MARKETING
The Anatomy Of Profiteering In An Ethical World
By Geoffrey Sirumba
A marketer ' s core mandate is to influence the behavior of customers . There are several tools for accomplishing this task . They include but are not limited to : marketing research , design of products , the sale price , the message used to describe it and the place in which it will be made available .
In today ’ s rapidly changing marketing environment , building strong relationships and brand loyalty with the consumer is becoming increasingly important for businesses . Currently , there are several forces driving companies to practice a higher level of ethics . These include rising customer expectations , changing employee expectations , government legislation and pressure from investors to onboard social impact in business operations .
Companies need to evaluate whether they are fully practicing ethical and socially responsible marketing . Unfortunately , most organizations define minimum acceptable ethical behavior and only implement it at this level . The view is that the relationship between a business firm and its customers is essentially a contractual relationship . Thus , the firm ’ s moral duties to the customer are those created by this contractual relationship .
From a general perspective , practicing ethics in marketing means deliberately applying standards of fairness , or moral rights and wrongs , to marketing decision-making , behavior and practice in the organization . However , as with every market , there are always madmen . Increasingly , we have seen the lines between marketing and customer rights become blurrier as the philosophy of brutal capitalism continues to entrench its root in the African business landscape . It is no surprise , therefore , that the noble concept of ethics has been shoved aside , and its place is taken over by sheer profiteering . Let ’ s look at some ethical pitfalls in turn .
Vulnerable Customers
Have you tuned into any of our local radio stations lately ? Their focus has been on the promotion of materialism and gambling without any care in the world . Every radio station has an “ opportunity ”
Some advertisements targeting adults who can make conscious decisions fall in the wrong hands . Communications on major media outlets from outdoor media to above the line media are filled with sexual innuendos that make parents cringe . What ’ s worse is that some ad placements are not fully compliant with the set regulations . for its listeners to win loads of cash and duping them in the process .
Consequently , the body mandated to regulate such cracked the whip by requiring such radio stations to acquire a betting license . It remains to be seen whether they will fully comply with the order . The gaming avenue accounts for a significant source of revenue for the participating radio stations , given the dwindling fortunes in general advertisement revenue .
There has been a lot of criticism around the role of institutions . Many are left wondering whether they still hold to their fidelity to the duty of care or have willingly resigned to manipulating customers without any due regard . Consumers are finding themselves vulnerable because they lack sufficient information . As such , they are easily influenced by the numerous make-believe adverts carried out by marketers .
The young , and the old , bear the brunt of all this , since they are the easiest to sway . Some advertisements targeting adults who can make conscious decisions fall in the wrong hands . Communications on major media outlets from outdoor media to above the line media are filled with sexual innuendos that make parents cringe . What ’ s worse is that some ad placements are not fully compliant with the set regulations .
Product Design
At the most basic level , consumers have a right to products and services which are safe , efficacious , and fit for the purpose
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