Is marketing ethics really that important? What is marketing ethics anyway? These are the questions I will be answering in this article. Every day marketing practices require some ethics behind them. Some people may not even be aware that they are adhering to these ethical standards.
Ethical Standards
You may have your definition of personal ethics, and that is ok. Individuals hold their ethics about how they interact with people every day. Business ethics, and ultimately, marketing ethics are very similar. Businesses need a marketing team to get the word out about a product or service that they provide. Marketing professionals have all the necessary tools to optimize the ways to reach their audience to get their customers. The way they portray their product or service is where marketing ethics comes into play.
If you are marketing a product and it does more harm than good to people or the world, then it will be difficult to market it ethically. In recent years marketing ethics has become a huge topic for consumers. Companies like TOMS are prime examples of companies who look to help others when selling their products. They market themselves to be a company who when you buy something from them, they help someone else in return. These kinds of companies have been thriving in the last few years. Consumer conscience behavior is more relevant to a businesses success now more than ever. If you find yourself marketing for a company that has a service or product that does more bad than good, then ethical practice include reducing harm in any way. Cut corners to reduce the harmful impact your company’s product or service has in the world.
Transparency, fairness, and honesty are three key words to ponder when considering what marketing practices may be deemed ethical. Adhering to personal ethical standards held by your consumers can be extremely difficult. Companies should strive to practice honestly with their customers and let them know the expectations of their product or service. In the face of adversity, businesses should be transparent in all their doings. Customers tend to stray away from companies who keep things secret and don’t allow people to know what business professionals are genuinely like. Maintain open communication with your audience. Open communication pairs with honesty and transparency in the way that customers know that their opinions matter and businesses consider them for further knowledge of their customers.
It is just as easy to have ethical marketing practice as it is to have unethical marketing practices. Exaggeration can be considered and unethical marketing practice. Making false claims about products or services or overextending upon the quality of a service is dishonest and lying to the consumer. A tagline that says “Get Coverage Anywhere On Earth” is a exaggeration of the product or service they are selling.
Stay honest and open with your customers and try to serve others in the process. Market your company as when consumers buy into what you are selling that you are helping other people as well. These strategies will help you win a cult audience and praise from customers and organizations alike.