Irresponsible marketing contributed to the Delhi gang rape case. LK Gupta’s article titled Marketing and Social Responsibility comments on this phenomenon.
As marketeers cater to the wants and desires of their consumers, many marketing campaigns have capitalized on men’s desire for females. Here’s one ad I remember watching as a child:
Blue Girl Beer Ad – An example of a common ad that shows how men can win over women by consuming its product
Whether it is a brand trying to promote its beer, mint-flavored gum, or luxurious hotel rooms, all these companies have the common theme of capitalizing on men’s desire for women. While these may seem like smart marketing strategies, the effects can be detrimental in encouraging the objectification of women and an unhealthy obsession with “getting women.”
In India, similar ads, which show “a cricketing hero talking about how to use a phone to ‘pataao’ girls,” are common. The ultimate victim is the whole of society, males who are unable to control their sexual desires and females who are taken advantage of.
While it is ridiculous to place all the blame on marketeers, marketeers should be cautious of the values and behaviors their ads encourage. Marketeers must ask themselves, are their ads socially responsible?
I believe there is an easy fix to this problem. Personally, not only do I find ads like Blue Girl Beer’s unattractive, I also find firms that publicize such ads depicting the typical union of hot females and males completely unoriginal. Firms can solve this ethical dilemma, and simultaneously boost sales, by coming up with more creative ads that focus on socially beneficial messages.
They can learn a lot from some of Nike’s successful ads.
Nike – A creative ad that smartly markets its products while promoting the message of “Write the Future”