SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN MARKETING AND ADVERTISING

Abstract

Advertising must follow certain moral principles, certain rules and should not degrade or adversely comment on any other entity be it another brand, product or ant part of the society (certain class, gender or age of people). But this isn’t always the case. Brands often forget that they have certain responsibility when spreading their message and the scale audience they affect. Social responsibility in marketing is often discussed with ethics. The difference between the two is that what’s considered ethical in terms of business, society and individually may not be the same thing––nor do all business actions necessarily have to be socially responsible in order to be considered ethical. Some viewpoints of socially responsible behaviour espouse that the qualifying marketing actions not simply meet the minimum ethical guidelines of business, but voluntarily exceed them. The Advertising Standards Authority in the UK has laid down some rules which suggest that all marketing communication should be socially responsible. Therefore, any content which is irresponsible or incites such behaviour from the audience can be brought to the concern of the Authority. A variety of topics such as alcohol, violence, objectification, body image, drugs, tobacco, etc fall under the socially irresponsible category when used inappropriately by the marketer. Social responsibility is more effective when a company takes it on voluntarily, as opposed to being required by the government to do so through regulation. Social responsibility can boost company morale, and this is especially true when a company can engage employees with its social causes. Business ethics are of utmost importance in international relations as well. It is obvious, that while acting in their own interests, multi-national companies must also consider their role as intermediaries for the exchange of economic and social development. As such companies tend to have a lasting impact on the parties they engage with during their business activities, the ethical issues should become an important element of the overall planning of their organization.