Ethical Marketing. Representatives shall safeguard and promote the good reputation of the Company. Representatives shall at all times conduct their Representative-ships in a manner that reflects favorably on the Company’s Products and the good name, goodwill and reputation of The Company. Representatives shall not engage in deceptive, misleading or unethical conduct or practices that are or might be detrimental to The Company, the Company’s Products, or the public, including, without limitation, disparagement of The Company or the Company’s Products (as discussed in more detail below). Representatives shall comply with all laws, rules, regulations and governmental requirements applicable to the operation of their Representative-ships and performance under this Agreement, including the marketing, promotion and sale of the Company’s Products. In addition, Representatives shall: (i) not publish or use any misleading or deceptive advertising material regarding the Company’s Products or the Program; (ii) honor the Satisfaction Guarantee with respect to all Company’s Products; (iii) not make any statements, representations, guarantees or warranties regarding the Company’s Products or the Program that are inconsistent with those set forth in the Representative Agreement and Company’s Marketing Materials (whether with regard to prices, quality, performance, standards, grades, contents, style or model, place of origin, availability or otherwise); (iv) distribute the Company’s Products only as shipped by The Company, unopened, and with all documentation, packaging and other supplemental materials intact; and (v) not alter or modify any Company’s Product or packaging, or take any action that affects or could affect the appearance, quality, content or performance of any Company’s Product, other than as authorized or directed by The Company.
Ethical Marketing. Ethical marketing is less of a marketing strategy and more of a philosophy that informs all marketing efforts. It seeks to promote honesty, fairness, and responsibility in all advertising. Ethics is a notoriously difficult subject because everyone has subjective judgments about what is «right» and what is «wrong». For this reason, ethical marketing is not a hard and fast list of rules, but a general set of guidelines to assist companies as they evaluate new marketing strategies. There are distinct advantages and disadvantages to ethical marketing. Unethical advertising is often just as effective as it is unethical. And since unethical behavior is not necessarily against the law, there are many companies who use unethical advertising to gain a competitive advantage. Many people buy diet pills even though they are rarely, if ever, effective. This is because some diet pill companies use exaggerated and manipulative claims to essentially trick customers into buying these products. If that same company committed to using ethical advertising they would probably go out of business. However sneaky their business model may be, it is not illegal and it is keeping their doors open. For companies looking to improve the image of a brand and develop long- term relationships with customers, this kind of unethical behavior can quickly lead to failure. Customers do not want to feel manipulated by the brands they like. Companies can use ethical marketing as a way to develop a sense of trust among their customers. If a product lives up to the claims made in its advertising, it reflects positively on the entire company. It can make the consumer feel like the company is invested in the quality of the products and the value they provide customers. Dove soap, for instance, ran a widely seen ad campaign featuring “real” models. The ad was meant to promote realistic body images and encourage girls to love the way they looked even if they were not supermodels. Dove marketed ethically in one campaign and unethically in another. This illustrates how difficult it is to do the right thing in all circumstances. What is most important for any company that claims to practice ethical advertising is to make it a fundamental feature of their marketing process. Every company has the opportunity to engage in ethical marketing. Any business, from the smallest mom and pop store to the biggest multinational corporation can choose to be open, honest, and fair when they advertise to their customers...
