Countless ethical issues in marketing make the industry a distrusted sector. From pushing overconsumption through to gross sales tactics. Stereotyping and greenwashing that damage rather than help society. Plus, fake appeals to inclusivity. Traditional marketing has a significant rap sheet. Of course, it doesn’t have to be this way, with more companies, including myself, adhering to more ethical marketing practices. However, the fact is that the marketing industry has a long history of poor practices. All of these have contributed to consumers looking in greater detail at the ethical issues in marketing. Plus how they can avoid being duped by dishonest sellers.
Ethical issues in the Marketing Industry
Unfortunately, some marketers and salespeople will always be willing to lie to push products or services. However, four major ethical issues in marketing have the most significant effect on society. These are overconsumption, greenwashing, stereotyping and Girl Boss ‘feminism’.
Overconsumption Promotion
Marketing and, ultimately, selling products are generally the main priority of marketers. But this often comes with the pressure to sell more and more. Overconsumption is a big issue regarding our effect on the planet. From buy-one-get-one-free offers to constant sales (I’m looking at you, DFS), marketing often promotes overconsumption. For instance, 4.5 Million tonnes of food that is still good to eat is thrown away annually in the UK. Plus 70% of food waste comes directly from our UK homes rather than farmers or factories. In terms of fashion waste, the scale is just as bad. The volume of clothing thrown away in the United States has doubled in the last 20 years from 7 million to 14 million tonnes. Only 15 percent of this massive clothing waste is reused or recycled.
Marketers often use manipulative tactics, such as charm pricing, false scarcity and countdown timers, to exploit consumer audiences. They are usually geared, so customers are rushed into making purchases rather than considering whether they need or want a product. These tactics trick people into buying more and more, whether they can afford to or not. The result is millions of products are thrown away each year, wasting vital energy used to create them and often polluting the planet as they are disposed of poorly.
Greenwashing
The practice of greenwashing follows well from the promotion of overconsumption. Greenwashing is where companies claim to be environmentally friendly or sustainable without implementing such procedures.
The form in which greenwashing takes place can vary. On one end of the scale are marketers that use packaging and copy that misleads. Examples include using ‘green’ wording and imagery to invoke an environmentally friendly look, such as ‘natural’ or ‘eco’, or simply using brown paper packaging. While some genuine brands use this look successfully, the water has been muddied by many significant brands also using these tactics.
On the more extreme end of the scale are lies that significantly harm people and the planet. The Volkswagen emissions scandal is a prime example of this in both the production and marketing. Volkswagen had been cheating in emission tests by making its cars appear far less polluting than they were and using that as the basis for promotion.
Greenwashing is a major ethical issue in marketing as more of the public becomes aware and invested in preventing the climate crisis.
Stereotyping and Inclusion
There is also the issue of stereotyping and inclusion, where companies use harmful stereotypes or exclude certain groups. Marketing often reflects the prejudices of the society of the day, but that is no excuse for marketers to rest on their laurels. Instead, we should all be active in our community to remove stereotyping from our marketing campaigns, making the world more inclusive.
Advert imagery is particularly problematic, often relying on outdated tropes of misogyny and focusing on a white hetero-normative outlook. This is especially true for consumer-focused brands. For example, women are often portrayed as the primary caregivers and shoppers, whilst men are the workers and very sporty. Portrayals of family life are often of nuclear family setups and are almost certainly always white characters. While there is nothing intrinsically wrong with displaying such relationships, they do not represent our diverse world. From single-parent households to LGBT+ people, disabled consumers and people of colour, marketers frequently don’t feature these groups in their marketing. Not only does this exclude vast numbers of the population, but it also continues to push the message that their wants, needs, and money are unimportant to a business. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Girl boss feminism
Lastly, Girl boss feminism is another ethical issue in marketing today. It’s a term used to describe marketing campaigns that use feminist language and imagery to sell products without promoting gender equality or other feminist values. It often perpetuates that women must be empowered solely to succeed in a capitalist system rather than advocating for systemic change.
Like greenwashing, girl boss marketing uses consumers’ genuine concerns and promotes them merely for profit. If marketers want to support women, businesses must genuinely improve women’s lives. Better wages, access to childcare, quality maternity, promotions based on merit and support for women’s health concerns. It’s not simply about sticking a catchy ‘girl boss’ slogan on a T-shirt; it’s about advocating for women’s rights in your marketing and business.
Choosing Ethical Marketing instead
In conclusion, ethical marketing is crucial in addressing ethical issues in the marketing industry. Companies can choose ethical marketing strategies by promoting transparency and authenticity, partnering with organisations that align with their values, avoiding misleading or manipulative tactics, and prioritising the well-being of their customers. By doing so, they can build trust with consumers, promote a better society, and create a sustainable future for all.