge is to discipline the majority of people who are still ignore health protocols, the emergence of fear or excessive panic against the virus. Therefore, the role of the community itself is needed to reduce or suppress these challenges. The invitation to behave in a healthy life, remind each other to follow the health protocol, empathize and help the parties affected by this pandemic, as well as the testimony from members of the public who recovered after being hit co-19 is an effort to help the government in suppressing or reducing the impact of co-19. We all hope that this pandemic is immediately passed so we can going back to normal.

References

Anreason, A.R. 2006. Social Marketing in The 21 century. London: Sage Publications.

Kotler, P. and Armstrong, G. 2014. Principle of Marketing. Global edition. Boston: Pearson.

Schiffman, L.G. and Wisenblit, J.L. 2015. Consumer Bahavior. Boston: Pearson.