Let’s get one thing straight. Controversy sells. Think about it. How many times have you read, shared, liked, and even believed a news article, image, or video? We are all guilty of it, but who is to blame for this unethical sharing of content? Companies who provide the content, platforms who host it, or is it our fault?
Companies
There was a time where a company could throw another company under the bus and get away with it. Today, that is not the case. Companies should follow a “code of ethics” in which they have to be careful not to mention others in their advertisement or risk lawsuits and controversy.
There are, however, many times where a company has to take a risk, which causes controversy but is ethically sound. One of the best examples is in 2012, Oreo Cookie’s posted a photo of a multi-colored cookie with the colors of the rainbow. Sounds harmless right? Well in that one post on Facebook, Oreo stated its strong support of Gay rights.
This single post was shared over 5,000 times with more than 50,000 comments, and 300,000 likes. The outcome of the image (Kakkar, 2018) included:
- Heated conversations
- Debates amongst cookie lovers
- A boycott
Just about seven years later, most people probably have forgotten this post ever existed as new controversy and unethical marketing/strategy start to take form. They are easy to spot when you know what you are looking for.
When it comes to staying ethically sound some companies go as far as setting a code of conduct. According to Contently, an online platform where creators and publishers can connect and publish content. The company has multiple ethical codes that the creators and buyers must follow. These rules are straightforward and some include (Snow, 2012):
- Being accountable
- Seeking the truth
- Protect privacy
- Give credit
- Deliver and pay on time
- Never ask to violate code of ethics
- Ensure readers understand the content
- Do not change work
These rules seem like they are common sense, but to companies who want to get ahead in the market will do whatever it takes, even if it falls under unethical marketing online.
Platforms
Social media is one of the biggest providers of unethical content marketing/strategy. Why? With a single click, you can see or read a “fake” article, image, or video. It takes one more click to like or even share it. One view can quickly turn to 100 to 10,000 to 1 million in a matter of minutes. But why is it a big deal? Social media platforms are great, however, when used for unethical purposes, it becomes evil and toxic, or as a virus (Farid, 2018). An unethical virus that constantly spends from host to host. The only way to stop the virus from affecting more and more is to stop unethical content marketing/strategy, even if it is not intentional.
Let’s be real. Most of the time it’s intentional because the core business model of companies for online marketing/strategy is engagement. Engagement that keeps a specific audience clicking, sharing, and liking their content.
Some countries are going as far as to put the blame on social media. In the United Kingdom, the Bristish authorities are now saying that social media networks are responsible for what type of content it puts on and shares on their platform (What is Fake., 2019).
Our Fault
Like I said before, could the cause of the unethical online content marketing/strategy be our fault, as the audience? We are the ones who read and share content on and off the internet. Without a thought, we send content through emails, posts on social media, and even tell others about what they should look online. We comment, leave thumbs-ups, sad faces and hearts, express our emotions to anything posted online.
Staying Ethical
No matter who is to blame, everyone should stick to ethics. While some may agree, that any press is good press, I would have to say it is not the case.
Press is always both negative and positive. There is always someone who is not going to agree with what you have to say, even if it is the truth. If you are a content provider for marketing/strategy, author Kelsey Libert gives five great tips to stay on the low-risk factor for publishing anything (Libert, 2016).
- Present the data
- Show all sides
- Don’t have an agenda
- Be transparent about your methodology
- Don’t feed into controversy
Since social media seems to be a large contributor to unethical marketing, marketing professional Tahir Akbar states that there are seven rules to helping a brand stay on an ethical path of marketing through social media.
- Know your audience
- Stay away from biases, aka negative political, religious, ethnic, or any other controversial material
- Never compromise on privacy
- Be transparent
- Speak the Truth
- Think Before You Post
- Imagine the Impact
So let me go back to who’s fault is the unethical marketing/strategy for online content? Is it:
Companies who are just trying to make a profit?
Social media for publishing and allowing unethical content to circle?
Ourselves who love and believe controversial content?
Bibliography
Akbar, T. (2016, June). 7 Fundamental Ethics of Social Media Marketing. Retrieved November 2019, from https://www.business2community.com/social-media/7-fundamental-ethics-social-media-marketing-01571504.
Farid, H. (2018, October 18). The dystopian digital future of fake media. Retrieved November 2019, from https://qz.com/1383619/the-dystopian-digital-future-of-fake-media/.
Kakkar, V. (2018, May 7). 3 Tips For Creating Controversial Marketing Campaigns Without Destroying Your Brand. Retrieved November 2019, from https://www.jeffbullas.com/3-tips-to-create-a-controversial-marketing-campaign-without-destroying-your-brand/.
Libert, K. (2016, July 26). Case Study: How We Created Controversial Content That Earned Hundreds of Links. Retrieved November 2019, from https://moz.com/blog/case-study-controversial-content-earned-hundreds-links.
Snow, S. (2012, August). Contently’s Code of Ethics for Journalism and Content Marketing. Retrieved November 2019, from https://contently.com/2012/08/01/ethics/.
What is fake news, what are the worst examples and why does it matter? (2019, February). Retrieved November 2019, from https://www.itv.com/news/2019-02-18/fake-news-examples-pope-trump-pizzagate-clinton/.
thinking out loud 