It is the responsibility of every company to engage in business in an ethical manner. This involves making the conscious decision to be fair, open, and honest in every aspect of running the business. Marketers and content creators also hold the same responsibility when planning campaigns or coming up with new content. For the most part, your inner conscience should be a good gauge to inform you if you are practising ethical marketing.
However, in some cases, the lines may not be clearly demarcated. When this happens, marketers and content creators may precariously toe the line between ethical and unethical content in their marketing efforts. While it may be tempting to forgo some ethics in the chase for success, is the sacrifice of your good conscience truly worth it?
This is why we have come up with 4 guiding questions that marketers can ask themselves and their team to make sure they are on the right side of marketing:
1. Is the advertising messaging transparent?
Be upfront with your messaging. In this age where information is easily accessible, consumers want to make informed decisions. This is why the purchase journey of an average consumer is longer and more complicated than before. If you have data and statistics on hand, don’t hesitate to share them.
The more facts and figures you have that are easily understandable, the easier it is to gain the trust of your consumer. Essentially, always ensure that the information you provide accurately represents your service or product.
2. Is this fair to consumers and competitors?
Marketers are always trying to get ahead of their competitors. This is usually where the lines get blurred and the risk of crossing the line is higher. However, it all ties back to our first question of whether the advertising is transparent. For example, avoid making false comparisons or instigating attacks against your competitors. It will not reflect very well on the organization if you start stooping to low levels just to have that edge against your competitors.
Beyond just treating your competitors fairly, you will also have to take into consideration how misleading claims can affect consumers. Also, remember that while trust and credibility take a long time to develop and build, this can crumble instantaneously once you are found to be providing misleading claims to consumers.
Thus, always make sure that the information and claims that you put out are backed by credible sources.
3. Are you proud of your work?
If you have answered yes to the first 2 questions, this last question should be the easiest to answer. Be meticulous in reviewing everything that you publish. When you do this, you will feel more accountable and responsible for the marketing assets and content creatives that you use in your campaigns. Thus, if all the marketing assets meet your approval standard while also have answered positively to the first 2 questions above, then being proud of your campaign should come naturally.
Conclusion
Your customers are the most important thing in any business. Once you have lost the trust of your consumers, it is impossible to earn back. This is why both marketers and content creators need to ensure that the marketing content you put out is driven by good conscience.
Remember that you are in control of your campaigns. The responsibility and accountability of ethical marketing lie within each content creator and marketer. We quote the wise Benjamin Franklin when he says, “When in doubt, don’t”.
