Public Policy Issues
Throughout the term, we have considered marketing practices which may harm
consumers. Two main issues are (1) deceptive marketing practices (such as
misleading advertising) and (2) the marketing of dangerous or otherwise
harmful products (e.g., tobacco). The following are some ethical problems that
occur in marketing, and the question arises as to which, if any, kind of
government intervention is appropriate:
o
Marketing efforts may encourage excess consumption
(e.g., products that consumers cannot afford and do not really
need). Note, however, that there are many gray areas--e.g.,
cosmetics, video games, and even something as politically correct
as a gourmet coffee houses. A special case involves marketing to
children, whose parents may be coerced, often out of guilt, to
buy questionable items aimed at children.
o
Resource depletion and waste disposal issues associated with the
above consumption
. Some European countries have mandated that manufacturers be
required to take back packaging materials for their products.
o
Deceptive marketing practices
: Products claim benefits which really do not result from use of
the product (as is done by numerous manufacturers of nutritional
supplements); advertising may be misleading (may not indicate
the true cost of a product up front or may contain "fine print" that
the consumer is unlikely to see or understand)
o
Products are unhealthy
(e.g., many children’s foods contain excessive fat)
Government action is often considered, although it may not always be
effective. For example, although the government requires the use of warning
labels on some products, manufacturers will often try to "water down" the
warnings as much as possible. Further, the prevalence of warning labels today
may desensitize consumers since reading all of them carefully would provide
the consumer with information overload.
Another issue is anti-competitive behavior. Antitrust laws are generally aimed
at prohibiting firms from conspiring to "fix" prices or collectively drop service
levels. Antitrust law is, however, a "thorny" area. Consumers may benefit, for
example, as some less efficient firms are driven out of business, and may
benefit from the efficiencies which may or may not materialize when large
firms "gobble up" smaller ones--a defense used in the Microsoft trial.
Reference: Hawkins, Del I., Roger J. Best, and Kenneth A. Coney (1998),
Consumer Behavior: Building Marketing Strategy, 7th ed., Boston: McGraw Hill.
International Marketing
Channels and Distribution
More teaching materials
Lars Perner, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Marketing
San Diego State University Imperial Valley Campus 720 Heber Ave. Calexico,
CA 92231
lperner@mail.sdsu.edu http://www.LarsPerner.com
"Birth is nature's way. Adoption is God's way!" (Source unknown)