macromarketing

Macromarketing (also spelled macro-marketing) is the influence that marketing policies and strategies have on an economy and society as a whole. Specialists in macromarketing research the mutual effects that society and marketing systems have on each other.

Macromarketing focuses on how society distributes goods and services and the global impact of marketing strategies. Going beyond supply and demand theories and logistics, this area of study examines the social impact of issues such as the role advertising plays in forming societal values, the effect of subliminal advertising on children, the affect packaging has on the environment and how to deal with wasted resources in terms of both society’s needs and product lifecycle sustainability. Research is high-level, focusing on consumer behavior patterns and the efficiency, or lack of efficiency, of popular marketing techniques. 

Strategic macromarketing efforts are designed to improve mass consumption, rather than individual consumption. Action plans often include:

• Creating a demand for goods and services.
• Creating environmentally-friendly packaging. 
• Creating advertising campaigns that emphasize how a product or service meets the wants and needs of society overall.

Macromarketing can be contrasted with micromarketing, the influence that marketing policies and strategies have on individual customers. Micromarketing strategies target specific customers or small groups of customers in order to gain market share and increase profits. A company might conduct micromarketing research by having existing customers fill out questionnaires, attending community meetings and meetings of local organizations, gathering information from neighborhood newspapers and observing the actions of customers who patronize the competition.

William D. Perreault and E. Jerome McCarthy are credited with introducing the terms “micromarketing” and “macromarketing” in their 1977 book, Basic Marketing.