After reading the American Marketing Association’s ethical standards, talk about what advice you would give to someone who is new to the industry. In your advice, discuss ethical best practices in integrated marketing communications. What is most important to keep in mind? What could potentially occur if your advice, or ethical best practices, are not followed? Explain using examples.

Discuss ethical best practices in an integrated marketing campaign.

“The American Marketing Association (AMA) has a statement of ethics that requires its members to do no harm, foster trust in the marketing system, and embrace ethical values. It lists the following attributes as ethical values: honesty, responsibility, fairness, respect, transparency and citizenship.” (Chron Contributor, 2020)
“The purpose of the AMA Code of Conduct is to define the standards of behavior expected in all interactions in the AMA community and to describe how reported violations will be handled.” (AMA, 2022)

The advice I would give someone that is new to the industry is that integrated marketing campaigns need to be consistent across channels and have a single voice. It’s important to note that when a business strives to advertise in an ethical manner, the business is impacted by being viewed more positively, increase brand loyalty, builds credibility and trust, increases customer retention, and encourages word-of-mouth advertising. (Wroblewski, 2020)
Below are examples of unethical marketing practices:

• Surrogate Advertising – In certain places there are laws against advertising products like cigarettes or alcohol. Surrogate advertising finds ways to remind consumers of these products without referencing them directly.
• Exaggeration – Some advertisers use false claims about a product’s quality or popularity. A Slogan like “get coverage everywhere on earth” advertises features that cannot be delivered.
• Puffery – When an advertiser relies on subjective rather than objective claims, they are puffing up their products. Statements like “the best tasting coffee” cannot be confirmed objectively.
• Unverified Claims – Many products promise to deliver results without providing any scientific evidence. Shampoo commercials that promise stronger, shinier hair do so without telling consumers why or how.
• Stereotyping Women – Women in advertising have often been portrayed as sex objects or domestic servants. This type of advertising traffics in negative stereotypes and contributes to a sexist culture.
• False brand comparisons – Any time a company makes false or misleading claims about their competitors they are spreading misinformation.
• Children in advertising – Children consume huge amounts of advertising without being able to evaluate it objectively. Exploiting this innocence is one of the most common unethical marketing practices.
  (Marketing Schools, 2020)

Explain potential concerns that can occur if ethical best practices are not followed.
“Unethical marketing, on the other hand, can send wrong signals about your products and services, destroy your brand’s reputation and possibly lead to legal problems. This explains why you should avoid them like a plague.” (Wroblewski, 2020)

References
Chron Contributor. (2020, October 26). Ethics in marketing communication. Small Business – Chron.com. Retrieved August 21, 2022, from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/ethics-marketing-communication-40554.html

AMA. (2022, February 28). AMA Code of Conduct. AMA Online Portal. Retrieved August 21, 2022, from https://myama.force.com/s/article/AMA-Code-of-Conduct

Wroblewski, M. T. (2020, January 21). Unethical activities in the field of marketing. Small Business – Chron.com. Retrieved August 21, 2022, from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/unethical-activities-field-marketing-65705.html

Marketing Schools. (2020, November 18). Ethical marketing. Marketing Schools. Retrieved August 21, 2022, from https://www.marketing-schools.org/types-of-marketing/ethical-marketing/#section-1