Managing Marketing Communication with Sensitivity
Because marketing communication is so public by its very nature, it is constantly scrutinized for false promises, misleading statements, and the undermining of social values. In the marketplace of brand messages, constant tension exists among marketers (who want to take advantage of every way they can to persuade people to buy their products), the many laws regulating commercial speech, and the many social mores against which brand messages are measured. Responsible companies want to develop the most effective, attention-grabbing ad campaigns possible, yet they know that if they push beyond acceptable limits-which often are more gray than black and white-they can tarnish their image and risk fines and public humiliation. To make things even more complex, different audiences have different standards against which they evaluate brand messages.
Marketers must continually strive to be competitive while at the same time being legal and ethical in what they say and how they say it. This is why marketing communicators must have a basic understanding of what is and is not socially acceptable, what is legal and illegal, and what is ethical and unethical. This chapter focuses on explaining the issues, standards, guidelines, and regulations that have been put in place by various organizations and government bodies. The chapter's objective is to make you sensitive to the social, ethical, and legal issues that relate to managing the marketing communications that create and sustain customer relationships.
