Ethical Marketing

Ethical Implications of Target Marketing
Johnny Jarrett
Issues in Marketing
February 16, 2013
Ethical Implications of Target Marketing Marketing to a target market of consumers is one of the most important and crucial

elements in marketing.

Those that market products or services have always tried by many ways to recognize

who their potential buyers are. Companies make many efforts by spending money

to come up with ways to get the consumer to alter their purchasing decisions. I feel that

there is nothing wrong with trying to get a potential purchaser of an item or service is

necessary to the success of a company or business. Unfortunately marketers are

identifying who their target audience is. Marketers are now shooting straight for the age

group, race, marital status and even religion. Is this ethical to do? Or is it wide open for

the business to try to market to its buyers in this manner?

Is it ethical to market to target a certain group even though they may not have all of

the information on the products or services just because of who the company or business

thinks will buy their products or services? Has age been looked at to see if there is an

understanding? No. Is the company looking at the payback ability of those that are on

fixed income? What if the target group is not able to accommodate all the target groups

equally? Should companies target products to one racial group and not the other?

I believe that the risk assessment to this target marketing in this manner is very low. I feel

that because we as adults who buy for ourselves also have the ability to comprehend what

the product or service is going to benefit us and can decide for ourselves. When the

business or company only markets to only blacks, only whites, only Latino unethical? Of

course it is. Just like any and every other form of marketing, a need is exploited; and so is

almost every other kind of marketing. You are trying to exploit a need, a want and the

market that maybe has not been covered by the competition.

I see it on television all the time. Is it wrong that I only see Kool-Aid commercials on

primarily Hispanic and African American television stations? Yes it. But unfortunately

that’s the way marketing works. Marketing finds a lack, come up with a plan to meet that need and put a

marketing strategy together to market to that gap. Therefore if a company or business

does not take advantage of this information and market study it is setting itself up for

failure.

References
"Kraft Targeting Hispanic Market with Kool-Aid." Vista Hispano: Kraft Targeting Hispanic Market with Kool-Aid. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2013.

References: "Kraft Targeting Hispanic Market with Kool-Aid." Vista Hispano: Kraft Targeting Hispanic Market with Kool-Aid. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2013.