Digital marketing in Bangladesh is rapidly becoming one of the significant sources of customer outreach for brands. With the growth of IT and the internet, digital marketing has become an essential tool for marketers across the country. The scope of digital marketing is extensive. It covers digital marketing, online advertising, and advertisements through various electronic channels. Consumers can be approached in a timely and cost-effective manner through digital marketing. Although digital marketing offers great opportunities for consumers, there are some issues to be careful about. We still lack ethical aspects of digital marketing, such as consumer privacy (e.g., video examples of consumers without their consent) and intellectual property violation (e.g., in car wash promotion, the agent uses foreign footage). It could happen for two reasons: first, we may lack proper awareness of how to be ethical and sustainable; second, we may cherish rapid prosperity through dishonest means.
Before committing to an internet marketing plan, there are a few things marketers need to know. Today, ethical challenges in internet marketing are receiving more attention and discussion. Social media has become a substantial moral concern in business and, if not managed properly, may harm a company’s image. However, ethical considerations are not restricted to social media; there are several areas of digital marketing that should be ethically evaluated. Before participating in an honest internet marketing campaign, marketers must be aware of the following ethical problems in online marketing:
For example, keeping old clients is as vital as gaining new ones. Customer loyalty depends on several things. Trustworthiness, product quality, customer satisfaction, and ethical company practices are all critical. In today’s fast-paced, competitive corporate world, client contentment may be challenging to sustain. Promoting a company’s unique selling proposition (USP) is even more difficult, which needs investment in personnel, retail locations, internet platforms, warehouse and logistics management, and practical and distinctive marketing methods. Studies show that ethical business practices boost a company’s bottom line. This increases consumer purchases, customer retention, customer satisfaction, and the firm’s competitive edge.
In today’s fast-changing world, it is not easy to know, understand, persuade, and engage with customers without cutting-edge technology. SEO and digital marketing are employed widely in a growing nation like Bangladesh. Every business’s most successful market leaders are implementing new digital marketing techniques and practices ethically. Because of greater specialisation and personalisation, contemporary customers see products from multiple perspectives. Advertising now includes AI and other technologies. Artificial intelligence is prevalent in the world’s most advanced economies. This method can use data to determine what consumers want and how users search and navigate.
Thus, with digital marketing, marketers must have ethical concerns in marketing. Online marketing has been effective because it enables businesses to target advertisements based on specific demographics. Using cookies and online tracking, search engines can acquire information about a user, such as their location, age, and hobbies. Online marketers utilise this information to offer goods and services directly to customers. But what happens if an organisation obtains this information without permission? Before a customer engages with an digital marketer, privacy regulations for all ethical online marketing techniques should be made known for permission.
Everyone is aware of the significance of copyright laws, but ethical concerns in digital marketing are constantly being raised. We may take “Google bombing” as an example; an unethical strategy used to increase a website’s rating on Google searches by connecting the site’s content to another site that consistently ranks well. The ethical method for businesses to manage customer data is quite clear, such as protecting the personal information provided by customers, keeping it safe, and never divulging information without authorisation. However, what happens when a business is hacked? Hackers have grown more adept at evading security measures used by ethical marketers. In contrast, typically, hackers acquire access to a website through a flaw in the server’s hosting system, which gives them access to private data kept on that server or comparable servers. They then use this information unlawfully to collect other information via phishing efforts, such as credit card and bank information.
Nevertheless, it is essential to adhere to rigorous guidelines while keeping personal information secure. Numerous internet marketers choose to promote their goods and services through advertisements on third-party websites. Marketers can use a third party to get their ads on different websites, but they should consider how well the website fits with the company’s values and ethics.
Besides, professional-looking advertisements are also essential for ensuring that internet marketers ethically communicate their message. A “social media influencer” is a person with a massive following on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram who has the power to influence the purchase decisions of numerous people. Several social media influencers have recommended items without disclosing that they were paid to do so. This affects the efficacy and authenticity of a campaign.
The increasing ethical issues in internet marketing should not deter ethical marketers from promoting goods and services using ethical methods. Before initiating an honest campaign there should be effort on the part of the marketer to establish trust.
Virtual and augmented reality are innovative technologies. Augmented reality in marketing may cause anxiety. Marketing should employ technology to poll and analyse client preferences. With current technologies, marketers can forecast consumers’ experiences, expectations, and buying processes. A company must use ethical marketing to promote a product or service that fits its honesty, transparency, accountability, or fair trade standards.
The marketing sector is continually open to discoveries and breakthroughs since marketing strategy development and new market elements are ongoing activities. In addition to tried-and-true tactics, marketers should work on building emotional relationships with their target audience. Artificial intelligence and other technologies that investigate mental processes and forecast future behaviour may assist. If a marketers want to be ethical agents of social change, they need to be able to change and get better all the time.
Last not the least, ethical marketing is in its infancy on social media and other digital platforms in Bangladesh. Unethical marketing prioritises profit. Unethical marketing involves deceptive statements, unsolicited promotion, and defaming rivals. Ethical marketing demands internal and external integrity, humility, and honesty. Consumer needs should be met. This may require balancing ethical principles and client demands.
Dr. Mohammad Shahidul Islam is Assistant Professor of Marketing, BRAC Business School, BRAC University
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