Marketing Ethics: Why it can and cannot be ethical
Monday, April 21, 2008

Discliamer -
This article was writen soley based on facts, opinions of others and my own. There are no accusations in this article, only opinions. I've tried to make it more objective by including both sides of the story, but ultimately i am trying to convince myself that the industry i am heading into still has some morals. And that it is not because of the industry itself, but human nature that creates the unethical side of it. You may not have to agree with it but i am open for discussions and debates. But as kenrick would say it, "opinon is like backside like that, everybody has one." And yes, you are unlikely to break my bubble.

Also, to put things more into perspective, this article only covers the people living in the more privilledged worlds of developing and developed countries. Furthermore, everything is covered briefly as well and i think thats because i lost my stamina for writing and theres too much to cover. So yup, this is the result. hah

Lastly, this is still a long article. But i would appreciate it if you take 15mins of your time to go through it and give me your opinions =)

In modern times, where globalisation has seemed to brought the world closer, it has become inevitable that interactions among people has resulted in more morality and ethical issues.
With the prolifertation and increased reliance on the media(developing to developed nations), internet and even satellite communications, plenty more come into contact(either directly or not) with marketing efforts daily.

Throughout the article, i will bring you through briefly, some of the "correct" and "not so correct" sides of marketing, from product placements, advertising, direct selling, to packaging and even the art of branding.

Over the years, marketing(usually targeted at advertising) has come under increased scrutiny from various anti-marketing groups. It has been labelled as propaganda and even called "evil" by some. Marketing has been linked with manipulating social values and truth, manipulating the vulnerable audience(kids and elderly), invading personal space, damaging personal autonomy, discrediting competitors, and even privacy issues related to market research. As there is simply too much to discuss, i shall focus on the first 3 issues.

One of the biggest ills of marketing is that marketers often resort to manipulating social values and truths to promote their product. Just check out this 1940s smoking advertisment.Apparently, it's even got the audacity to imply that smoking is actually good for health! Thankfully, these days marketing efforts are controlled by laws and regulations. However, many subtle messages still attempts to manipulate the untrained mind. Product placements in the film industry is the hot thing now. Imagine just how a teen would view smoking if his/her favourite hollywood star consistently sports a cigarette with them? (Note that i'm using cigarettes cause its the most obvious negative product)

Another seemingly less harmful product would probably come from the fast food chains. They have been actively trying to change their image more so than ever since books and films like Supersized Me and Fast Food Nation got released and issues with health and human rights got them under the spotlight. From magazines(i actually have this mag frm a famous fastfood restaurant while in NZ), health articles, vegetables and fruits on the walls of their outlets to the papers that come with your tray, and even PR efforts like helping the less fortunate, they are doing it all.

Manipulation of social values and truth? Or simply showing the nicer side of the coin? You decide. You'll know how i think later.

The long arms of advertising has also led to increased exposure to the vulnerable audiences of children, the elderly, and even those from developing countries. According to child mental growth experts, children are not capable of resisting or understanding marketing tactics at younger ages until they are eight or nine years old. Yet in the past decade, millions have been spent on marketing targeted at children. Perhaps its the $35billion (2001) market share that makes them too attractive[ref (2)]. Resulting in the emergence of more materialistic children, less concerned about other qualities of life. And again, thankfully, more and more nations are having laws to protect our children.

One of the largest issues that marketing has created is due to the invasion of personal space. Marketing efforts are simply everywhere and the ad clutter has transformed the way we live as well. From ambient/outdoor advertising, naming rights, product placements, virtual advertising(virtual ads, electronic spams etc), traditional media advertising, smses, telemarketors, and even subtle independent product articles are just some of the main forms of medium that marketors are using to target consumers. This has led to many blaming marketors for influencing people to buy use more than they need, encouraging commercialism which also leads to waste.

Take a look at some of the advertisments below. Some are quite good, but it shows you the fact that they are everywhere. [ref (4)]




Public Interest groups have actually even suggested charging advertisers for their invasion on mental space, but we'll go into that much later.

Where's the light in the tunnel than?
Well, i do believe that there is still hope, and marketing isn't entirely "evil".

Contrary to popular impressions, not all marketing is adversarial, and not all marketing is stacked in favour of the marketer. In marketing, the relationship between producer/consumer or buyer/seller can be adversarial or cooperative.

