Marketing ethics: Difference between revisions
{{short description|Area of applied ethics}}
{{short description|Area of applied ethics}}
{{marketing}}
{{marketing}}
”’Marketing ethics”’ is an area of [[applied ethics]] which deals with the moral principles behind the operation and regulation of [[marketing]]. Some areas of marketing ethics (ethics of [[advertising]] and [[Promotion (marketing)|promotion]]) overlap with [[media ethics|media and public relations ethics]]. Marketing ethics is known to have similarities with business ethics.
”’Marketing ethics”’ is an area of [[applied ethics]] which deals with the moral principles behind the operation and regulation of [[marketing]]. Some areas of marketing ethics (ethics of [[advertising]] and [[Promotion (marketing)|promotion]]) overlap with [[media ethics|media and public relations ethics]].
== Two types of marketing ethics ==
== Two types of marketing ethics ==
Marketing ethics, however, can be divided into two categories:
Marketing ethics, however, can be divided into two categories:
# Positive marketing ethics.
# Positive marketing ethics.
# Normative marketing ethics.
# Normative marketing ethics.
”’Positive marketing ethics”’ looks at the statement “what is” when it comes to examining marketing practices, an example would be to research fraudulent advertising and keep a record of the violations.
Positive marketing ethics looks at the statement “what is” when it comes to examining marketing practices, an example would be to research fraudulent advertising and keep a record of the violations.
”’Normative marketing ethics”’ looks at theories that dictate how moral marketing should take place. The same theories and substructures used in business ethics to determine its level of morality are used to analyze whether moral marketing is taking place in normative marketing ethics. The three structures are known as duty-based theories, virtue ethics, and utilitarianism.{{Cite journal |last=Laczniak |first=Gene R |date=2018 |title=Marketing, Ethics of |url=https://sk.sagepub.com/reference/sage-encyclopedia-of-business-ethics-and-society-2e/i26822.xml |journal=SAGE Brief Guide to Marketing Ethics |volume=1 |pages=2189–2196}}
==Fundamental issues in the ethics of marketing ==
==Fundamental issues in the ethics of marketing ==
* Process-oriented framework, analyzing ethical problems in terms of the categories used by marketing specialists (e.g. research, price, promotion, placement).
* Process-oriented framework, analyzing ethical problems in terms of the categories used by marketing specialists (e.g. research, price, promotion, placement).
None of these frameworks allows by itself, a convenient and complete categorization of the great variety of issues in marketing ethics
None of these frameworks allows by itself, a convenient and complete categorization of the great variety of issues in marketing ethics
===Power-based analysis===
===Power-based analysis===
Contrary to popular impressions, not all marketing is adversarial, and not all marketing is stacked in favour of the marketer. In marketing, the relationship between producer/consumer or buyer/seller can be adversarial or cooperative. For an example of cooperative marketing, see [[relationship marketing]]. If the marketing situation is adversarial, another dimension of difference emerges, describing the power balance between producer/consumer or buyer/seller. Power may be concentrated with the producer (”caveat emptor”), but factors such as over-supply or legislation can shift the power towards the consumer (”caveat vendor”). Identifying where the power in the relationship lies and whether the power balance is relevant at all is important to understanding the background to an ethical dilemma in marketing ethics.Lizabeth England,[http://exchanges.state.gov/forum/journal/bus10background.htm Marketing With A Conscience: Sales and Ethics] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061012224738/http://exchanges.state.gov/forum/journal/bus10background.htm |date=2006-10-12 }}, US Dept. of State.
Contrary to popular impressions, not all marketing is adversarial, and not all marketing is stacked in favour of the marketer. In marketing, the relationship between producer/consumer or buyer/seller can be adversarial or cooperative. For an example of cooperative marketing, see [[relationship marketing]]. If the marketing situation is adversarial, another dimension of difference emerges, describing the power balance
between producer/consumer or buyer/seller. Power may be concentrated with the producer (”caveat emptor”),
but factors such as over-supply or legislation can shift…