“The tourism industry is considered one of the most important in the world and now especially after the pandemic period is one of the fastest growing fields.
We often hear talking about sustainable business and product, corporate social responsibility, ethics in marketing.
But what do they mean? And how does ethical marketing impact the behavior of the customers?
If we have to be really honest – it’s all about the emotional perception of the customers and how they consider a specific product or service, especially in tourism and culinary business.
First of all – we have to agree that the subject of ethics is really subjective and is based on the answer of questions like What is good? What is right?
And almost all of us would say – good and right is something that brings us positive emotions and experiences.
But let’s see in detail what definition could we give to ethical marketing.
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“Ethical marketing is when you promote a product, service, or brand in a way that aligns with your values and morals. It’s about making marketing decisions that are morally right.
For example – if you have a winery, maybe you produce the wine in a sustainable way or you use products of local people to support the area. You produce wine and at the same time you create positive conditions for you and for your partners.
In other words, ethical marketing is less of a marketing strategy and more of a philosophy that informs all marketing efforts.
It seeks to promote honesty, fairness, and responsibility in all advertising. Ethics is a notoriously difficult subject because everyone has subjective judgments about what is “right” and what is “wrong.”
For this reason, ethical marketing is not a hard and fast list of rules, but a general set of guidelines to assist companies as they evaluate new marketing strategies.
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“Marketing ethics are important because they help a business to support the rights and lives of consumers.
This subject is an essential part of many marketing team conversations, planning meetings and strategies. Practicing ethical marketing allows businesses to reach the following goals:
To protect the well-being of consumers: In culinary tourism this aspect is especially important since ethical marketing often involves informing consumers about the risks of products and services and protecting the physical and mental health of everyone.
For example you have to notify of some specific ingredients if you have vegan customers or think about the menu if there is some client with different religion
To support the well-being of employees: We could apply this aspect to the tourism field – it’s also important to support the well-being of marketing and other business employees.
This may involve providing adequate compensation for labor and offering reasonable work schedules.
I know of a company that follows this principle and the working day ends at 4 p.m. for the moms in order to get their children from the kindergarten
To act as a good model for other companies: By practicing ethical marketing, companies can foster a good reputation, build a positive work culture for employees and consumers and encourage other businesses to practice ethical marketing.
Businesses and consumers throughout the world can work together to support each other and solve social issues.
To attract and maintain customers: Conducting ethical marketing methods and showing care for the quality and value of goods can be an effective form of advertising and can help build a sense of trust with consumers. This can then help companies to attract and maintain customers, increase customer satisfaction and loyalty and generate essential revenue for the organization.
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“Honesty – you get what you see.
Responsibility – to accept the consequences of our marketing decisions and strategies.
Fairness – to balance justly the needs of the buyer with the interests of the seller.
Respect – to acknowledge the basic human dignity of all stakeholders.
Transparency – to create a spirit of openness in marketing operations.
Citizenship – to fulfill the economic, legal, philanthropic and societal responsibilities that serve stakeholders.
“1. First of all you have to define what ethical is for your company.
2. How you will implement the ethical marketing approach
3. In which areas of your company’s operations ethical marketing will be implemented ”
“What happens when you practice ethical marketing? In simple words you build trust and positive perception of your organization.
Your customers will see you as “human” and it will be easier for them to recognize themselves in what you offer.
And what happens when you don’t practice ethical marketing?
Here the simplest word is delusion – it takes much longer to build trust if at all possible.
So it is really important to learn how to communicate correctly, exercise brand authenticity, and leverage solid research to understand your audience and how it thinks.
Exercise full transparency and understand at a deep level the people you are serving.
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“To be socially responsible is when the organization is concerned with the people, society and environment with whom and where it conducts business.
Companies are aware that consumers are savvy and opinionated. So with this in mind, you as a company should create an ethically sound marketing plan and integrate it into all aspects of your marketing mix.
Do good not just to look good – focus on being responsible and how your company can truly help the neighborhood or country. It is in doing so that your customers, the press, and all those watching will be impressed.
For example – support small local companies and promote their products
Think about long term effects, not short term gains – it’s far easier to maintain the fidelity of your customers than to attract new customers.
If you take care of your customers they will come back for sure and will even recommend your service to other people”
“Socially conscious marketing addresses the shortcomings of traditional marketing practices and follows the philosophy of mindfulness and responsibility.
Let’s see the main aspects socially responsible marketing practice relies on.
Customer Orientation – This socially responsible practice teaches that you should base your company’s policies and operations on a consumer perspective.
Your marketer should discover the customers’ needs. As an example, maybe in your B&B services you can also offer a tour of local traditional products.
Innovation – Improving products and services in an innovative manner improves the experience for users. And improving marketing strategies, policies, and brand personality, on an ongoing basis will position your company as an innovative experience to be repeated and passed on.
Value of the product – A company that produces valuable products and focuses on offering the customer great pricing, excellent experiences and great customer service will not have to resort to pushy sales tactics and gimmicks.
The Apple brand is famous for having people happily wait in line overnight to be the first to own an upgraded product.
Sense of Mission – A clearly defined corporate mission will help companies be clear about their plans, goals, and practices.
By putting the good of the community and associates above profit, companies will indeed see an increase in the number of consumers willing to pay premium prices for their products.
Impact On Society -Unlike traditional marketing focus, which was cost reduction and profit increase, socially responsible marketers are more focused on providing goods and services consumers want, gaining feedback for improvement and giving back to the communities that helped them become who they are.
Author: Iva Vasileva
Course Features
- Lectures 1
- Quizzes 1
- Duration 10 weeks
- Skill level All levels
- Language English
- Students 3
- Certificate Yes
- Assessments Yes