Let’s explore the ethical and moral side of marketing. Social critics claim that certain marketing practises hurt individual consumers, society as a whole and other business firms. The question is who’s to blame? There is a good and a bad side of everything; as we also know there is two sides of a story to everything. It’s hard to justify the immoral and unethical behaviour of today’s marketers and companies. But let’s keep it real, who is it really to blame for this behaviour? Who buys these things? Who use it? Who eats it? Who is watching it and thinks it’s wrong, at the same time looking away like if it has never happened. Who is really contributing to all these issues we are surrounded by, that seem so immoral and unethical? I think that everyone, the people, the society, the firms, big and small businesses, and every individual have obligations and some responsibility to own up to, not just towards himself, but towards each other.
Responsibility and obligations are most of the time forgotten, we seem always be talking about the rights of the consumer, the rights of the firms, the rights of the society; but where took the sense of obligation away? I believe most of the times we forget to act in a moral and ethical way, because we are so consumed by other things. I do not justify the intermediaries and their mark up prices that are beyond the value of their services. Nor the heavy advertising and sales promotion, or the deceptive practises that make consumers to believe they will get more value than they actually do, or the high-pressure selling, the shoddy, harmful and unsafe products, with poor quality or function. Many products deliver little benefit, and might be harmful. For instance, McDonald’s has been accused of harming society by significantly contributing to the nationwide obesity epidemic.
Let’s keep it real, I smoke, and I for sure know the consequences of my choice and action. Now, if, God forbid, I get cancer, who should I blame? The cigarette companies that sell the cigarettes or the manufactures that produce the cigarettes, or the country or town I live in, for letting the society sell cigarettes. Let’s face it, first and foremost my health is my responsibility, it’s my duty to make sure I am healthy and stay healthy.