MSLD634.A634.5.4.RB IS MARKETING EVIL

After reading the article, An Overview and Analysis of Marketing Ethics (HRMars - PDF), (Links to an external site.)reflect on how companies can balance the need to win with being ethical. Cite some examples where you felt a company did a great job or a set a poor example for marketing with integrity. As a leader, how will you manage the ethical aspects of marketing/selling something you are working on or trying to get sponsorship for?  500 words.

            When I consider ethics in marketing, the first example that comes to mind is the tobacco industry.  We have all seen the old advertisements showing the use of tobacco as being sexy and cool when, in fact, it just kills you.  False or misleading advertising is based a set of faulty values in which a company considers their bottom line to be more important than the trust and well-being of their customers.  How then, should a company base its marketing values?  Ethics can be defined as simply as what is right and what is wrong, but this is somewhat vague and subjective.  Katrina makes a good point in her Forbesarticle when she clarifies that “it’s less of whether you think your marketing practices are ethical and more of whether consumers believe they’re ethical (Tama-Rutigliano, 2019)”.  In short, unethical marketing sends a false message to consumers and customers and can lead to both legal and financial ramifications (Tama-Rutigliano, 2019).  
            In the world of entertainment and specifically airshow displays I have seen misleading advertising by fellow performers that is used to draw in the attention of airshow producers.  There is no limit to what a person can say about their own act and credentials and so even the least experienced among us could claim to have the most entertaining act in the world.  How can a performer avoid false and misleading advertising?  One way is to use actual credentials such as rewards and past shows flown and factual information like age, race or sex.  For example, I can advertise as an award winging female member of the US Unlimited Aerobatic Team with world podium finishes and experience in flying airshows across 6 continents.  No, I have not performed in Antarctica yet!  Now, if I go out there and claim to be the best female airshow pilot in the world, this would be based on nothing and could mislead airshow producers about my act.  
While this is not a dramatic use of unethical advertising, it is one that I have seen used and that has hurt my business personally when competitors lie about their experience.  In the end, just tell the truth and have your advertising reflect an honest picture of your product or service to keep it ethical.  I will end with a quote from Dincer & Dincer (2014) on the rights of consumers for guidance:
“In 1962 President John F. Kennedy delivered a “Special Message on Protecting the Consumer Interest,” in which he outlined four basic consumer rights: the right to safety, the right to be informed, the right to choose, and the right to be heard. (Dincer & Dincer, 2014)”     
References
Dincer, B. & Dincer, B. (2014).  An Overview and Analysis of Marketing Ethics. Retrieved from https://hrmars.com/hrmars_papers/An_Overview_and_Analysis_of_Marketing_Ethics.pdf
Tama-Rutigliano, K. (2019).  How To Draw The Line On Unethical Marketing.  Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2019/06/24/how-to-draw-the-line-on-unethical-marketing/#6892e9835736

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MSLD.634.3.4 The Harder They Fall

Image
This post is for an assignment through ERAU in completion of my MBAA... Using concepts from the Kramer (2003) article as a baseline, share your insights on dilemmas that happen in: in society at work and in your life Kramer's article, The Harder They Fall , discusses the rise and fall of leaders in today's "sky is the limit" society.  In Greek mythology, Icarus' father built him wings by using wax to hold bird feathers together.  Icarus and his father flew on their wings to escape the island of Crete and Icarus flew too too close to the sun and he fell to the water and drowned when the heat from the sun melted the wax that held his wings together.  Icarus' father vowed never to fly again and built a temple to the sun God Apollo where he literally hung up his wings.     We as a society hold up those people who we see as role models and heroes and glowing examples of success.  We love the idea that, the sky is the limit and anything is poss...
Read more

A500.1.5.RB_Andrzejewski

Intellectual Perseverance Blog MSLD 500 ERAU MBAA by Melissa Andrzejewski Applying the SEE-I process to describing intellectual perseverance helps to formulate critical thinking and encourages a better understanding of a topic.   SEE-I also helps to clearly communicate your thoughts with others.      Noisich, G.M. (2012) describes the SEE-I process as the following: S:   State it.   E:   Elaborate [explain it more fully, in your own words]   “In other words, …” E:   Exemplify [gie a good example]   “For example, …” I:   Illustrate [give an illustration:   maybe a metaphor, a simile, an analogy, a diagram, a concept map, and so forth]   “It’s like, …” To begin we state the definition of intellectual perseverance as described in the assignment.     Valuable Intellectual Traits (2014) defines intellectual perseverance as the following:   Having a consciousness of the need to...
Read more

Module 5 Reflection Blog

  Reflection Blog:     ICT at the Team Level Melissa D. Burns Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Using the concepts within ICT focused on the team level, reflect on why the Olympic US Women’s Soccer team won so often and the United States’ men’s basketball Dream Team did so poorly in 2000 and 2004?             The US Olympic Men’s Basketball team called the Dream Team and the US Women’s National Soccer Team have had very different experiences with team dynamics, leadership and the resulting success.  Intentional Change Theory (ICT) at the team level is just as important as it is on the individual, organizational or National level and the same rules apply.  The five major discoveries are still the ideal self, the real self, your learning agenda, experimenting with and practicing new habits, and developing and maintaining close, personal relationships (Boyatzis & McKee, 2005).   ...
Read more