The company that I will be using for my Marketing Research project is Procter and Gamble. I think it goes without saying that most households have at least one or more P&G products in their home at any given time, mine included. I use so many of their products daily, and am constantly surprised by the vast amount of products that are under the P&G umbrella.

Founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. Procter & Gamble Company is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. They specialize in a wide range of personal health/consumer health, and personal care and hygiene products; these products are organized into several segments including Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine, & Family Care. Common brands include: Tide, Gillette, Oral-B, Dawn, Downy, and Gain.

Recently I discovered that I was highly sensitive to a cleaning product resulting in a breakout of hives and a trip to the emergency room. I am still dealing with the lingering effects of it today, which prompted the idea of creating a line of cleaning products for individuals with highly sensitive skin. Procter and Gamble are known for having a line of hypoallergenic products on the market (most of which I use), but they can be a little pricey. I want to create something that lives up to the customer’s expectation of P&G while making it afforable for consumers.

What would the Marketing Research Look Like?

Idea: Creating a line of affordable cleaning products for individuals with skin sensitivities/allergies.

Research Objectives and Design:

Objective: To find a general consensus among consumers with skin sensitivities/allergies of their biggest needs when purchasing cleaning products.

My research design would consist of a mix of primary and secondary research. For primary research, I would consider consumer surveys with specific questions to gage buying habits, product usage, and frequency of purchase. My audience would consist of households containing individuals with skin sensitivities and allergies. For secondary research, I would look at consumer data such as past sales of hypoallergenic products to see what did well in recent years, and where there are areas for improvement/growth.

Ethics and Standards

The American Marketing Association (AMA) prides itself on promoting the highest standard of professional ethical norms and values for its members, but what exactly does that mean? In this blog I will provide a general breakdown of the Ethical Norms and Values that are practiced (or at least are expected to be adhered to) as it relates to an integrated marketing campaign.

Ethical Norms

The Association of Marketing states “as marketers we should do no harm…foster trust…and embrace ethical values” (Codes of Conduct | AMA Statement of Ethics, 2021).

There is this unspoken expectation among customers and employees that every company lives up to this standard and strives to be the best they could possibly be in everything that they do. Unfortunately, no company is perfect and even the best ones are prone to instances of engaging in unethical practices. Fortunately, these occurrences are few and far in-between, and most companies have a well-rounded integrated marketing plan that addresses this.

So how do we implement this into an integrated marketing campaign? For that, we will look at the Ethical Values separately to help better understand how each one fits into your overall plan.

Ethical Values

Honesty – to be forthright in dealings with customers and stakeholders.

Simply put, don’t lie, don’t cheat, don’t make promises you can’t keep. If you are selling a product, don’t make false claims about its uses or what it can do vs. what it actually does. If you are selling a service, please (and I can’t stress this enough) do what you say you are going to do. Don’t overinflate your skillset knowing that you aren’t capable of performing the actions, it will always come back to bite you, usually in the wallet.

Responsibility – to accept the consequences of our marketing decisions and strategies.

As the saying goes, with great power, comes great responsibility. We as marketers must recognize the power that we have when it comes to making important marketing decisions and in doing so, acknowledging that what we present to the world will likely come under close scrutiny in the court of public opinion. We also have a social responsibility to avoid any tactics that would do harm to vulnerable market segments such as children, seniors, the economically impoverished, market illiterates and others who may be substantially disadvantaged (cranes neck over to Gucci and H&M). Yes, not every campaign will meet the mark, and there will be some moments where we will drop the ball. Remember, when you mess up, acknowledge and own the mistake, commit to doing better, and actually follow through with doing better in the future.

Fairness – to balance justly the needs of the buyer with the interests of the seller.

“What’s good for the goose is good for the gander”. This means that you should advertise products to everyone the same manner; free of misleading and deceptive promotion, price fixing, or bait-and-switch tactics. This goes for sales, coupons, events etc.

Respect – to acknowledge the basic human dignity of all stakeholders.

This goes without saying that EVERYONE deserves to be treated with dignity and respect at ALL times, this is a non-negotiable action. We must also be mindful that our advertisements should reflect our beliefs, embracing individual differences and avoid cultural stereotyping and appropriating (again, H&M and Gucci I’m looking at you), or depicting demographic groups (e.g., gender, race, sexual orientation) in a negative or dehumanizing way.

Transparency – to create a spirit of openness in marketing operations.

“What’s Done in the Dark, will eventually come to light”. We must maintain open and honest communication with customers and stakeholders, especially when things go awry. This also means disclosing important information like price changes, recalls, or anything that may challenge our integrity as a whole in the eyes of consumers.

Citizenship – to fulfill the economic, legal, philanthropic and societal responsibilities that serve stakeholders.

One important piece that marketing campaigns sometimes overlook is the commitment to being a better global citizen and neighbor. This could be anything from promoting a campaign that gives back to the community or contributing dialogue to help facilitate environmental change. A major topic right now in many industries is the act of practicing sustainability and minimizing waste. As marketers we have a obligation to our target market and stakeholders that we are truly practicing what we preach and are committed to the contributing to the betterment of the industry and the world.

Concerns and Consequences

As with any good practices, there are always bad practices right around the corner. Ethics are no exception. In a survey of 400 marketers in the U.S. and the UK about what they consider to be unethical marketing strategies (Hyken, 2021).

Here are some of the more popular answers:

• 69% said marketing that exaggerates or distorts the truth is unethical.
• 64% said marketing that targets and exploits vulnerable groups is unethical.
• 62% said marketing that conceals important information is unethical.
• 58% said marketing that is shaming is unethical.

Unethical marketing practices can destroy a company’s reputation, sever any and all customer loyalty (boycotts), and open the door to legal ramifications. Nobody wants that whatsoever, but it does happen. As a marketer, it is up to you to recognize and stop all acts of unethical behavior and practices in any campaign you are involved in. When in doubt, call it out!

References

American Marketing Association. (2021). “Code Of Conduct-AMA statement of ethics”. Retrieved from: https://www.ama.org/codes-of-conduct/

Hyken, S. (2021). Unethical Marketing Destroys Customer Experience And Brand Reputation. Forbes. Retrieved 19 October 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/shephyken/2019/08/11/unethical-marketing-destroys-customer-experience-and-brand-reputation/?sh=5700d8a1724a.

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