"Det stavas inte konsumentskydd, utan pengar" : En kritisk retorikanalys av hur CSR kommuniceras i Svenska Spels marknadskommunikation

Sammanfattning: In society today, it has become more common that companies are expected to strive against following a Corporate Social Responsibility. The concept of CSR involves the responsibility every company have towards the society and has it roots in economic, social and environmental standpoints. A Swedish company that has faced a lot of criticism for how they handle their CSR is Svenska Spel, a governmentally owned gambling company. The criticism is based on the government financing a company that can have negative consequences for the public health.  The Swedish gambling market is rather unique in terms of the different competing actors in it. For a long time Svenska Spel had a monopoly on the market, but in modern days they have been facing competition from foreign gambling companies. Since Svenska Spel wants to build a reputation of themselves caring about the Swedish citizens, the competition has led to Svenska Spel facing a dilemma in their marketing. The dilemma is regarding them having to sell their products to compete with foreign companies, while still maintaining an ethical approach towards the public. Therefore this study seeks to examine, through a case study on three of Svenska Spel’s TV commercials, whether they adapt their marketing communication to their CSR. The goal of this case study is to contribute to other research regarding businesses with controversial products, with the purpose of seeing how a company’s marketing communication can differ from their CSR. To examine this, a critical rhetorical analysis method was used, as well as different marketing theories to answer our research questions.  Our findings show that some companies produce material for their market communication that goes against their CSR foundations. The results of this case study point towards signs that companies value profits over social sustainability, but try to hide it behind donations and research, which may lead to their long term gains. In the case of Svenska Spel, a step away from their CSR could have serious impact on public health.