Some people might say that marketing and ethics are a contradiction in terms. After all, aren’t we marketers responsible for all the advertising that “makes” people and their kids acquire stuff they don’t need….another fast food hamburger, another credit card and the latest must–have toy?We could argue about the social aspects of marketing, but no one is forced into buying anything. If there is too much trans fat in a product – don’t buy it; if you don’t like a company’s business practices, then buy elsewhere. Eventually a company gets the message. Without moralizing, ethics in marketing to me is more about conduct. It starts with a company that creates a product or service that does what it’s supposed to, is built and packaged responsibly so no one gets hurt using it. It’s about not cutting corners to inflate the bottom line. Today, companies that engage in questionable practices are at the mercy of bloggers, whose ramblings can spread quicker than you can say “viral marketing.”
Our Top Five Ethical Considerations
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Bait and Switch. Deliver what was promised.
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Exaggeration. Don’t inflate capabilities or results. Eventually, it backfires.
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Plagiarism. If you cite someone else’s idea, writing or prior work, give them credit.
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Pretexting. Don’t ask an advertising agency, PR firm or other marcom vendor to provide specific ideas about a campaign and then implement those ideas without hiring or paying the vendor, or use their ideas to find a lower cost provider. The original vendor legally owns those ideas and could sue.
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Badmouthing the Competition. You can point out product differences but just not slam them publicly. It’s bad form and nobody wins.
Our personal favorite is number four, what’s yours?.
For more information about how you can improve your marketing efforts, contact Melissa Wall, Marketing With Distinction, LLC, melissa@distinctmarketing.com or 203–888–9995.
