Social media

The power of social media has been attracting marketers to use it as a main channel for advertisement. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, are only a few examples out of the abundant choices. Although being an auspicious trend where both sellers and buyers can access to each other with more ease, the public has started to question whether particular marketing has gone beyond the ethical realm.

According to the Globe and Mail, “on [November 11], Health Magazine attracted some criticism [on Twitter] for suggesting that the best way to celebrate Veterans Day (the U.S. equivalent of Remembrance Day) was with a recipe from its pages for Fresh Berries with Maple Cream.”

The reaction of the public may reflect that advertisers might have abused the power of social media, and even go beyond the boundary of ethics. The disrespectful approach using Remembrance Day as a topic can be very sensitive, as it is a day to spread an educational sense where we should be thankful for what our ancestors bravely did for us.

From this article, I have gained insights that marketing can be as creative as we want, but we should try to avoid sensitive topics such as “the anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11.”

Reference: Krashinsky, Susan. “Is It Disrespectful for Advertisers to Tweet about Remembrance Day?Add to …” The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail, 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/marketing/should-companies-tweet-about-remembrance-day/article15377812/>.