Marketing Ethics: Selling Doesn’t Have to Be Sleazy (5 Real-World Examples)

Marketing Ethics: Selling Doesn’t Have to Be Sleazy (5 Real-World Examples)

Reader Comments (14)

  1. Thanks for once again sharing a great post, Stefanie! I always get so much out of each one! I don’t have a marketing example to share off the top of my head, but I am taking your input to heart as I continue to develop my own writing business online. I find it an interesting (and somewhat challenging) experience moving from strictly conventional methods to embrace the internet world! I do love it, though! Thanks again!

  2. The first statement about equating marketing with sleaziness caught my attention.

    That’s not to say that I agree with it but moreso to add this to the conversation.. Marketing, like anything else can be seen in a very negative way when it’s done unethically, is self-serving and doesn’t promote a good product or service.

    The next statement that caught my attention is that when you have a great product it deserves really good marketing.

    We often times undersell ourselves because we aren’t sure that what we’re selling warrants the price tag associated with it. I think many content marketers have been guilty of this and confidence in the content that we’re producing and in the art of writing is certainly worth display and a platform.

    As this article stays, “My services deserved to be marketed, and the same is true for your writing business”.

    With that said, the ad about McDonalds is one that I really connected with on this article that aligned really well with the comment on how remarkable products deserve stellar marketing. You don’t know what you don’t know until you know what you don’t know and without the marketing that took place for this ad, others would not have discovered their great deal.

    That’s great marketing which also begs the question.. what services or products do you have that people don’t know about because you haven’t invested the time into marketing it ?

    There are so many good bloggers online with phenomenal content and sellable writing services that absolutely no one knows about because of poor marketing.

    All in all, this article re-energizes the reality that marketing is necessary and an absolute good thing for all industries when it is done ethically.

  3. Stephanie,

    As a former purchaser, I met plenty of sleazy salespeople during the years, but overall I enjoyed the marketing material by our supplies and other companies that I got in contact with.

    I am now a social media evangelist, podcaster, and aspiring author (writing a book series on tea). I base my marketing activities on the trader principle and positive referrals by the word of mouth.

    • I actually encountered a marketing/sales situation yesterday that didn’t sit right with me, and I said to the friend I was with, “See! That’s what people think marketing is! They get the wrong idea.”

      But it doesn’t have to be like that. 😉

  4. Hi Stefanie,

    It’s a great post. Short but meaty.
    Since you asked for the example, I want to share my eBook cover design story. I tried to play with the design myself, probably, because I love being creative, but I’m in no position to be called a graphic designer – it’s not my area of expertise either. But, I needed the eBook cover.

    The eBook’s name was, “How to Start Freelancing When You Have Zero Experience.”

    So I came up with an idea to design an eBook cover with a large text portraying the name, with the digit zero as the eBook logo. It worked out very well. In fact, some blog readers applauded the audacity for being creative and coming up with something different.

  5. I love these real-life happening right now examples, they show that marketing is everywhere all around us whether we realize it or not, and it definitely doesn’t feel sleazy 🙂

  6. I teach advertising so I always get treated like the Mistress of the Dark Arts when people find out what I do. Apparently, I force people to buy things they don’t need. *eye roll* But look at all the amazing things advertising has been able to highlight, like the Always ‘Like A Girl’ campaign. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and realise you have to sell something, but as long as it’s something you believe in wholeheartedly you’re not selling it, you’re sharing it.

    • Love these two points, LJ!

      Advertising is essentially a form of communication … so as you highlight, yes, it can be used for a positive message. 🙂

      And since people do need and want things, they’re going to look for the products or services that best suit them. If you’re in business, you’re responsible for showing prospects what you have and why it’s special.

  7. Thank you, Stefanie, for writing such an awesome article on marketing ethics.

    I’m just starting off with digital marketing, and your blog post has helped me figure out what to do next.

    • Stephanie,

      As a former purchaser, I met plenty of sleazy salespeople during the years, but overall I enjoyed the marketing material by our supplies and other companies that I got in contact with.

      I am now a social media evangelist, podcaster, and aspiring author (writing a book series on tea). I base my marketing activities on the trader principle and positive referrals by the word of mouth.

  8. Thanks for the great info! I’ve talked to people who think marketing involves “tricking” people into buying things they don’t need, when in fact it’s just making them aware of something they already need.

This article's comments are closed.