Ethics in marketing?

Couple of weeks ago I've met in person with Jaroslav and among other topics I've mentioned that I am rounding up an article on ethics for bodzlomu.cz From there we just briefly fired few thoughts on ethics in marketing.

Is there morale and/or ethics in marketing? Can there be? The answer is short NO and NO.

After a quirky path I got to a simple reasoning.

1. Money oriented economy needs SALES and BUYS = needs marketers.

2. Marketers look for ways to sell as much as possible of un-needed stuff.
2a. that causes: more unnecessary production
2b. that causes: more unnecessary waste
2c. that causes: more unnecessary ... whatever ...

Let's face it - we marketers aren't an ethical bunch. We don't sell dreams as some say, because dreams are to be dreamt not to be bought.

Those are simply the facts that we have to face - like it or not. I think it would be alibistic and a terrible lie to try to convince ourselves that things are different with marketing. On the other hand if we know this we can use more humane-friendly approaches. Let's say:

a. use eco-friendly packaging
b. in the marketing process making someone's life better (giving task A to company B instead of company A)
c. not cheating on the consumers (we offer this and this - in font size 1 it says: but only if you do this and this -> that's cheating)
d. don't abuse consumers by commercials
etc. etc. etc.

When we do this we have to watch out to stay on the path because:
Let's say your company decides to do eco-friendly packaging and part of it will be using soy-ink. Let's say your company produces gazillion whatevers packed in boxes that have soy-ink printing on them.

If you double you're production to two gazillions than you'll use up twice as much soy-ink. And if your Latin American producer of soy-ink will have to double production they'll need to have room to grow the soy - so maybe they just take down some more of Amazonian jungle. So where is the eco-friendly, humane approach?

Do you know what I mean?

Comments

[ahasver]

you are simplifying and "rationalizing":) my point of view is that things aren't THAT simple and are far more complex

considering approach mentioned in the last paragraph you have to say that it is better not to do anything at all. because noone knows what will happen. for instance look on the development of usage of bio-fuel

there is a given situation with some conclusion (with some level of probability) and you have to work with it - everywhere
i think that your article is alibistic ;)

[Jaroslav Cír]

Hi Viktor, I don't think that you can call everything that is being sold to us by marketing "un-needed stuff".
I have met, about a month ago, with Dr. Val Curtis (from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine). She is responsible for global campaign for "hand washing with soap". Is that campaign needed? I think that it is badly needed - 65% of all deaths in Africa are due to deadly infections which could be avoided if people simply wash their hands more. Dr. Curtis have invited marketeers from Unilever and P&G to educate the ministers of health in Africa and Asia - because marketing is simply desperetaly needed every time we need to change people's behaviour.
OK, you might say that campaigns such as the one for hand washing is the exception to the rule. But who are we to say that, for instance, a shampoo against dandruff is "un-needed stuff" if it works and if it makes someone's life easier and better?

[Viktor Prochazka]

to AHASVER:
I disagree... I know where you're going (at least I think so)... I know things and thinks aren't as simple as we tend to show them. But on the other hand all I am suggesting is flexibility.

Just a brief example... Icebreaker had to start producing in China due to lack of production facilities in New Zealand. But what they did is that the founder traveled around China looking for the right company... what's right? Factory that has eco measurements in place, that doesn't abuse employees etc. etc. Icebreaker made a difference.

On the other hand maybe it's the same example that I gave in the article... just a different point of view. I don't know.

I just don't have it figured out...

to JAROSLAV:
True. I agree with that. Matters on depth of definition of marketing I guess. When I was writing the article I guess I stayed more in the shallow waters of marketing.

Then again is: global campaign for "hand washing with soap" a marketing campaign or an educational campaign or pure advocating?

And when does this campaign turn from ethical campaign for washing hands into unethical campaign "we want to sell more soap no matter what ever it takes"?

[Jaroslav Cir]

Hi Victor,

I have just finished reading a book by Slavoj Žížek called "Did somebody say totalitarianism?" (http://www.ce-review.org/01/29/books29_monroe.html) (I think that this book was translated into Czech and published in Prague recently...). Zizek is a philosopher, Lacanian psychoanalyst and a bit of a genius from Slovenia. Amongst other things, Zizek challenges the idea that many Westerners entertain - the idea of the world entering an "information age" and the gradual disappearance of the working classes. Zizek says that the working classes haven't disappeared, they were just outsourced to China and elsewhere - the world still needs to consume stuff - more than ever - and somebody needs to make it. As we all know, the conditions of the factory workers in Philippines, China or Brazil are simple terrible - I think that it is hopeless and futile to try to solve the green issues in these countries (i.e. globally) without tackling the social and economic issues first...Anyway, I think that what the guys from Icebreaker did was great and we should see more of such action from the big manufacturers. The manufacturers will listen and do something if their consumers get interested and raise their voices which is now easier to do than ever - with Facebook and other tools...We have seen the power of such action in case of HSBC bank (="Students against HBSC rip-off") or in the case of the demand for return of Cadbury's Wispa...Lets hope that these have been just warm-ups before real actions demonstrating the raising consciousness of (first of all) humanitarian and environmental issues.