When I accidentally saw this promotional slogan online, I sat in front of the computer, astonished and conflicted. It is clear that an ethical issue is related to this phrase, as it unintentionally (or may be intentionally) displays discriminatory views towards females. At the same time, however, the idea of putting and comparing girlfriend and workout seems to rather unique and interesting, and it does catches consumer’s attentions. This leads to a conflict between ethics and creativity, which is common in the world of business.
Being bombarded by advertisements and information, consumers tend to remember slogans that relate to their personal values and beliefs or unique ones. In this case, Rebook has decided to go creative and innovative. By emphasizing the importance of relationship, and then saying that it is less important than exercises, Rebook successfully delivered their message that people should workout more, and increased their brand popularity (or may be controversy). This slogan is creative, in the sense that Rebook is the first company that created, and broadcasted it. Nevertheless, this would indeed affect customer loyalty, since Rebook’s target includes both male and female. It is legitimate to assume that female buyers will be offended by this slogan, because Rebook demonstrates an offensive attitude that encourages males to be disloyal to their romantic partners. This does not seem to be a wise move, because such attitude is ethically unacceptable, and is against the values of the main stream society. The consequence this slogan generates outweighs the benefit gained by the company, which makes Rebook rather inconsiderate and careless.
Because there are some overlap between the business ethics and the beliefs and morals of the society, it is a risky behaviour to engage in advertisements that creates controversy and debate. In this case of Rebook, what they have done is a little bit over border and is unacceptable. Therefore, business should take social norms and values in consideration while making advertisements, since It is not only important to make creative ones, but also vital to make morally acceptable ones.
Picture URL:
http://ethicsalarms.com/2012/03/22/unethical-advertising-slogan-of-the-month-reebok/