Marketing Ethics

Ethics  can be a very tricky business…especially when money and making a sale is involved.

I am working on my senior capstone project here at Champlain College and as part of this class,we had a pretty extensive conversation about marketing ethics. We talked about what they are, what they mean for our careers and looked at some examples of ethical and unethical campaigns.

We also took a look at the Ethical Norms and Values for Marketers as written by the American Marketing Association  which was pretty thought provoking and detailed which I appreciated.

I think these ethics can relate to companies and organizations depending on what they are doing.

For example, for a non profit this means being transparent with your donor base about where the money is going and what you are doing in terms of field work.  If you are not careful about this you risk alienating important donors and supporters which would be detrimental to your organization.

For a  for a profit company, this means being honest about the features and quality of the product or service you are providing.  Some of the biggest examples of misleading advertising come from fast food…think about it, when was the last time that burger looked anything like the picture?

It can be so tempting to stretch the truth in order for your business to do well but that is exactly why this ethical code has been created.

Ethics in marketing all comes to down to being transparent and honest, while obviously portraying yourself in the best possible light.  The AMA talks about everything from responsibility, honesty, fairness, respect, transparency and citizenship.  All of which are very important.  The thing that struck me the most was when they discussed  ‘special commitments to vulnerable markets’ such as children. This is very important to keep in mind when creating a campaign.

I recommend everyone involved in marketing in any respect read the Code Of Ethics and take time to reflect upon them!