Download Detrimental Effects of Marketing Practices on Consumers` Buying

Business Management Dynamics
Vol.2, No.10, Apr 2013, pp.01-05
Detrimental Effects of Marketing Practices on Consumers’ Buying Behaviors
Hanan Iftekhar*1, Arslan Ayub*2, Adeel Razzaq*3 and Muhammad Salman Aslam*4
Abstract
Marketing practices are important for organizations to promote their products
and deliver solutions to the consumers. They are bound to make an effective
contribution towards society while satisfying the needs of the consumers by
delivering product and services. Yet if the marketing practices turn detrimental
to the noble cause stated above, the situation worsens and Consumers are at
losing end. This piece of writing is an effort by the author to point out such
practices and encourage discussion as how to curb the impacts of such
detrimental practices and maintain the balance among the stakeholders
especially the consumers. In recent times, such marketing practices are being
used on large scale and the element of materialism has added fuel to fire as the
organizations in order to beat the competition; tend to go beyond the limit where
ethical standards are sacrificed. The paper is based on extensive literature
review and discusses in depth the historical perspective on the issue.
Key words: Detrimental
Marketing Practices, Consumer
Buying Behavior, Marketing
Dilemma, Advertising,
Consumer Rights
Available online
www.bmdynamics.com
ISSN: 2047-7031
INTRODUCTION
Historically it is a practice to make the product known to the end users and consumers. At different
times, different marketing modes and practices have been utilized to ensure the conveyance of the
message to intended masses. However, in recent times, the degree of competition among the brands has
increased rapidly leaving every organization to think and rethink its marketing strategies and every
organization is trying level best to reach the customer first and that too with a better and convenient
package. The scenario apparently seems very straightforward yet many questionable practices lay in
depth and once if the probe is pondered, the results are shocking.
The organizations in spite of meeting their targets and intended goals have started overlooking the right
of the consumers who are paying for the services and products (Andreasen and Manning, 1990). From
deliberate manipulation of facts about a product to creation of a need that actually is not material, many
malpractices are prevailing. Organizations now bother more about making profits rather than delivering
the appropriate solutions, one example is of creating a need among the consumers and later addressing it
with solutions (Barnett, 2001). Pharmaceutical companies are considered the worst in this scenario as to
sell their products; they approach the medical practitioners and seek their help to make up customer’s
mind by developing a situation that actually does not exist. However, our study is not limited to any
particular product or industry, yet it is general in nature and the aspiration of author is to bring such
practices to light, so that the level of customer’s awareness may be increased.
By highlighting these aspects, author intends to suggest a matter of concern to be addressed on priority
basis and to add to the customer’s knowledge. The study is directed is an effort to help the consumers in
spotting any mal practice as their interest are being sacrificed. A number of such mal marketing practices
are very carefully discussed with proper logics and in the light of previous studies to validate the effort.
The study does not challenge the notion of marketing rather questions its mal functions that are put to
work very strategically and later leading to consumer rights violation. However, the hypothesis and
model discussed is presented before the research groups to for evaluation and comments and if the
model can be utilized for empirical testing at a later stage.
* MS Scholar, Iqra University Islamabad, Pakistan
1 [email protected]
2 [email protected]
3 [email protected]
4 [email protected]
©Society for Business and Management Dynamics
Business Management Dynamics
Vol.2, No.10, Apr 2013, pp.01-05
LITERATURE REVIEW
Ingram, Skinner and Taylor (2005) stated that if the committed consumers perceive the corporate actions
of an organization as unethical, there are certain chances that the organization may lose its loyal
consumers and ultimately the customer bucket shrinks. Alexander (2002) suggested that unethical
marketing behavior influences customer’s behavior in marketplace, as the customer is sensitive enough to
understand though to some extent that the right is being overrun. The customer perceives company’s
behavior as unappealing; in the course of buying, he/she (customer) may deny the products (Bone, and
Corey, 2000). The sense of one’s rights being violated impulse such behavior and in return the
consequences are severe. Ingram et.al (2005) further adds that customer commitment is driven by
psychological or emotional attachment to a brand or company. However, the judgment of the ethical
behavior varies with individuals and for companies while initiating any marketing drive, it is necessary
to understand how the stakeholders design the parameters of judgment (Carpenter, Rashi, and
Nakamoto, 1994).
Jones (1991) states that any behavior that is illegal or morally unacceptable to larger community is
referred to an unethical marketing behavior. Actions like a negative word of mouth, the frequency of
complaints lodged and a few third party survey, are the factors that help the consumers determine their
opinion about a brand and in specific a product (Carrigan, and Attalla, 2001). The seriousness of
consequences exhibited by the marketing strategies and social consensus, affect the decision making
process of the buyer (Carrigan, Marinova and Szmigin, 2005). Logically, the customer is consciously
evaluating the company’s contribution towards society and the hidden interests of marketing initiatives.
There are number of marketing practices that are considered contradictory to the marketing ethics,
persuading the consumer with deceptive information and trying to maneuver the customer’s buying
behavior (Chen, Ganesan, and Liu, 2009).
