So you are new to marketing? Marketing is an exciting, fast paced industry with many moving parts. There are many important things to pay attention to, but some are top of the list. Two of those things are a code of conduct and ethics. We have all seen unethical marketing, but there are also times where company’s walk the line and create controversial campaigns. In some cases the company needs to determine if the image was what they wanted to portray or not. For example, most remember Nike’s ads with Colin Kaepernick. These ads were based around the concept of “Dream Crazy” a message that went well with Nike’s well know “Just do it” tag line. The ad itself was great and powerful. The issue was Nike’s use of Colin Kaepernick narrating the commercial. Due to his views on certain political and national issues, Nike took a lot of heat for using the athlete. But, since the ad created so much buzz, Nike actually saw their sales soar. This is a perfect example of just how thin of a line there is between being unethical and ethical (Papenfuss, 2019).
In looking at marketing, it is best to stick by some ethical values.
- Honest
- Responsibility
- Fairness
- Respect
- Transparency
- Citizenship
We can dive more into each of these and examine how to use them in an integrated marketing campaign.
Honesty
It is very important to be honest in the marketing that the company is doing. This includes the consumers as well as internal stakeholders and investors. With technology and they availability of information, not being honest could cripple the company. Being honest can be as simple as not making false claims about the product or company.
Responsibility
This is one that has many different angles. This refers to being responsible to the needs of customers. It also includes making sure to not betray stakeholders. It requires the company to make sure they are mindful of all market segments and do not target vulnerable segments. Lastly, company’s need to look at their environmental responsibility. Consumers are much more conscious of the environmental impact of companies and want to make sure they are supporting companies who are trying to be environmentally responsible.
Fairness
This means making sure to represent products in a clear way. Things that go against this would be deceitful ads or misleading promotions. It also has to do with price of the product and avoiding price fixing. Price fixing is where companies agree to sell products at a “fixed” price, which then impacts supply and demand. This allows companies to make increased profit as consumers have no choice but to pay the higher price.
Respect
As in any industry, this means to respect all customers and stakeholders regardless of demographic group (age, sex, race, background, etc). It also means you want to listen to the consumers in order to improve your product and meet their needs. Being respectful also means understanding and treating all buyers, suppliers and distributors with respect no matter what culture they come from. Respect is also internal as the company should acknowledge contributors such as employees, consultants and co-workers. Lastly, you will want to treat your competition with respect.
Transparency
Much like being honest, it is important to be clear with all consumer and stakeholders. This means that things such as promotions, prices, financing terms all need to be clear and precise. It is also important to inform consumers and stakeholders of any important happenings with the company. Much like being honest, people have access to information and if a company is not being transparent it can really damage the company.
Citizenship
This means that as a company you want to be a great member of the area you are located. This can mean giving back to the community by volunteering or donations. This also means encouraging those involved with your company, supply chain members, to use fair trade practices.
In conclusion, it is very important to keep these ethical guidelines in mind when creating marketing plans. If something is seen as unethical, even if it was never the intention of the company, it can still be very damaging. In the previous example of Nike, there is a fine line of being ethical and unethical. Even though the ad paid off for Nike, other companies may have not been so lucky.
References
AMA Statement of Ethics. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.ama.org/codes-of-conduct/
Papenfuss, M. (2019, September 16). Nike’s Controversial Colin Kaepernick Ad Wins Emmy For Best Commercial. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/colin-kaepernick-donald-trump-nike-ad-creative-arts-emmy_n_5d7efe19e4b00d69059b023f
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