Marketing and sustainability are frequently positioned as contradictory agendas, yet marketing education can play a constructive role in advancing social sustainability. In MN52117 Marketing Communication: Strategy and Practice, unit convenor Diletta Acuti and unit teacher Tamsin McLaren embedded this perspective through a client-based project for the 80% groupwork assessment, delivered in collaboration with Community Interest Organisation 1st Impressions. 1st Impressions supports women entering the workforce by providing mentoring, workwear and styling advice to help them create their best first impression. Its core aim is to generate interest among consumers, partners and volunteers. The organisation’s co-founder, Jane Ellis-Brush, is based in the School of Management, Information, Decisions & Operations division.
The student project responds to the need for non-profit organisations to deliver marketing communication messages that effectively increase consumer donations, foster partnerships, and attract volunteers who act in alignment with non-profit values. While the number of non-profit organisations in the UK is growing (Statista, 2025a), individual donations are decreasing (Statista, 2025b). It is therefore important that future marketing communicators understand how to overcome the challenges faced by non-profits, particularly budget limitations, high competition, and economic uncertainty. Additionally, non-profit communication requires particular care in message delivery due to the sensitive issues often addressed and the vulnerability of the stakeholders involved. Specifically, 1st Impressions relies on donations of second-hand clothing, which require a significant investment of time and convenience from individuals, further highlighting the need for effective marketing communication.
Marketing students may initially prefer working on live projects with large, international companies, and collaborating with a non-profit organisation presents additional challenges due to budget constraints and the complexity of communication considerations. At the same time, it offers students a valuable alternative perspective on marketing communication – one that demonstrates how marketing communication can be used not only for profit, but also to change consumer behaviour and generate positive social impact.
Encouraging critical reassessment of marketing’s role in society
Through this project, the primary aim is to challenge students’ prevailing perceptions of marketing communication as a discipline primarily associated with overconsumption and profit maximisation. Students are encouraged to critically reassess this stigma (Gurrieri et al., 2022) and to understand marketing communication as a neutral tool whose impact depends on the values, objectives, and contexts in which it is applied.
In relation to sustainability, students are expected to recognise that marketing communication can play a constructive role in addressing social and environmental challenges by shaping attitudes, influencing behaviour, and mobilising support for socially responsible organisations. By working with a non-profit organisation, students are exposed to the potential of marketing communication to promote resource re-use, encourage donations, and support vulnerable communities, rather than stimulate unnecessary consumption.
The project aims to help students value ethical and responsible communication practices, particularly when dealing with sensitive social issues and vulnerable stakeholders. Students are encouraged to consider the broader societal implications of their communication choices, including message framing, tone, and channel selection, within strict budgetary and ethical constraints.
Ultimately, students are expected to develop the ability to apply marketing communication strategically for social good, understanding that sustainability is not only an operational concern but also a communication challenge. The experience has been designed to equip students with the skills and mindset needed to use marketing communication responsibly, demonstrating that it can be leveraged not only to drive economic outcomes, but also to create positive and sustainable social impact. These transferable skills can be used across multiple industries and types of companies.
Published on: 26/03/2026 · Last updated on: 26/03/2026
Replacing commercial case studies with a client-based assessment focused on social sustainability
To embed sustainability meaningfully within the unit, a key change was the introduction of a live project with a non-profit organisation as the core component of the 80% groupwork assessment. This represented a deliberate shift away from more traditional, commercially driven case studies towards an applied learning experience focused on social impact rather than profit maximisation.
As part of this approach, 1st Impressions will join the class to present the organisation, outline its marketing communication objectives, and respond directly to students’ questions. This activity is particularly important, as it allows students to hear first-hand about the organisation’s needs and to engage with the project as they would with a real client. Students are therefore required to practise asking relevant and strategic questions, gaining a more practical understanding of how the marketing communication process operates in real-world contexts.
In developing the marketing communication plan and producing a marketing communication output – the core deliverables of the assessment – students are required to conduct research into the non-profit context, identify and analyse target audiences (donors, partners, and volunteers), and develop messages that were both consistent with the organisation’s values and appropriate to its stakeholders. This process will bring students closer to the realities of the non-profit sector and increase their awareness of the social challenges faced by women in need, particularly in relation to access to employment and labour market inequalities. Learning and practicing how to communicate about sensitive topics with potentially vulnerable stakeholders will be valuable also for students aiming to work in for-profit organisations in the future. Indeed, given the growing attention to social and environmental issues and the need for dialogue with multiple stakeholders (Acuti et al., 2024), understanding how to use communication tools effectively and respectfully is of crucial importance across different industries and type of organisations.
Overall, these activities were designed to foreground sustainability by encouraging socially responsible, respectful and effective communication with stakeholders and by positioning marketing communication as a tool for positive social change and sustainable prosperity rather than profit-driven overconsumption.
Gathering early evidence of shifts in student thinking about sustainability and marketing
To explore the impact of the project on student learning, the teaching team asked students in the first session to define “marketing communication”, collecting 30 responses. The same prompt will be repeated after a few weeks to assess whether students’ understanding has shifted in the intended direction. The team will also review student feedback on the unit, ask informal follow-up questions, and consider how students engage with and discuss the project on social media to inform future iterations. More broadly, this case illustrates how rethinking assessment design within a discipline can support critical reflection on sustainability and the social purpose of professional practice.
References
Acuti, D., Glozer, S., & Crane, A. (2024). What is (and is not) stakeholder dialogue in CSR? A review and research agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews, 26(4), 518-535.
Gurrieri, L., Tuncay Zayer, L., & Coleman, C. A. (2022). Transformative advertising research: Reimagining the future of advertising. Journal of Advertising, 51(5), 539-556.
Statista 2025a: England and Wales number of charities 2025| Statista
Statista 2025b: England giving to charity 2024| Statista