Cooperative marketing emphasizes customer retention and continual satisfaction rather than individual transactions and per-case customer resolution. [ref (5)]

If the marketing situation is adversarial, another dimension of difference emerges, describing the power balance between producer/consumer or buyer/seller. Power may be concentrated with the producer, but factors such as over-supply or legislation can shift the power towards the consumer. Identifying where the power in the relationship lies and whether the power balance is relevant at all are important to understanding the background to an ethical dilemma in marketing ethics. [ref (6)]

Just take the campaigns over animal rights and violence as shown below. Organizations like the World Wildlife Federation and Sorotimist International has actually made use of marketing techniques to sell their ideas to the public and to pressurise those commiting crimes against their cause. In fact, they were successful to the point that they caused legislation changes to help curb the problem. It's true that activities like illegal logging, violence and discrimination still exists, there is no doubt that marketing has indeed helped in reducing them. And not to forget those that remind us not speed when we drive, or those images and taglines on the cigarette boxes that remind us that smoking kills everytime the urge arises. The cigarette boxes taglines may have been imposed by law, but isn't it in a way marketing as well?
So, if it helps mankind in general, is it still totally "evil"? [ref (7)]

Below are some examples of the advertisments created for this purpose. [ref (8)]

A man invents the flintlock. A man invents the revolver. A man invents the repeating rifle. A man invents the rapidfiring machine gun. A man invents the automatic rifle. A man invents the tommy gun. A woman invents Kevlar bulletproof vests.


Another belief that i have, though it's deeply personal, is based on marketing for branding. Brands tend to evoke feelings amonst people. Whether it's the coolness of an Ipod, the safety in Michealin Tires, the familarity and warmth of your local chinese restaurant, or even the beachy(no pun intended) feel of Havannas, these are positive feelings. No one would try to evoke terrible feelings on purpose for their own brand. My take is that if marketing for branding creates these brands, and these things do make you happy, what's wrong with that. Of course there must be a limit somewhere, too much of anything can be bad, but we'll go into that again later.

I also believe that marketing campaigns actually celebrate the ingenuity of the human mind. The creativity and designing process that goes into marketing is simply, amazing. It combines both art and logic under one roof. There is expression, and yet there is action. It is right, yet left(brained). Now Isn't that beautiful?
Some good advertisments can be found here and here.

And on marketing infringing personal autonomy and public groups wishing to charge marketors for their mental space. I feel that doesnt make sense. Afterall, our decisions and perceptions are also influenced by our parents, peers and the society as well. If we charge the marketors, shouldnt we charge the rest as well to be fair?

But the main point is, i believe that there is a good and bad side to everything and a balance is needed. Water is essential, yet too much can cause pH inbalances of your blood. Religions emphasizes on faiths and good values, yet there are those extremists who use the name of their religions for ills, resulting in wars and harm to others. The same goes for marketing. It can do as much good as harm.

Marketing is just one of the many mediums in which human nature and greed expresses itself. Yet it's also one of the mediums that shows the compassion and love from us as well. Though it does seem at times that the negatives outweigh the positives. Guess that speaks much about human behavior.

So, what needs to be done?

Fortunately for us, people have been standing up against unethical marketing already. To protect our children against marketing at a young age, governments like those of Sweden and Norway has prohibited television advertising targeting children under the age of 12.[ref(2)] Increasing awareness to unethical advertising has also led to the rise of social networks and organizations against it. (See Laurel Papworth's blog) There are also known marketing and advertising organizations around the world, keeping unethical marketors in check.

With more people participating actively in protecting themselves, it does seem that unethical marketing could be eliminated. But we all know that isn't possible. At least unlikely. As long as there is money invovled, there will be greed. As long as there's greed, many would resort to underhand methods.

Basically, like many other things in life, it's a never ending battle between right and wrong. No one really has the right to decide but what we can do is, stand up for what we think is wrong and fight for the right.[edited]
There is still hope don't you think?

Note: I know my referencing method is wrong but at least i tried!!!!

References
(1) smoking is good? - http://www.chickenhead.com/truth/julep2_40.html
(2) http://www.mediachannel.org/originals/kidsell.shtml
(3) http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/parents/marketing/advertising_everywhere.cfm
(4) http://www.hemmy.net/2006/10/15/creative-advertisements-around-the-world/
(5) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relationship_marketing
(6) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing_ethics
(7) http://www.soroptimist.org.my/
(8) http://www.print.duncans.tv/2007/11/

"what i can say is, there is still hope, and i stand by my decision as i have a plan. A good one in fact"

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