Rotfeld (2005) states that it is a patent unethical practice, when marketing people hide vital facts about a
product from a customer rather deliver false information only to boost their sales; he further adds that,
most of the marketing “experts” make a wrong use of customer’s desire to believe as mostly, consumers
prefer sports over education and entertainment over science. The practice of using the public icons like
actors, sportsmen and other inspirational elements work on the line to use the element of emotional
attachment of the individuals with their role models (Creyer and Ross, 1997). In addition, marketers in
advertising their products exploit the use of erotic sex appeals in ads for attracting customers (Ayub, et
al., 2013). Bello, Etzel, and Pits (1983) defined sex appeal as the use of sexual attractiveness and
appearance of nudity in ads.
It is also a point to note that in the past, subliminal messaging has also been used to manipulate
consumers’ paradigm of choice. Subliminal messaging is a technique introduced in 1950s to advertise
products in movies. Rogers (2003), refers to a claim made by a failing research firm that he used
subliminal messaging in a movie to boost the sales of popcorns and drinks. Actually, the marketing
agents try to take undue advantage of a customer’s psychic and instead develop a need for him/her that
literally is not desired. However, for many products the customer is so obsessed to believe anything that
comes their way (Rotfeld, 2005). For example, a number of weight loss products are a source of attraction
for overweight individuals and they are not bothered to evaluate the product or question its safety,
whereas the marketers deliberately skip the possible consequences that are associated with the use of that
product.
To further validate, Smith and Cooper (1997) state that any product that carries unsafe characteristics or
ingredients towards its intended use is a harmful product. As the concept of “harm chain” introduced by
Polonsky, Carlson and Fry (2003) which was actually developed to evaluate the characteristics of a
product and evaluate as if it includes any harmful ingredients. The companies that catch more eyes
among the public as a positive force will have to face more public scrutiny (Stoll, 2002).
Furthermore companies now days tend to spend more on spreading word about their contribution
towards society rather than actually, what they spend. Stoll (2002) adds that Phillip Morris once spent
three times more money on advertising their social work they actually did. Here, companies tend to put
curtains on the damage they dealt to the consumers in lieu of questionable marketing practices while
taking undue advantage of customer’s psychic (Sun, Chen and Wang, 2012). Moreover, such
©Society for Business and Management Dynamics
Business Management Dynamics
Vol.2, No.10, Apr 2013, pp.01-05
philanthropic deeds are brought into light as a reaction to negative public opinion due to past misdeeds
(Rogers, 2003). Academically, the issue of scrutinizing the issue of marketing practices is under
consideration of research groups and particular focus is on the ethics gap developed in response to
allegedly deceptive marketing practices (Quelch, 1993).
Holley (1987) argues that repetitive ads are considered as bully that doesn’t give the customer enough
time and space to think and decide rather generate a pulse. The mass marketing activities make way for
advertisers to define a scenario of a good life and then manipulate our desires and exploiting the
insecurities without giving any chance to think critically and evaluate the choice and define their own
parameters of a good life (Mason, 2000).
Unethical Marketing
Practices
Manipulated
Consumers choice
Influenced Buying
Behavior
HYPOTHESES
Following hypothesis as extracted out of the model suggested:
H1: The Unethical Marketing practices are directed towards manipulation of consumer choice/
H2: Manipulated consumer choice results in Influenced Buying behavior of the consumers
DISCUSSION
As mentioned in the literature review, the practices that are critically and unreasonably manipulating the
consumers buying behavior are much in to act. Now days people are obsessed with a lot of desires and in
order to fulfill one they turn back towards the important factor that is scrutiny and the marketing agents
unfortunately are taking full advantage if this. However, consumers are perceived as innocent souls and
with little knowledge about the product they most of the times fail to distinguish between the usefulness
of the product they intend for. The said model depicts a sense of curiosity to evaluate the notion as if the
marketing agents use manipulation techniques to influence consumer’s buying behavior.
The organizations at will and quite daringly overlook the ethical standards and put behind the
obligations to deliver to the society rather than taking the undue advantage and increasing their profit
ratio by sacrificing the free will of the consumer. In their stance they appear to be well justified as their
interests are being well served, yet the consumers are at losing end in all this process. Practices like,
hiding or faking the information, creating undue needs and later addressing them, subliminal messaging
and spreading words about philanthropic activities to cover all the misdeeds, are putting the consumers
at a very uncomfortable place with not much but little of the chance to opine.
With the historic perspectives, such practices have been occurring in the past but in recent times the
intensity has increased to a greater degree and such practices, which used to be occasional are now
carried out regularly. The marketing initiatives are designed in a way to serve the stated cause and
organizations appear to be obsessed with the fact to increase their profit ratio while sacrificing the
consumers’ rights at any cost.
CONCLUSION
Conclusively, the practices discussed are detrimental and the marketing ethics are being violated at every
step leaving consumers astray. Organizations appear to be controlling the consumers buying behavior by
any means and the most absolute means of all is through manipulation. Not much space is left with the
consumer to think and decide rather they are unduly directed to opt any option due to false and
unrealistic situations created by the organizations. Author encouraged research groups to give the fact a
thought and think on the lines discussed in this piece of work. The situation if not dealt properly will
continue to worsen and no sooner than later the adversity will increase landing the consumer blocks in
sheer trouble.
©Society for Business and Management Dynamics
Business Management Dynamics
Vol.2, No.10, Apr 2013, pp.01-05
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