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Sophie Hassell
Professor Jizi
University Writing 1103
1 December 2015
Ethical Marketing and Examples Marketing Controversies
Watching TV, surfing the internet, or flipping through a magazine opens society to the
many forms of marketing. With the ever expanding aspects of media, many companies
aggressively market their products to all types of people to expand their profits. In many cases,
these marketing ploys are said to cross an inconclusive line into unethical territory ("Ethics of
Marketing." 73). Judgment of the how ethical a marketing strategy is can be perceived differently
depending on who is discussing it. I experienced a situation like this with a friend. We passed a
Victorias Secret store with a Perfect Body advertisement hanging in the window. While my
friend and I agreed this was unethical marketing because it labels the unrealistic model body as
perfect, others may say it is ethical because the company has an image to maintain. I thought this
was very interesting and wanted to explore how marketing ethics are prominent in todays society
and examples of marketing campaigns that have been deemed unethical.
Marketing establishes a presence in everybodys lives, whether it is consciously noticed
or not. Many people voice their opinions when they discover some controversial marketing
campaign. This begins a discussion on the ethics of said campaign. When companies enter the
unethical territory in their marketing ways, it is up to the customer to voice their opinions.
Marketing ethics is not bound by laws and regulations like other aspects of business. Instead,
companies make conscious decisions to use unethical marketing to promote their products
("Ethics of Marketing" 76). Such creates a sense of distrust and anger among a variety of people.

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If companies begin to practice ethical marketing, people will be able to trust what is being
marketed rather than worry about hidden malpractice. With the increase of technology and
utilization of the media, marketing ethics have become a serious issue. Many companies
infiltrate different channels to make their products known. To ensure fair practice and marketing
ethics, it is important to understand the ideology behind marketing campaigns.
Issues facing the marketing world have been prominently featured through the news and
media. Many individuals are aware of unethical behavior in the business world and make this
clear by the actions they take. In the 1970s, unethical marketing ploys were revealed by the
company Nestl. It was discovered that Nestl aggressively promoted their baby formula to third
world mothers while aware of the fatal consequences of their product (Boyd). This demonstrates
how determined companies are to make a profit and how willing they are to neglect ethical
behavior. Another example of aggressive marketing to expand profit is the retail company, Urban
Outfitters. Over the years, many controversial items have been placed on the shelves of the
clothing store. Among such include a seemingly bloody Kent State sweatshirt, a t-shirt of an
underage model posed sexually, and a shirt baring the words eat less. Urban Outfitters is
utilizing outrage marketing, which is creating great controversy and discussion from many
people. Although the publicity sounding the company is widely negative, Urban Outfitters
profits have greatly increased (Brock and Kiriakos). While some companies choose to disregard
ethics in their marketing endeavors, others find themselves in the questionable grey area. The
group of children called Tweens are responsible for billions of the dollars in retail sales.
Knowing this, companies target this age when marketing. In recent years, agents have been
hired to test out many products with their friends. Although seemingly mundane, these agents are
taught at a young age to exploit their friends and make their peers desire material products

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(Dakss). This grey area questions whether marketing to these young children is appropriate or
unethical. The shoe brand, TOMS is also in this grey area. While on paper the company looks
perfect and very ethical, many have found ways to declare the company as unethical in their
marketing ways. This discussion is based off the idea that those involved in the purchasing and
distributing are well-off and are simply doing the minimum to help the children (Murphy and
Laczniak). This goes to show that anyone can find an ethical issue is almost every marketing
campaign.
After reading and and researching marketing ethics, I have realized the complexity
behind determining what is ethical and what is not. One of the most interesting example of this is
the advertisements at NASCAR. Many of the cars are covered in advertisements from alcohol
companies, sparking the question if it is ethical to market liquor on racecars when drinking and
driving is a serious issue ("Ethics of Marketing" 76). While this is legal to do, it stirs up great
debate from the general public. This questionable marketing way explains how difficult it is to
strictly determine if a product is being marketing ethically. In some cases, it is clear that the
company is being extremely unethical, like Nestls baby formula scandal, but others are debated
by society. It is interesting to learn how the consumers have a great effect on companies
marketing strategies. People have the ability to voice their distaste with a companys actions and
make their unethical behavior known to the public.
Learning about marketing ethics and how many companies have violated the general
understanding of ethics has inspired me to pursue a career in marketing. I want to be able to
figure out and employ marketing ethics so my future company does not have to face negative
publicity. It is important for readers to understand that marketers are eager to make money and
will do just about anything to ensure a profit. As media and technology continue to expand,

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marketing is going to intensify in our daily lives. I want to learn more about what the future of
marketing will entail and if any company has remained purely ethical in their marketing ways.
Although the companies whom have faced ethical dilemmas are more abundant in the media, I
would like to read more about how companies have remained ethical and why some companies
make the conscious decision to go bad. There is so much more I want to know and as I enter the
business world, I know to look out for and employ marketing ethics.

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Works Cited
Boyd, Colin. "The Nestl Infant Formula Controversy and a Strange Web of Subsequent
Business Scandals." J Bus Ethics Journal of Business Ethics 106.3 (2011): 283-93. Print.
Brock, Sam, and Kinsey Kiriakos. "Urban Outfitters' Controversy a "Mistake" or Marketing
Ploy?" NBC Bay Area. 16 Sept. 2014. Web. 14 Nov. 2015.
Dakss, Brian. "Marketing to "Tweens" Going Too Far?" CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 14 May
2007. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
"Ethics of Marketing." Sage Brief Guide to Marketing Ethics. Ed. Lisa Shaw. Los
Angeles: SAGE, 2012. 72-86. Print.
Murphy, Patrick E., and Eugene R. Laczniak. "TOMS: One for One Movement!" Ethics in
Marketing: International Cases and Perspectives. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2012.
133-142. Print.