Target marketing helps organizations communicate with people who are likely to value their products. But deciding whom to reach—and whom to exclude—can raise serious ethical concerns. This lesson introduces marketing ethics and examines how audience targeting can become discriminatory.
Ethics is the systematic study of morality: the principles people use to consider what is right and wrong. In marketing, ethical choices affect not only a company but also consumers, other individuals, and society.
All flashcards
Ethical target marketing
Selecting and serving appropriate audiences without unfairly exploiting, stereotyping, or excluding people.
Affinity audience
Potential customers connected by shared interests, hobbies, or other relevant characteristics.
Persuasive intent
The purpose of an advertisement to influence an audience to buy or otherwise act.
Buyer persona
A research-informed profile describing representative customers and their needs and decision-making context.
Ethical check for a campaign
Assess relevance, fairness, likely consequences, and whether the decision can be publicly defended.
Quiz questions
A housing advertiser uses an online platform to prevent people of a particular race from seeing its listing. What is the primary ethical concern?Answer: The targeting may unfairly deny access to housing based on a protected characteristic.
Why can marketing high-APR credit cards to financially vulnerable consumers raise ethical concerns?Answer: The offer may contribute to financial harm if its risks are not communicated fairly.
In a marketing plan, what does positioning explain?Answer: How an offering should be understood in relation to customer needs and alternatives.
What was the stated purpose of Subway's “Playtime: Powered by Veggies” campaign?Answer: To promote a healthy-eating program aimed at children.
How can gender-stereotyped marketing affect children?Answer: It can narrow their ideas about which activities or products are appropriate for them.
Based on Principles of Marketing by Dr. Maria Gomez Albrecht, Dr. Mark Green, Linda Hoffman (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.