Introduction
Marketing ethics is an area that is crucial when it comes to marketing because ethics guide the moral principles that regulate marketing. In a simple definition, marketing ethics are the morals of marketing. There are both good and bad behaviors that make up the morals. Over the years, marketers have used the wrong principles to boost sales, especially through advertisements and promotions where customers are not told the truth about a product so that they can buy the product (Dionna and O’Brien 20). There are many organizations that have been involved in corporate scandals that touch on ethics.
Corporations get involved in unethical behaviors in their quest to make higher sales, especially where marketers use the wrong principles in conducting their business. Ethics is an important factor in corporate scandals because any behavior of the corporation that is not right is always an ethical issue. Corporate scandals are unethical actions or illegal dealings that a company or its representative may engage in. In corporate ethics, marketers always try to be better decision makers because they want to make ethical decisions that avoid corporate scandals.
Greenwashing
Greenwashing is the kind of marketing where the marketers deceive the customers that their products and policies are environmentally friendly, so that the customers can buy the products. Greenwashing has increasingly become standard in companies, as the ‘go green’ advocacy continues worldwide. Greenwashing becomes evident in a corporation when it spends more money on advertising its “green” products compared to what it spends on environmentally related practices (Dionna and O’Brien 35). In most cases, greenwashing is found in companies that produce overall harmful products or products that contain harmful substances. Such companies spend huge amounts of money advertising their products as eco-friendly so that customers can buy. In fact, some of the companies change the labels of their products to evoke a natural environment.
The unethical side of greenwashing is the fact that companies deceive customers to buy products that they would not buy, or products that may have adverse effects on them without knowing because they have been deceived by the advertisers. A company, for instance, may sell a product that has harmful chemicals, but fail to reveal the presence of such chemicals to the customers. Instead, the company tells the customers that the product is eco-friendly.
There are a number of concerns with greenwashing’s influence on customers. For instance, the client is influenced to buy a product that is “green.’ Once they buy and use it, the harmful chemicals in the product cause adverse effects on the customer and create individual and public concern. Legally, greenwashing goes against ethical rules, while others sell products that may be considered illegal because they are not what the marketers suggest (Dionna and O’Brien 37). Morally, greenwashing is a morally wrong concept because it is all about deception, yet deception is an act that is against the moral principles of companies and the society as a whole. Ethically, greenwashing is considered unethical due to all its adverse effects, such as deception and its undue influence on the customers.
Current Event
The Dawn washing soap has been using greenwashing in its marketing strategy. It is said that the product is biodegradable; it is natural and non-toxic. The label on its dish soap has baby seals. It also depicts that it can save wildlife. In fact, the company has been donating soaps to clean animals. Although the company states that the soap can save wildlife, the soaps have an ingredient that is said to be harmful to animals. One of its contents, an antibacterial agent referred to as Triclosan, has been declared toxic. The antibacterial agent is known to be toxic to aquatic life (“10 Worst Household” News par. 3). This has led to environmental groups advocating the ban of the product. The unethical issue at play here is the company deceiving people that Dawn washing soap can save wildlife, while in the real sense it is harmful to aquatic life.
The company uses greenwashing to influence the customers’ perceptions by convincing them that the product can save wildlife and putting labels on the soap indicating that it can save wildlife. Greenwashing is misleading because it makes the customers buy the wrong products (Freeman par. 4). The Dawn washing soap gets away with deceiving customers because there are no regulations governing its conduct; hence, the company does not break any rule. It implies that the business cannot be taken to court. Dawn also uses greenwashing together with the idea of saving wildlife to convince customers to buy its products (“FTC Cracks Down” par. 8). The government needs to create rules and regulations regarding greenwashing and ensure that all companies follow the rules.
Conclusion
The Dawn washing soap is an unethical product that is marketed through the greenwashing strategy. The unethical side of greenwashing has negative consequences for customers. For instance, the customers are deceived and end up buying the wrong products. Moreover, the products end up being harmful to the customers. It means that the customers spend money on products they never required. Therefore, greenwashing leads to wastage of clients’ money.
Works Cited
“10 Worst Household Products for Greenwashing.” CBC News, 2012. Web.
“FTC Cracks Down on Misleading and Unsubstantiated Environmental Marketing Claims.” Federal Trade Commission, 2013. Web.
Dionna, Ford, and Mandy O’Brien. Homemade Cleaners: Quick-and-easy, Toxic-Free Recipes to Replace Your Kitchen Cleaner, Bathroom Disinfectant, Laundry Detergent, Bleach, Bug Killer, Air Freshener, and More. Berkeley: Ulysses Press, 2014. Print.
Freeman, Carrie Packwood. “Dawn Soap: Greenwashing Our Way to Cleaner Wildlife.” Media Commons. Web.