This guide outlines the role that marketing ethics play in today’s business marketing practices.
No one likes getting duped by a product or service. Companies need to draw a line somewhere and maintain a sense of integrity in their pursuit of profit. Unfortunately, all too often companies cut corners and engage in unethical behavior for short-term gain—seeing their customers as no more than just dollar signs.
Importance of marketing ethics
While it may pay off in the short run, unethical marketing is overall an unsustainable approach that may risk your brand’s credibility. This is why marketing ethics is so important in business marketing.
When companies put marketing ethics first, it builds trust with their customers. This trust is key to a successful business, as it encourages customers to come back again or promote your product through word-of-mouth marketing.
Unethical marketing refers to any marketing that is deceptive, misleading, or harmful. This can include making false claims about a product or service, hiding important information, or targeting vulnerable populations.
For example, a company that violates a customer’s personal space by constantly sending spam emails to them is one such way unethical marketing exists in the real world. Another example is when companies infiltrate insecure WordPress websites all to post a blog and a backlink for their benefit. Let’s learn more about the role of ethics in modern marketing.
Principles of marketing ethics
Ethical marketing principles are all about being honest and transparent with your customers. This includes disclosing all information about a product or service, avoiding deception and manipulation, and maintaining the trust of your product.
What constitutes ethical marketing is a relative term, as it can vary based on culture and industry.
However, several key components are generally accepted as sound ethical marketing practices.
These principles can apply wherever you are in the world as many of these principles revolve around treating customers and other members of the industry as fair and respectable entities.
DO marketing ethics:
- Protect the data of your customers: Marketers are often the first set of people who have access to crucial customer data. Companies should ensure that their customer’s data privacy is kept safe with them at all times.
- Fulfil the promises of your product: If you promise A, B, and C, don’t fall short of accomplishing said promises. Not just A, not just A and B, but all of them.
- Maintain transparency: If you’re a content creator or an affiliate marketer, disclosing your relationship with a business is important for the sake of your audience.
- Respond to client queries in a helpful manner: Manage complaints and inquiries with grace and friendliness. Not only for the sake of your brand reputation but also because it’s the right thing to do.
- Support local advocacies: Participating in charities, raising funds for a cause, and helping people out can be ethical ways to build positive branding for your business.
DON’T marketing ethics:
- Don’t exploit or emotionally manipulate your customers: Don’t attempt to tug at heartstrings or take advantage of people in vulnerable positions as a chance to showcase your product.
- Don’t exaggerate your stories: News categories lists and press release outlines can give you a template to follow to ensure your brand’s narrative is sound.
- Don’t falsify information: Don’t use falsified data just to give your product an edge against the competition. Always backup your claims with evidence.
- Don’t tarnish your competitors’ products for your own benefit: Bringing your competitors’ names down is not a good marketing practice.
- Don’t stereotype: Before marketing your product, consider if you unintentionally prejudice or harm minorities with the messaging of your campaign.
- Don’t contact people without consent: Sending out unsolicited emails, messages, or calls is not only annoying, but it’s also illegal in America if done more than once.
Why marketing ethics should be practised
Ethics in marketing is about more than just avoiding bad press. Small businesses and multinational corporations alike should strive to be ethical in their marketing efforts because it’s the right thing to do, plain and simple.
Practicing marketing ethics can also improve customer loyalty and safeguard your company’s reputation by contributing to the greater good of society.
It’s good for your business’s growth too. The more credible your business looks in the eyes of the customer, the more likely they are willing to buy from you again . When customers feel that a company is trustworthy, they are more likely to make a positive purchasing decision.
In addition, keeping these loyal customers around is good for the bottom line as brand new customers are 5 times more expensive to find than keeping loyal customers.
Examples of marketing ethics
HelloFresh
HelloFresh is a publicly listed mealkit company that offers door-to-door delivery of freshly-sourced made to eat ingredients. One of the tenets of this German-based company is its carbon-neutral stance, being the first mealkit company that guarantees lesser CO₂ emissions than other food systems in the world.
According to their website, they “work tirelessly to ensure the entire recipe development process is as environmentally friendly, sustainable, and delicious as possible.” They also are committed to treating all people with respect and dignity, for people within their supply chain to the greater community at large.
The Body Shop
The Body Shop is a cruelty-free, global skincare, perfume and haircare brand. The company is committed to the protection and restoration of natural spaces around the globe. One initiative they launched was the Rainforest Haircare range—where a portion of the profits are allocated to a fund to protect the Atlantic Rainforest in Brazil.
They also took steps to minimise their packaging and consumption to decrease their global footprint. As a result of their enivonrenment-positive initiatives, they helped preserve and even improve the state of forested lands around the world.
Conclusion
As one adage goes, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” Therefore, marketers should ensure that they promote their products and services ethically and honestly.
In doing so, they lay the right foundations for their business to grow, helping keep their business name untarnished and their customers sticking with them the whole way through.
