Closing Commentary: Towards Humanistic Marketing?

Abstract

A reading of the diverse chapters of this book produces a’ stock-taking’ bricolage or mosaic of thinking that challenges assumptions that have guided marketing for a hundred years. And this is certainly not a linear logical flow from the clear-cut question What is humanistic marketing?’ to a simple singular resolution in a universal definition. Marketing as if humans matter is founded on, and operates with, civic values beyond efficiency — humane values such as: justice, fairness, dignity, well-being, freedom and equality. Taking the necessarily highly selective body of work presented here as a whole, we envision a humanistic approach that centres on preserving human dignity and moving away from the treatment of people as mere consumers and sources of revenue to recog. nizing and identifying with the richness of people as flourishing citi. zens. The core purpose of Humanistic Marketing is increasing authentic well-being (rather than materialistic partial wealth) sustainably for stakeholders, now and in future generations. Such a human-centred economy preserves dignity and increases citizen well-being well beyond the limits of consumption value.