Chapter 13: ethical issues in marketing communications
Ethics and marketing communications
Ethics is the study and application of morality: those practices and activities that are importantly
right or wrong.”
- Morals: beliefs or principles that individuals hold concerning what is right and wrong
- Ethics: principles that serve as operational guidelines for individuals and organizations
o In the social consciousness (attitudes and feelings) of organizations or populations
Society needs to follow these
Classical distinction between:
- Deontological approach focuses on
duties: some actions are intrinsically
right or wrong (regardless of the results) f.e. lying
is always bad
- Teleological approach focuses on consequences:
good or bad depends on what happens as a
result of the action (depending on the
consequence, something is good or bad).
Based on clash between business practice and social concerns:
- Environmental and social concerns
- Societal notions about honesty, honor, virtue and integrity
- Creating a materialistic culture of conspicuous consumption
- Playing on emotions
- Simplifying real human situations into stereotypes
- Exploiting anxieties
- Hidden persuasion
- Maximizing appeal and minimizing information
- Trivializing
- Reducing people to the role of irrational consumer
- Invading people’s privacy
“Marketing communications shape society” determines what we do
- Marketing creates culture of consumption, materialism and overspending
- Marketing drives up the cost of products and makes us buy inferior or harming products (e.g.,
alcohol)
- Marketing sets unrealistic expectations, is in bad taste and visual pollution (e.g., nudity in
ads)
- Marketing imposes American culture on other cultures
“Marketing communications mirror society” it follows what society is/does = reflection
, - Marketing’s persuasiveness is largely overestimated, consumers still have power over
themselves
- Overspending is common in many societies and not just because of marketing (e.g., banks,
credit)
- Materialism is not necessarily wrong and companies sell to interested and loyal consumers
- Marketing integrates the emerging social consciousness about the environment
Reality = mix of both
Ethical decision-making models and rules
Any marketing communications decisions should in any case be:
Legal: allowed under current regulations and laws of the country in which company operates
Decent: not contain anything that is likely to cause widespread offence, fear or distress (e.g.,
shocking claims or images to create attention)
Honest and truthful: not exploit inexperience or lack of knowledge of consumers
(e.g., inaccurate claims, ambiguous or misleading statements or omissions)
Rules of thumb when facing an ethical dilemma
Unethical marketing communications practices Gender stereotyping:
- Stereotyping
- Controversial messages
- Covert marketing
- Stealth advertising = hidden
- Buzz marketing
- Brand placement = legal, but unethical mostly
- Targeting vulnerable groups
Ethics and marketing communications
Ethics is the study and application of morality: those practices and activities that are importantly
right or wrong.”
- Morals: beliefs or principles that individuals hold concerning what is right and wrong
- Ethics: principles that serve as operational guidelines for individuals and organizations
o In the social consciousness (attitudes and feelings) of organizations or populations
Society needs to follow these
Classical distinction between:
- Deontological approach focuses on
duties: some actions are intrinsically
right or wrong (regardless of the results) f.e. lying
is always bad
- Teleological approach focuses on consequences:
good or bad depends on what happens as a
result of the action (depending on the
consequence, something is good or bad).
Based on clash between business practice and social concerns:
- Environmental and social concerns
- Societal notions about honesty, honor, virtue and integrity
- Creating a materialistic culture of conspicuous consumption
- Playing on emotions
- Simplifying real human situations into stereotypes
- Exploiting anxieties
- Hidden persuasion
- Maximizing appeal and minimizing information
- Trivializing
- Reducing people to the role of irrational consumer
- Invading people’s privacy
“Marketing communications shape society” determines what we do
- Marketing creates culture of consumption, materialism and overspending
- Marketing drives up the cost of products and makes us buy inferior or harming products (e.g.,
alcohol)
- Marketing sets unrealistic expectations, is in bad taste and visual pollution (e.g., nudity in
ads)
- Marketing imposes American culture on other cultures
“Marketing communications mirror society” it follows what society is/does = reflection
, - Marketing’s persuasiveness is largely overestimated, consumers still have power over
themselves
- Overspending is common in many societies and not just because of marketing (e.g., banks,
credit)
- Materialism is not necessarily wrong and companies sell to interested and loyal consumers
- Marketing integrates the emerging social consciousness about the environment
Reality = mix of both
Ethical decision-making models and rules
Any marketing communications decisions should in any case be:
Legal: allowed under current regulations and laws of the country in which company operates
Decent: not contain anything that is likely to cause widespread offence, fear or distress (e.g.,
shocking claims or images to create attention)
Honest and truthful: not exploit inexperience or lack of knowledge of consumers
(e.g., inaccurate claims, ambiguous or misleading statements or omissions)
Rules of thumb when facing an ethical dilemma
Unethical marketing communications practices Gender stereotyping:
- Stereotyping
- Controversial messages
- Covert marketing
- Stealth advertising = hidden
- Buzz marketing
- Brand placement = legal, but unethical mostly
- Targeting vulnerable groups
