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Exploratory topic: Are clever ways of marketing events online ethical?

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This is more of an open discussion, rather than my thoughts. There has always been an endless debate about ethics in marketing - and I feel that it very important for all of us to draw a line between whats right and what can be considered manipulative.

I actively advocate good practices for online marketing and sometimes come across people who have very different opinions about internet marketing. If event marketing is about; creating a brand for your event, telling the brand story to your community, finding ways of using social marketing tools to increase the outreach of your message - it seems ethical.

But what about things like creating scarcity to increase the sales of tickets? Or using emotional triggers to help people make go-no-go decisions? I feel that if these things are done properly, without the intention of manipulating your audiences, then they are good internet marketing practices. By ‘good’ here, I mean that they really work!

An example of this is how certain companies send out emails to their lists asking for testimonials - except that they subtly write out a carefully worded sample testimonial with it to lure them into saying the same kind of things. Should that also be considered unethical, or just simply careful planning? I’ll leave this prerogative to you. It will be great if you can share your thoughts on this.

Simon U Ford (SUF.EDBD)

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  • Simon,

    A few years ago there was a heated online discussion about "Ethical SEO" and the result of my investigation was a feeling of confusion. However, I came to realize that I did not really understand what the concept of ethics was really all about. Since then, I have tried to correct that. My opinion is that if you manipulate a person into buying something that they really need and that will benefit them greatly, that is ethical because you are helping them improve their life or business. Doing the same thing to sell them a piece of trash which only serves you personally is unethical.

    Charles Knell
    @Ethical_Market on Twitter
  • Sometimes the seller knows better than the prospect Charles. It's frustrating when you know a prospect is better off investing in a solution to a problem but they won't buy it out of fear the sellers intent is not genuine. It's also frustrating for buyers when a sellers intent is not genuine.
  • Simon:

    Response to Scarcity is a basic human emotion. When a product or service has limited availability, somehow more value is attached to it. The Basic Law of Supply and Demand is at play. However, if there is no desire for the product or service in scarcity there will be no twinge of fear of loss. Scarcity is effective as a catalyst only when the product or service is desired or needed.

    Doesn’t helping friends identify needs and solve problems give value? Likewise, if the problem is solved in a shorter period of time, thus saving precious time and money isn’t that more valuable?

    The truth is there are a finite number of seats available, teachers trained, product available, etc. To insure delivery of the quality service standing up to the reputation Events Listed and Simon U. Ford are known availability must be limited.

    The worst outcome with Global Launchings would be to deliver poorly. Best strategy is to set limits and expand over time as the demand rises and systems are in place to handle the demand professionally.
  • Absolutely Sandie,...

    Our success is in our ability to solve customers problems well. Not in how many customers we have. Scarcity is an important element in putting prospects into a mind set that will prompt them to buy off a page when sitting in their lounge rooms on their computers alone.

    You must have built a level of perceived value into any deal before you're able to introduce a sense of scarcity. The best way to do that is through social proof what you're offering is valuable.

    The only way of achieving that with authenticity is through your existing customers.

    The hardest customer we ever work for is our first. <-;
  • A resounding yes! My first customer is always myself. Most definitely the hardest.

    How much easier to share with confidence the value we've experienced with friends. Quality friends are hard to come by. They have much value. It is imperative to only promote products and services demonstrating the ability to deliver high value time and time again. The worst is to lose friends due to promotion of the inferior.

    There was a commercial from th 80's stating Quality is Job One. It doesn't stop there.
  • One other industry that routinely uses the illusion of scarcity is the airline industry. Their pricing borders on being unethical as they sell the same exact seat for as little as $169 and as much as $1000. Unfortunately their best customers are hit with the highest prices due to the timing of business travel planning. So to simon's point is this unethical or smart?
  • Simon, you are raising a very good point here. What is ethical and what is not. I don't think that there will ever be one right answer to all of this. Nor do I pretend to know the answer. What is ethical for one, may not be so for some one else.
    Here is my personal take on it. If a marketer promises something and does not live up to the promise, that is unethical. E.g. if it is announced that a certain product will only be available for a short period of time, and after that time the product is taken off the market, I believe that that is ethical. However, if it is not taken off the market, I believe use was made of unethical ways to trick people into buying under pressure.
  • Scarcity definitely works Simon, WebKinz in US/Canada is the greatest case in point. Each month, a limited release of socially "tagged" plush animals that have to be registered online by our little unsuspecting pre-teens.
  • Simon,
    That is an interesting topic.
    I had long discussions with myself while I was reading Seth Godin's "All marketers are liars." I was perplexed when I read that we have to tell the lie the prospect wants to hear.

    Now, it took me a lot of reading and re-reading to know what it sounds like isn't what he meant. The guy is brilliant. I learned so much from that book. Everyone ought to read it.

    I've also had numerous similar internal debates about what I would sell, and what I'd feel comfortable saying about my products. I think everyone has to draw their own line. Some lines are easy to draw. Some very fuzzy. Ways can often be found to justify them one way or another.

    For example: Does dealing with illegal drugs make it okay because that's the mother's only means of feeding her kids? If buyers don't read the fine print on contracts, is the seller being deceptive or is the buyer just careless? If I tell a lie that I truly believe is true, does that make it less of a lie?

    Talking about careful planning....what is the difference between tax evasion and tax planning?

    This is a very interesting topic. I'd like to hear what others have to say too.
    -addy
    ayt.edbd
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