Ethics in Marketing

Overview

The power of marketing is undeniable. It can be used to sell the best, the worst, and everything in between. But what are the ethics of marketing and what are the moral boundaries that must not be crossed?

What is marketing and what is the problem?

Marketing is all about making money, but it’s also about building relationships. This only becomes a problem when some marketers resort to unethical methods, such as lying or overstating the value of something.

What are the ethics of marketing?

We all know that it is not a black and white issue, but it’s best to have a basic understanding so you can sleep at night when marketing your business.

The Australian Association of National Advertisers explore the topic of ethics in marketing in great detail here - https://aana.com.au/self-regulation/codes-guidelines/code-of-ethics/

Here is a general guide to ethics in marketing.

• Don't hurt people. This can be physically, emotionally or financially.

• Be Trustworthy. Don't be deceptive in how you price, communicate, design and deliver your service.

• Have Integrity. Be transparent and have respect for your customers and others in your industry.

• Be honest. Stand behind your product if it fails and always honor your promises.

• Be helpful. Help people solve a problem that makes their life better.

• Do good things. Understand that with more marketing and financial power comes the power to create positive change.

• Be fair. Find a balance between the needs of your customers and the financial interests of your business.

• Be clear. Avoid manipulation and harmful tactics.

• Protect your database. The information you hold in your database is significant.

• Avoid stereotyping. Never dehumanise groups of people who are different to you.

How does a business do ethical marketing?

Be clear and honest about how your business helps improve someone's life.

The importance of being honest in your marketing

Marketing, in its purest form, is all about making people’s lives better. It’s about creating or improving products and services that help people do more of what they want to do, more of the time.

But marketing can also be used as a weapon to deceive people into doing things they don’t want to do, or buying things they don’t need… and this is wrong.

To wrap things up

Marketing is a big part of your business. You need to learn how to market yourself and your business, or you’ll never succeed. If you start doing unethical marketing however, your business will fail. This is because eventually you will break the trust of your customers and your brand value will plummet.

The best thing you can do for your business is to communicate with your customers clearly and promote your business ethically.