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Ethical Marketing Summary Marketing is the management process through which goods and services move from concept to the customer. There are many ethical arguments involved in marketing. Ethical marketing refers to the application of marketing ethics into the marketing process. Marketing ethics addresses principles and standards that define acceptable conduct in the marketplace (Linda, 2001). It seeks to promote honesty, fairness, and responsibility in all advertising (Janice et al. , 2014). Ethical marketing is a general set of guidelines to assist companies as hey evaluate new marketing strategies (Janice et al. 2014). We focus on two main fields in marketing, respectively, advertisement and promotion methods, to further discuss certain ethical Issues involved. Advertising Advertising will connect to a lot of ethical debate. The advertisement itself, under the influence of specific ethical environment and the restriction of certain moral judgment, with moral tendency or implied, have subtle influence on the whole social ethical system. Certain advertisement on children or some ethnic minorities and on some controversial products and there with exaggerated characteristics is now being the most popular debated moral issues.
There are various types of advertising being defined as unethical, including surrogate advertising, exaggeration, puffery, unverified claims, stereotyping women, false brand comparisons and children in advertising. Take the exaggerated advertisements as an example. Exaggerated advertisement is being defined as through the abuse of subjective praise vague general words and even conclusions in violation of the law of scientific, unrealistic propaganda goods or services, tricking people overestimate the reduces’ quality, nature and effect promoted in advertising and finally so as to achieve the purpose of selling goods or services.
The advertisement may exaggerate in product information, additional benefits, fear and threat, words and numbers and in commitment. Using the word ‘the top’, ‘the best’, ‘one hundred percent’ is the significant example of exaggerate advertisement. The first case is about the product of “Corrected sinews”. The main function of this product, as one kind of health food, is for immune regulation. However, their advertising is using large space to promote the effectiveness of Corrected sinews. There are large numbers of exaggerating advertising languages to promote them.
Such as ‘Rejuvenation medicine of the kidney- deficiency”; “Eat for two days, there have a surprise”; “It is indispensable products for chronic nephritis”; “eliminate diabetes complications”, etc. Businesses seized the fear of cancer by customers in recent years, using “anti- cancer effectiveness can reach more than 90%” word to promote. There are hot controversy on those kind of adverting way. One party presenting as supporters hold the view that exaggeration is just one kind of advertising forms to accomplish the purpose of attracting the audience and deliver commercial message effectively.
Encouraging people to purchase goods and services is the main role of advertising. Exaggeration has been defined as one expression model of advertising or other sales (John & Larry, 1985). The main characteristics of advertising include ability to influence the audience, advert should be of interest to the audience and should be easy to understand and interpret by the audience as intended (Yore, 2010). Exaggeration is an effective way to attract attention (David, 2014).
On the opposite side, consumers representing as critics argues that those exaggeration will result in misleading and finally abuse related interest and have a deep impact on social taste, social values and life style. Consumers believe that mislead ins advertising may affect their choices regarding what they buy. Because they are vulnerable groups, when they think they are cognitive level of the products cannot meet the requirements, they are more believed advertising information is useful.
And “advertising is misleading if it creates increases or exploits a false belief about expected product performance. Or if the advertising create a false impression even if everything stated in the advertisement may be literally true” (Unheard, 2013). Therefore they believe that misleading advertisements can cause loss, damage or injury to them. To well resolve certain related issues, there are three main points. Firstly, consumers themselves need to have a sober judgment on certain information delivered and certain products or services before purchasing.