Eggcerpts from Natalie: Ethical Issues in Marketing

Written on March 13, 2008 by Susan Payton

Natalie
As marketers, why should we worry about ethical issues? Our job is to promote our product and to make sure that consumers buy it, right? This is true, but there are limits. There’s a fine line between respecting consumer rights and selling what you are paid to sell.

As marketers, we attempt to promote a product successfully; however there are several questions that one must ask when thinking about marketing and the ethics that are involved with it.

Does marketing influence people to consume goods they don’t need or don’t want? A good example of this would be a cigarette company like Philip Morris promoting its products to consumers. How do you balance considering it as a product versus the harm it causes users?

Does marketing create a desire to be something we cannot? Many women’s magazines advertise products with good looking, thin models. It’s no wonder we have eating disorders.

Do marketers invade consumers’ privacy? Spam e-mails are a great example of this. We all receive hundreds of e-mails advertising products we’re not interested each day. There’s no escape.

This video demonstrates how advertisers take advantage and manipulate women’s body image

Susan
I’ve often asked myself what I wouldn’t promote as a marketer. My policy is I won’t promote anything I can’t stand behind. Cigarettes come to mind. (But I’d love to be the brains behind an anti-smoking campaign like The Truth.) I can’t get behind multi-level marketing either, which I found out through experience. It just makes me sad to see people expect to make millions of dollars off of selling juice/jewelry/cooking products.

Most of my readers are business owners , so obviously you can stand behind your own products. But here are a few things to keep in mind so that you don’t toe that line between promotion and invading your customers’ rights:

1. Will your marketing make your audience feel inadequate? Sure, the entire basis of marketing is to create a need (hey, Eskimo! You need ice!) and then fill it, but if you’re also damaging self-worth, is it worth it? Can you go about it in a different way?

2. Are you targeting your campaign? If you’re really and truly targeting, you probably won’t be invading anyone’s privacy (there’s always that one guy, though). Buying mailing lists, which I am vehemently against, can be an invasion, but creating a mailing list based on your contacts and customers is targeted, and will result in better return.

3. Is your product responsible for social good or social turmoil? Okay, I’m not asking you to turn into Superman or Wonder Woman, but if your product can give more than it takes from consumers, then you’re more likely an ethical angel. If you can’t sleep at night, you might want to consider a new line of business.

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