As realisation of the importance of doing business ethically is growing, this too is spreading to the marketing domain, and to digital marketers. Digital marketing has brought many new and innovative ways to market to potential and existing customers. Evidencing this, almost 4,000 (3,800) marketing technology tools are now available to marketers.
These are increasingly capable and can gather a good deal of information from customers. This, among other drivers has led to a growing need for ethics in digital marketing. In this article we gonna show you the best guide to ethics in digital marketing we will consider how ethics now has a role, and ethical questions that have arisen in recent years, relating to digital marketing.
Defining your mission and the ethics you abide by
“Business as usual”, and “profit at all costs” used to be the way how things were done in business (and in a certain way, it still is). But new winds are bringing change to the world. A new generation of business people and entrepreneurs have become more conscious of how their businesses should be aligned with moral values and purpose. Plus, changes now, happen quickly. Just look at Uber: its former CEO Travis Kalanick was forced to resign, after controversy over the company’s supposedly unethical culture. More conscious customers, on the other hand, also demand more from companies, in terms of its Corporate Social Responsibility, transparency and integrity.
Ethics stems from the old Greek word “êthos”, meaning “character, moral nature”.
Ethics is thus a fundamental skill for new businesses and their digital marketing strategy. But ethics should not be empty words… they should be put into practice. The first step to implement it is to think through what is the purpose of your business and align it with your core values. This will also serve as a guide for day-to-day operations and as the foundation for future decision-making.
Protecting Customer’s Privacy
The opportunities that digital marketing brings for understanding and learning about customers are tremendous, but these bring with it responsibilities. In particular, there is a need to avoid becoming too intrusive with marketing, and to find a line between helping the business to grow while not behaving unethically towards customers. Privacy is the key here. While most people working in positions of responsibility in marketing will understand regulations around privacy and will adhere to them, there are also ethical decisions to be made, especially if the company wants to retain the consumer’s trust.
Trust
One challenge with some of the new marketing tools available to digital marketers is that it is all too easy to erode consumer trust, even without meaning to do so. If the company fails to deliver, then the trust of the consumer will be negatively impacted. In the past, ethical dilemmas were perhaps more straightforward. Companies were found to have been unethical when they said their product was something it wasn’t. However, going too far is much easier with marketing technology tools available today. To provide an example, apps can track where people go each day and collect data on that – even when the app does not really have a clear reason for doing so – such as in the example of a simple games app. If consumers were aware of this type of activity, they would find it unpleasant and trust would be reduced. They would likely consider the activity unethical.
Companies claim that they collect this type of data so they are able to improve their products. They may say that the right to do so is in their terms and conditions. In many cases such information is unwieldy or very hard to find for a consumer. Thus, consumers may be giving rights unwittingly, and companies using customer data in this way can be seen as unethical, as this oversteps what might be considered “reasonable” .
There are plenty of examples of unethical digital marketing that have already been brought to light as a result of these sorts of questionable activities. One shining example of this has been the use of Facebook by unethical companies to spread what has become known as “fake news”. Reports have stated that this has had an impact on election outcomes in both the USA and the UK. Meanwhile, Facebook claims to be all about helping people share information with each other and interact, but in reality, it is a big old marketing tool, with its users’ data sold to its paying advertisers. Twitter isn’t much better either. It does not provide transparency over how it sells user data to advertisers.
Big Data and AI
The challenges of digital marketing ethics are only becoming more accentuated as technology advances apace. Big data is bringing even more customer data to marketers. That aside, there are tools that are coming soon that will be able to see customer’s facial responses to advertisements, which takes gathering customer data to a whole new level of intrusion. Companies must request permission to the webcam for this to occur, but it is easy to see how this could happen without the customer realising what they have agreed to.
While some might argue that it is “obvious” what is ethical and what is not in digital marketing, there is no clear guidelines that enables people to understand this. In part 2 of our little guide to ethics in digital marketing we will provide some points to consider that help address this gap, examining areas such as social media marketing and email marketing, among others.
Email Digital Marketing
Email is one form of digital marketing that is used by a large number of digital
marketers. Some companies have been known to exploit this by purchasing mailing
lists. When sources of these lists are unknown, this is unethical, as customers may
not even know they are on these lists. Not only is it unethical, but it is also rather
frustrating for the customer to receive unsolicited email. GDPR requires that
customers have to opt-in, rather than just being able to opt out. Digital marketers
that want to act ethically should abide by this.
Ethics and Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimisation is also used by digital marketers to spread the word and
bring brand awareness about their products. Unfortunately, this can also be used by
digital marketers in an unethical manner. In a quest to have their products and
company name featured at number one in the search results, digital marketers do
not follow the rules. Alternatively they find ways to fake it and manipulate their ranking by buying links in an unethical way, without disclosing, making it look like they
are following the rules when they are not. A word of warning here – companies that
engage in this type of unethical activity do get blacklisted from time to time.
Ethics and Online Reviews
Online reviews are an important means by which consumers can decide between
different products and services. However, it is by no means unheard of for
businesses to influence these reviews in a variety of ways. For example, some
companies provide free items or a discount in exchange for a great review. Some
reviews are even completely fake and paid for. When these types of digital
marketing occur, they are clearly unethical and this practice should not occur.
Ethics and Data Privacy and Security
Finally, it is of vital importance that digital marketers pay close attention to data
privacy and security. Companies not only need policies in place for data privacy and
security but these need to be followed and they need to be effective. Databases
must be secure so that there can be no way for customer data to escape, and
employees must be trained to follow rules in this area so that there are no risks to
customer data privacy and security.
Conclusion
A lot of what is contained in our little guide to ethics in digital marketing might be
considered by some to be “common sense”. However, unfortunately, while this may
be seen by some to be the case, some companies do use unethical digital marketing
tactics such as those described above. The good news is that following the practical advice
above can help you becoming unwittingly involved in unethical digital marketing activities.
Ingrid Maldine is a business writer, editor and management consultant with extensive experience writing and consulting for both start-ups and long established companies. She has ten years management and leadership experience gained at BSkyB in London and Viva Travel Guides in Quito, Ecuador, giving her a depth of insight into innovation in international business. With an MBA from the University of Hull and many years of experience running her own business consultancy, Ingrid’s background allows her to connect with a diverse range of clients, including cutting edge technology and web-based start-ups but also multinationals in need of assistance. Ingrid has played a defining role in shaping organizational strategy for a wide range of different organizations, including for-profit, NGOs and charities. Ingrid has also served on the Board of Directors for the South American Explorers Club in Quito, Ecuador.
