A634.5.4.RB - Is Marketing Evil?

A634.5.4.RB - Is Marketing Evil?

Marketing, especially in today’s business world, is a very cutthroat industry. Marketing firms specialize in tempting customers and convincing them that they need something, which is rarely ever the case. Because of this, I feel that marketers do what they need to for an organization, which is selling their product or service and making it a necessity in the lives of the consumers. Some people believe that they make decisions in an organizational environment that are less ethical than their own values and beliefs. So, could it be that marketers go against what they believe in to satisfy their organizations and the consumers? It appears so.

However, marketers do not have to be untruthful about the products and services they promote. Honesty and integrity are preached in most business environments and this should include the content and manner in which marketing is used to make an organization successful. Being truthful is something that is respected by consumers, even if the product or service is not the best on the market. It is a quality that the business environment needs more of at the moment. (Masters, 2016) One of the biggest ways to combat this need to be unethical to win is to give realistic goals for marketing teams and support healthy competition. If we are giving marketing teams goals that are only attainable by taking shortcuts in some capacity, we are encouraging unethical behavior.

Retailers that track your spending habits is somewhat of a necessary and unnecessary evil, but is it ethical? Amazon and Google states if you use the Internet, buy anything online, use loyalty cards, or give your email address to any cashier, you’re probably being tracked in some way. Further, as long as sites don’t discriminate or adjust prices based on race, gender, or religion, they have carte blanche to do whatever they want in terms of raising or lowering prices for individuals.

The only way to stop tracking altogether would be to stop shopping online and only use cash for purchases. The reality then becomes knowing what retailers are looking for and how to get rid of trackers.  You can beat them at their own game by allowing trackers when they could benefit you and blocking them when they’re costing you money. 

As a leader, the most powerful step I can take is to lead by example and promote an honest work environment with strong personal and professional integrity. Like I stated earlier, the profession does not have to have a negative connotation attached to it, marketing teams can choose to be the opposite of what the general public perceives them to be. 

I would manage the ethical aspects through the company’s organizational culture. This would include a strong mission statement, a list of core values, codes of conduct, and establishing policies and procedures governing ethical pricing, advertising, research and competitive strategy decisions. My vision statement will be clear; my actions will support the culture and I will continually communicate and emulate the company’s values and culture. In the article Is Marketing Evil? Laczniak and Murphy “recommend organizational and strategic mechanisms for improving marketing ethics, including codes of marketing ethics, marketing ethics committees, and ethics education modules for marketing managers. By communicating the beliefs and behavior of top management, the ethical frame of reference could be improved especially since respondents identify their ethical beliefs as closer to top management’s than to their peers.” (Laczniak, 1982)

Works Cited

El Sayed, H. &. (2016). s Marketing Evil? Marketing Viewed as a Tool. Retrieved from Ethics-Based Marketing: http://www.ethicsbasedmarketing.net/2.html

Laczniak, G. a. (1982). Incorporating Marketing Ethics into the Organization. In G. a. Laczniak, In Marketing Ethics: Guidelines for Managers (pp. 97-105). Lexington: Lexington Books.

Masters, T. (2016). Ethical Considerations of Marketing Research. Retrieved from Smallbusiness.chron: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/ethical-considerations-marketing-research-43621.html