Ethical and Unethical issues in Marketing

Meaning of Ethics

Ethics is a system of moral principles. They affect how people make decisions and lead their lives.Ethics is concerned with what is good for individuals and society and is also described as moral philosophy.The term is derived from the Greek word ethos which can mean custom, habit, character or disposition.

Meaning of Marketing

Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.

Ethical and Unethical issues in Marketing

1. Making unverified claims

In a desperate bid to compel potential and existing customers to buy their products or services, some marketers use false statements, exaggerated benefits, or make unverifiable claims about their offers.

2. Bad-Mouthing of rival products

Emphasizing the dark sides of your rival’s products in a bid to turn potential customers towards your own products is another common but unethical marketing practice. Rather than resort to this bad strategy, you should emphasize on those aspects that make your offer stand out from the rest of the pack. That’s professional and ethical.

3. Concealing dark sides of Product

This unethical marketing practice is rife in the natural remedies industry, where most manufacturers deceive potential buyers that their products have no side effects because they are “made from natural products”. But in reality, most of these products have been found to have side effects, especially when used over a long period. In fact, there’s no product without side effects—it’s just that the side effects might be unknown. It’s better to say, “There are no known side effects” than to say “there are no side effects“.

4. Spamming

Spamming is when you send unsolicited emails to potential customers, encouraging them to buy your products or services. This is the commonest unethical marketing practice done online. The number of time you send such emails doesn’t matter. Whether you send them once, or on occasions, or frequently, you remain a spammer.

5. Plagiarism of marketing messages

Though uncommon, some business owners and salespersons engage in using the exact marketing messages of their competitors to market their own products or services. Creativity is a huge part of marketing, and using other businesses’ marketing messages just passes you off as being creatively bankrupt and fraudulent.

6. Using women for advertising

The rate at which even reputable brands are resorting to this unethical marketing practice is quite alarming. If you observe TV, billboard, and magazine adverts, there’s something common to most of them; a half-naked lady is used to attract attention to the product or service being advertised.