Ethical Marketing Strategy (2024)

A marketing strategy details how a business can offer products and services to satisfy the needs of members of a target market. Ethical marketing strategies ensure that the needs are real and that the products and services meet those needs. Over the long term, an ethical marketing strategy is effective because customers derive the benefits they expect from using the products or services your company offers.

Product Safety Considerations

Ethical marketing strategies do not encourage or advertise unsafe applications for a product. If your company offers products that are hazardous under certain conditions, an ethical marketing strategy highlights the dangers and gives clear instructions on how to avoid them.

Over time, such a strategy collects data on the use of the product and takes steps to reduce or eliminate the hazards to the consumer. Ethical corporate behavior in this case would support marketing objectives that emphasize both the dangers and the steps taken to reduce them.

Deceptive Advertising Strategies

Deceptive marketing practices are unethical. They include claiming qualities for a product that the product doesn't have, advertising lifestyles that a product doesn't support and claiming a product satisfies a particular need when the product is unrelated to it.

Ethical marketing presents a product honestly and clearly, highlights the qualities that appeal to a particular market segment, and makes it convenient for members of that segment to purchase the product at a price they are willing to pay.

Market Manipulation Attempts

A company employing an ethical market strategy does not engage in manipulation of the markets. An ethical strategy analyzes the target markets for information on how many items customers are likely to buy and makes sure there is an adequate supply. Creating artificial shortages as a tool for driving demand is unethical.

Unethical and Illegal Pricing

Consumer-protection laws govern how companies can price their products. For example, it's perfectly legal to set prices at or below your cost to create temporary loss-leaders that get people into your store to buy other, more profitable items. A company may not, however, purposely sell below cost to put competitors out of business with the intent of raising prices when consumers have fewer choices. This is known as predatory pricing, explains ProfitWell.com.

Businesses are also forbidden from having sales and not providing an adequate supply of the sale items so they sell out quickly and customers have to buy other, higher-priced items. This is known as bait-and-switch advertising. In some states, businesses are required to offer rain checks on sale items that sell out.

Customer Privacy Concerns

Companies engaged in marketing activities collect data on individuals in their target markets and use this data to influence product design and pricing. An ethical approach requires that the company obtains such information with the consent of the individual and keeps it safe, respecting the individual's privacy, according to the Better Business Bureau.

Collecting private information without the knowledge or consent of the individual and selling the information to third parties is unethical.

Ethical Marketing Strategy (2024)

FAQs

What is an example of ethical marketing? ›

Let's take the “Buy a Pair, Give a Pair” as an example of ethical marketing. This program makes customers agents of change. For each pair purchased, the brand donates one to charities through the Warby Parker Foundation. So far, over eight million glasses have been distributed in 50+ countries.

What are ethical strategies? ›

An ethical strategy analyzes the target markets for information on how many items customers are likely to buy and makes sure there is an adequate supply. Creating artificial shortages as a tool for driving demand is unethical.

What is the role of ethics in your marketing strategy? ›

Marketing ethics fosters fairness and honesty in all advertisem*nts. Any fraudulent claims to the customers, intruding on consumers' privacy, stereotyping, and targeting the vulnerable audience (like children and elderly) are deemed unethical. Even trying to damage the competitor's image is considered immoral.

What is ethical marketing concept? ›

Ethical marketing refers to the process by which companies market their goods and services by focusing not only on how their products benefit customers, but also how they benefit socially responsible or environmental causes.

What is meant by ethics in 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) overlap with media and public relations ethics.

What are the 7 ethical principles? ›

WHAT ARE THE 7 MAIN ETHICAL PRINCIPLES IN NURSING AND WHY THEY ARE IMPORTANT? There are seven primary ethical principles of nursing: accountability, justice, nonmaleficence, autonomy, beneficence, fidelity, and veracity.

What are the 4 main ethical principles? ›

The Fundamental Principles of Ethics. Beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice constitute the 4 principles of ethics.

What are the 5 main marketing strategies? ›

The 5 P's of marketing are part of what is often referred to as a “marketing mix”. A marketing mix is the actions brands take to market their products and services by using a specific framework with the five biggest components of successful marketing: product, place, price, promotion, and people.

What are the four 4 ethics in marketing? ›

Ethical marketing is a strategy where businesses commit to open, transparent, responsible, and fair practices and communicate these values to their target market.

What are the 7 strategies of marketing? ›

The 7Ps of marketing are – product, pricing, place, promotion, physical evidence, people, and processes. The 7 Ps make up the necessary marketing mix that a business must have to advertise a product or service.

What are the 5 ethical concepts? ›

Moral Principles

The five principles, autonomy, justice, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and fidelity are each absolute truths in and of themselves. By exploring the dilemma in regards to these principles one may come to a better understanding of the conflicting issues.

What are the main ethical concerns in marketing? ›

6 Ethical Issues in Marketing and How to Avoid Them
  • Selling Products to Markets That Don't Want Them (i.e., False Promises) ...
  • Relying on Assumptions and Guesswork. ...
  • Perpetuating Stereotypes (Without Even Realizing It) ...
  • Lack of Transparency. ...
  • Misleading Claims and Messaging. ...
  • Misusing Consumer Data.
15 Oct 2021

What are the 12 ethics? ›

Generally, there are about 12 ethical principles: honesty, fairness, leadership, integrity, compassion, respect, responsibility, loyalty, law-abiding, transparency, and environmental concerns.

