Marketing can be fun and cheeky. We all can recall
some of our favorite commercials, like the Wendy’s commercial with the older
lady enthusiastically asking ‘where’s the beef’. I excitedly look forward to the Doritos and
Bud Light commercials every Super Bowl. With the popularity Hamilton has
received, I occasionally recall the Milk commercial where the gentleman is
trying to win a call-in trivia question by letting the radio DJ know that Aaron
Burr shot Alexander Hamilton, but is not understandable due to the peanut
butter cracker he has placed in his mouth. Yes, marketing can be funny and
memorable. But, marketing can also have a dark, evil, unethical, and
particularly annoying side to side to it.
Even with ethical guidelines in place, some
marketing could still border on unethical. According to Ferrell (n.d.), about
ten percent of employees at every company will act unethically if the
opportunity presents itself. Ferrell (n.d.) also stated that approximately 42%
of all companies have a weak ethical structure. This shows that there could be
unethical behavior in marketing. But, how could marketing turn unethical? According
to My Top Business (n.d.), some unethical marketing techniques include (a)
distorting facts to mislead buyers, (b) using fear tactics, and (c) making
false claims.
I rarely watch live TV nowadays with the invention
of DVR, but when I do, I notice that nearly every new yogurt or breakfast drink
has no added sugar. I do not believe that every new yogurt product is sugar-free.
This is a marketing ploy to get individuals to buy their product which could be
considered unethical. Another ploy is using fear tactics. There is no way that
the my pillow sales associate could
know that I saw their commercial while watching reruns of The Fresh Prince of
Bel-Air at 2:00 am, but the commercial tells me that I must call within the
next ten minutes to get the very special limited time offer. I believe this is
an unethical ploy to boost revenue as it really does not matter when the order
is made. The final ploy of making false claims can be seen in many car
commercials. The Acura commercial says that I can lease the brand new car for
only $299 a month. But, they will show that you must have $6000 down to receive
that price in either a warning at the bottom of the screen so small a scientist
could not even see it with the most highly powered microscope or by having a
narrator say the terms so fast he sounds like an auctioneer at the local
auction. Either way, it is false advertising utilized to boost interest in
their product.
So, how can companies balance the need to win with
staying ethical? This is a very tough question in which many people go to work
each day and have to try to determine the answer. From my personal perspective,
it comes down to determining the balance between profit and ethics. It is no secret that in corporate America
success is defined by production and bottom line. Unfortunately, in this day in age, most
companies have to break their code of ethics at some point to keep up with the
competition. Ferrell (n.d.) discussed
the Worldcom accountant who eventually went against everything she thought was
moral and ethical as a last ditch effort to save the company. Sometimes tough
decisions must be made that have serious consequences. I believe the balance
starts with creating a good product, strict rules, and guideline, and sticking
to them, which has proven to be harder than it sounds. Take Starbucks for
example. In 2008 CEO Howard Schultz believed that Starbucks was beginning to lose
its neighborhood feel. So, against profitability, he permanently shut down 900
stores and closed the other 11,000 stores down for a day to retrain all of its
employees (Hedges, 2012). Unfortunately,
I do not believe the majority of companies can remain successful in today’s
world without bending the rules occasionally. Until all companies remain
ethical 100% of the time other companies will have to commit unethical acts to
keep up with the competition.
Though it is legal to track the buying habits and web
visit to target potential customers, I do not believe it is ethical. I
understand that we cannot expect to have complete privacy while surfing the
internet, but being reminded of something we looked at two weeks ago on each
page we click is a bit overboard. Yes, I did sign up for the Red Lobster
newsletter to receive coupons and discounts. No, that does not mean I need to
see a Red Lobster add each and every time I get on Facebook or go to check a
score on ESPN. I recently went out of town and used Airbnb for my lodging
purposes. Since I returned from my trip,
I get an Airbnb add each time I go to any new page. I understand that I can get
a room in Wichita, KS for $59/night but (1) I did not go to Wichita and (2) I
do not have any plans in the near future to visit Wichita. If I do, I will get
on your website and let you know I am searching for a room in that particular
city. For me personally, reminding me of a product I recently used ad nauseam
is just annoying. If l enjoyed your product I will remember and use it again
next time I need it. If I did not enjoy your product then I am constantly
reminded of a product that I did not enjoy.
On the other side of the coin, seeing an add
repeatedly may make some consumers think a product is better suited for them.
Oh, this restaurant is everywhere on the internet. It must be very popular and
a great quality to be that visible! Ads like these do not give patrons a free
choice in selecting their product, which is another reason I believe this
tactic is unethical.
As a leader, it would be very difficult to manage
the ethical aspects of my marketing efforts. I have never been a person to be
sleazy, deceiving, or take advantage or others. So, I hope that would continue
in my marketing habits for my company. I hope I would take the route that
ethical leaders such as Howard Schultz from Starbucks or Dan Amos from Aflac
have taken in the leadership of their respected companies. I would trust the product
and the company’s hard work would be enough to remain competitive in the
market. I would have a mission to produce great services, products, and
practices and not allow unethical marketing to become a shortcut to success.
But, there is something deep inside of me that questions if that could be
possible. Would I have to give up my ethical beliefs to remain successful? As
LaFollette (2007) stated, we all make ethical choices. I just hope I could
stick to mine.
References
Ferrell, L. (n.d.). Marketing ethics. Retrieved from
http://college.cengage.com/business/modules/marktngethics.pdf
Hedges, K. (2012, November 12). Why I'm stalking
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2012/04/10/why-im-stalking-starbucks-ceo-howard-schultz/3/#33ad27ba454f
LaFollette, H. (2007). The Practice of Ethics. Malden, MA; Blackwell.
My Top Business. (n.d.). 10 Examples of Unethical Marketing Practices.
Retrieved from http://www.mytopbusinessideas.com/examples-unethical-marketing-practices/
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