Divulgence of ethics

The ethical issues that were discussed by my peers covered a broad spectrum of the topic. As we diverged our thoughts in two different perspectives mainly education and business use of social media, it was clear this subject was a divulgence of the ethical aspect of the “medium” that we are exposed to every single day.

As I took on a business perspective of the subject, I was intrigued by some of the insightful thoughts of my peers. The question of “morality” was reiterated by Sherdale (2014) when she discussed about “unreported endorsements” by Walmart. Kelly (2014) reinforced the idea by revealing the concept of “paid reviews” on user-generated content (UGC) sites that may question the “genuinity” of the content. These ideas struck me on what exactly was the motivation of businesses to undertake such questionable strategies to gain publicity.

This brought me back to the module on “Strategic Marketing Decisions” delivered by Dr. Bev (2014). He explained that “brand advocacy” was what companies were ultimately trying to achieve.

Customer Purchase Funnel by Meltwater

This “organic” content that Marketers are hungry for (Meltwater 2014) is what motivates such undertakings. Even though this concept does not address the “insensitivity stunts” pulled off by some companies, it was another concept that was introduced indirectly in the module through PR, a free medium. “Awareness” that is achieved through such stunts generates the “buzz” that the company desires. This was explained very well by Sara (2014) in her reflective post on “controversy sells”.

Ultimately, businesses must be aware of the line drawn between “influencers” and “brand advocates” (Convince and Convert 2014). I believe that blurring this line is when ethical issues are raised as it dilutes the “organic” content of social media. From this infographic by Zuberance, it clearly defines what are the distinct differences!

References:

Convince and Convert, 2014. Social Media Influencers versus Brand Advocates Infographic. Available at: http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/social-media-influencers-versus-brand-advocates-infographic/ [Accessed December 8, 2014].

Goh, S., 2014. Don’t “Flog” Around! Available at: https://eladrehs.wordpress.com/2014/12/05/dont-flog-around/comment-page-1/#comment-16 [Accessed December 8, 2014].

Hulbert, B., 2014. Strategic Marketing Decisions: Lecture 2 Value of Customers.

Lee, S.D., 2014. Reflection: Social media can make or break your business. Available at: http://saradanlee.wordpress.com/2014/12/08/reflection-social-media-can-make-or-break-your-business/ [Accessed December 8, 2014].

Meltwater, 2014. How PR Impacts and Benefits from Brand Advocacy. Available at: http://www.meltwater.com/public-relations-blog/pr-brand-advocacy/ [Accessed December 8, 2014].

Wee, K., 2014. Unethical issues when businesses uses social media the wrong way. Available at: http://kellysayswee.wordpress.com/2014/12/05/unethical-issues-when-businesses-uses-social-media-the-wrong-way/comment-page-1/#comment-33 [Accessed December 8, 2014].

Comments made on:

Goh, S., 2014. Don’t “Flog” Around! Available at: https://eladrehs.wordpress.com/2014/12/05/dont-flog-around/comment-page-1/#comment-16 [Accessed December 8, 2014].

Wee, K., 2014. Unethical issues when businesses uses social media the wrong way. Available at: http://kellysayswee.wordpress.com/2014/12/05/unethical-issues-when-businesses-uses-social-media-the-wrong-way/comment-page-1/#comment-33 [Accessed December 8, 2014].

The question of “Morality”

Social media has become a powerful tool for businesses to deliver a message to its’ consumers. “Amplification” is one of the elements that are being created through social media (Forbes 2014). However, some of the ethical issues that they face may bring detrimental effects on the brand (Insider 2012). I believe that one of the most significant issues would be the exploitation of others’ misfortune.

Urban Outfitter’s Tweet

Kenneth Cole’s Tweet

These are just some of the unethical tweets where companies use to exploit the misfortune of others for the benefit of gaining publicity. I believe that this strategy undertaken by such companies should be avoided. Companies must be aware that the full control of their brand is no longer in their hands (Forbes 2014). The development of the Web has shifted the power of the brand to its consumers. Even though the “buzz” created may be strong, the brand may be tarnished.

Personally, I feel that it has become a norm for companies to adopt such strategy and only to “apologize” for their “insensitivity” later on. I believe that such occurrences will recur, as there is no law that governs the use of such “insensitive” stunts by companies. Despite the “backlash” some of these companies received from the digital sphere, they are still maintaining the same strategy:

Kenneth Cole tweets, again

Huffington Post (2013) reveals that Kenneth Cole explained that this was purportedly done to engage consumers. The company even hires a crisis management firm to deal with the “backlash” that it receives. The controversy that is built upon such inappropriate tweets have created the “buzz” and even boosted their company’s performance. It is indeed an upsetting trend.

This issue has clearly taught us that as powerful as how social media can be, some companies may exploit the most out of it regardless of ethics. Once a controversy is sparked, the “amplification” of such tweets may be endless. “#hasjustinelandedyet” is a prime example of such amplification. As we have discussed the issue of “authenticity” in the previous post, it is vital for businesses to understand this concept as well. I do uphold the belief as quoted by Simon Sinek (2009) that “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”. But when the question of ethics arises, companies will be questioned upon their morality.

References:

Bam, K.F., 2014. The true concept of “Authenticity.” Available at: https://bamsoton.wordpress.com/2014/12/04/the-true-concept-of-authenticity/ [Accessed December 4, 2014].

Forbes, 2014. The Explosive Growth Of Influencer Marketing And What It Means For You. Forbes. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kylewong/2014/09/10/the-explosive-growth-of-influencer-marketing-and-what-it-means-for-you/ [Accessed December 5, 2014].

HuffingtonPost, 2013. Kenneth Cole: Offensive Tweets Are Simply Good Business Strategy. HuffingtonPost. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/06/kenneth-cole-twitter_n_3881085.html [Accessed December 5, 2014].

Insider, B., 2012. The 9 Biggest Brand Fails Exploiting Hurricane Sandy. Business Insider. Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-9-biggest-brand-fails-exploiting-hurricane-sandy-2012-11?IR=T&op=1 [Accessed December 5, 2014].

Sinek, S., 2009. TED: How great leaders inspire action. Available at: http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?language=en#t-188800 [Accessed December 4, 2014].

The Independent, 2013. PR executive Justine Sacco apologises after losing job over racist Aids “joke” provoked #HasJustineLandedYet Twitter storm. The Independent. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/pr-executive-justine-sacco-apologises-after-losing-job-over-racist-aids-joke-provoked-hasjustinelandedyet-twitter-storm-9020809.html [Accessed December 5, 2014].