Ethics are the moral principles that guide decision-making and strategy. An ethically and socially responsible business is likely act morally in its treatment towards workers, customers, shareholders and the natural environment. Unethical Marketing is a form of unethical business and refers to the actions that cause offense to members of the general public. Examples of unethical marketing include the bait-and-switch, whereby a deal that is too good to be true is advertised to entice customers and when customers are finally hooked on a deal they discover that the deal is no longer available or was not what was advertised. Other unethical marketing strategies involve unsubstantial claims such as “4/5 people prefer.” which uses promotional declaration that cannot be proved or product misrepresentation e.g. the Rasberry phone.
The advertisement below by the clothing brand Sisley depicts two women snorting what is obviously a shirt but could be perceived as an illegal substance as suggested by the words junkie. The ad indirectly promotes drugs to a target audience of young girls, therefore being highly unethical.
http://images.teamsugar.com/files/users/0/3987/28_2007/sisley.preview.jpg
The advertisement by the United Colors of Benetton, another clothing brand on the other hand uses a false photograph of Pope Benedict XVI and Egyptian figure head Ahmed El-Tayeb sharing a kiss. It does not only disrespect religion, but also homosexuality and international relations, making it extremely unethical.
http://www.ethicsingraphicdesign.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/pope_image.jpg
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