Marketing, especially in today’s
business world, is a very cutthroat industry. Marketing firms specialize in
tempting customers and convincing them that they need something, which is rarely
ever the case. Because of this, I feel that marketers do what they need to for
an organization, which is selling their product or service and making it a
necessity in the lives of the consumers. As stated by Sayed and Ghazaly, some people
believe that they make decisions in an organizational environment that are less
ethical than their own values and beliefs. So, could it be that marketers go
against what they believe in to satisfy their organizations and the consumers?
It appears so.
However, marketers do not have to
be untruthful about the products and services they promote. Honesty and
integrity are preached in most business environments and this should include
the content and manner in which marketing is used to make an organization
successful. Being truthful is something that is respected by consumers, even if
the product or service is not the best on the market. It is a quality that the business
environment needs more of at the moment. One of the biggest ways to combat this
need to be unethical to win is to give realistic goals for marketing teams and
support healthy competition. If we are giving marketing teams goals that are
only attainable by taking shortcuts in some capacity, we are encouraging
unethical behavior.
I do not think it is ethical to
track buying habits of individuals. This exposes the consumer in some fashion
and on a personal level without consent. This form of marketing is borderline
manipulation, as it gives retailers an opportunity to tailor coupons, specials,
and marketing efforts to your needs and wants and creates desire by doing so.
It may be beneficial for a retailer to know my birthday, eating habits,
favorite sports team, and my marital status, but it is quite invasive. All of
this to get me to buy a product or service? Where is the ethics in that?
As a leader, the most powerful
step I can take is to lead by example and promote an honest work environment
with strong personal and professional integrity. Like I stated earlier, the
profession does not have to have a negative connotation attached to it,
marketing teams can choose to be the opposite of what the general public
perceives them to be.
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