What are the 8 ethical standards? ›

This analysis focuses on whether and how the statements in these eight codes specify core moral norms (Autonomy, Beneficence, Non-Maleficence, and Justice), core behavioral norms (Veracity, Privacy, Confidentiality, and Fidelity), and other norms that are empirically derived from the code statements.

What are the 3 golden rules of ethics? ›

Do good to others as you would like good to be done to you. Regard bad for yourself whatever you regard bad for others. Accept that (treatment) from others which you would like others to accept from you... Do not say to others what you do not like to be said to you.

What are the 10 codes of ethics? ›

Ethics Statement Examples for Associations
  • “Contribute to society and to human well-being, acknowledging that all people are stakeholders in computing.
  • Avoid harm.
  • Be honest and trustworthy.
  • Be fair and take action not to discriminate.
  • Honor confidentiality.
  • Perform work only in areas of competence”
17 Sept 2021

What are the 3 main theories of ethics? ›

In this article, we consider three ethical theories—deontological, consequentialist and virtue ethics—and propose a mixed approach for developing a framework in the design and development of research evaluation.

What is the most effective marketing strategy? ›

If you are looking for the overall most effective marketing strategy for small business, content marketing is the winner. Content marketing encompasses blogs, videos, social media posts, podcasts, webinars, and more – basically, any type of content you can distribute online falls into this category.

What are the 4 and 7 P's of marketing? ›

Initially 4, these elements were Product, Price, Place and Promotion, which were later expanded by including People, Packaging and Process. These are now considered to be the “7 P's” mix elements.

What are the 4 S's of marketing? ›

Key Points. The 4s web marketing mix provides a high level model to help you with your online marketing plans. The 4S stand for: Scope, Site, Synergy and System. The Scope of your web marketing mix is the overall strategy that you have for this part of your operation.

What are 6 main points of marketing strategy? ›

The building blocks of an effective marketing strategy include the 6 P's of marketing: product, price, place, promotion, people, and presentation. The effective integration of the 6 P's of marketing can serve as the foundation for an effective growth strategy.

What are the 8 marketing strategies? ›

A marketing strategy is a long-term plan for achieving a company's goals by understanding the needs of customers and creating a distinct and sustainable competitive advantage. It encompasses everything from determining who your customers are to deciding what channels you use to reach those customers.

What are some examples being ethical? ›

Examples of ethical behaviors in the workplace includes; obeying the company's rules, effective communication, taking responsibility, accountability, professionalism, trust and mutual respect for your colleagues at work.

What are ethical examples? ›

Ethics, for example, refers to those standards that impose the reasonable obligations to refrain from rape, stealing, murder, assault, slander, and fraud. Ethical standards also include those that enjoin virtues of honesty, compassion, and loyalty.

What are 5 examples of marketing? ›

  • Get on the Phone and Cold Call. Whether they call current customers or members of the general public, companies often simply call people up on the phone and offer them services. ...
  • Send a Punchy Newsletter. ...
  • Search Engine Marketing. ...
  • Meeting Customers at Trade Shows. ...
  • Product Placement in Entertainment.

What is an example of an ethical approach? ›

Honesty, courage, compassion, generosity, fidelity, integrity, fairness, self-control, and prudence are all examples of virtues. Virtues are like habits; that is, once acquired, they become characteristic of a person.

What are the 7 code of ethics? ›

7 Ethical Principles

Fairness of commercial practices. Data confidentiality. Professional behavior. Professional skills and added value.

What are the 7 principles of ethics? ›

The principles are beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, justice; truth-telling and promise-keeping.

What are the 5 core ethical values? ›

Recommended Core Ethical Values
  • Kindness;
  • Caring;
  • Good will;
  • Tolerance;
  • Compassion/mercy; and.
  • Adherence to the Golden Rule.

What are 3 ways to be ethical? ›

The three schools are virtue ethics, consequentialist ethics, and deontological or duty-based ethics. Each approach provides a different way to understand ethics. An analogy to your personal wellbeing is this: What is the best way to achieve a healthy life?

What are the 4 main marketing strategies? ›

What are the 4Ps of marketing? (Marketing mix explained) The four Ps are product, price, place, and promotion. They are an example of a “marketing mix,” or the combined tools and methodologies used by marketers to achieve their marketing objectives. The 4 Ps were first formally conceptualized in 1960 by E.

What are the 4 ethical approaches? ›

From the earliest moments of recorded human consciousness, the ethical discipline has exhibited four fundamental "approaches" These four approaches are often called "ethical decision-making frameworks:" Utilitarian Ethics (outcome based), Deontological Ethics (duty based), Virtue Ethics (virtue based) and Communitarian ...

What is the most common ethical approach? ›

The Utilitarian Approach

Utilitarianism is one of the most common approaches to making ethical decisions, especially decisions with consequences that concern large groups of people, in part because it instructs us to weigh the different amounts of good and bad that will be produced by our action.

What are the 4 ethical models? ›

It emphasises four key ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice, which are shared by most ethical theories, and blends these with virtues and practical wisdom.

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