DEPENDS ON THE CONSEQUENCES: MEASURING CONSUMER ATTITUDES TOWARDS MANIPULATIVE MARKETING (original) (raw)

A Framework for Assessing Immorally Manipulative Marketing Tactics

Journal of Business Ethics, 2011

A longstanding debate exists in both academic literature and popular culture about whether non-informative marketing tactics are manipulative. However, given that we tend to believe that some marketing tactics are manipulative and some are not, the question that marketers, their critics, and consumers need to ask themselves is that of how to actually determine whether any particular marketing tactic is manipulative and whether a given manipulative tactic is, in fact, immoral. This article proposes to operationalize criteria that can be used by marketers for making such determinations and attempts to provide some clarification toward our under- standing of the concept of manipulation and the conditions for the moral acceptability of manipulative marketing practices. It argues that a marketing tactic is manipulative if it is intended to motivate by undermining what the marketer believes is his/her audience’s normal decision-making process either by deception or by playing on a vulnerability that the marketer believes exists in his/her audience’s normal decision-making process. Such a tactic is morally objectionable on several grounds, which make it morally impermissible unless outweighed by sufficient “redemptive” moral considerations.

Autonomy and Manipulation: Refining the Argument against Persuasive Advertising

Journal of Business Ethics, 2020

Critics of persuasive advertising argue that it undermines the autonomy of consumers by manipulating their desires in morally problematic ways. My aim is this paper is to refine that argument by employing a conception of autonomy that is not at odds with certain forms of manipulation. I argue that the charge of manipulation is not sufficient for condemning persuasive advertising. On my view, manipulation of an agent's desires through advertising is justifiable in cases where the agent accepts (or would accept) the process through which the desires were developed. I show how the standard manipulation objection proves too much as it would also condemn cases of that kind. I argue that this distinction is especially important when we consider the implications of "new media." In addition to increasing vulnerability to manipulation, new media have considerable impacts on well-being. By siding with the traditional autonomy argument, we would be compelled to take an implausible stand against all forms of manipulation through advertising, but I suggest that only a proper subset of those cases are morally problematic. This conclusion opens up a space for persuasive advertising that is permissible while nevertheless condemning cases that violate consumers' autonomy.

Rationalizing Ethically Questionable Intentions: An Investigation of Marketing Practices in the USA

2012

In this research, a model for ethically questionable decision-making is developed by amalgamating several decision-making theories. The variables of interest are the techniques of neutralization, perceived moral intensity, Machiavellianism, unethical intentions, and ethical judgment. Using a sample of 276 U.S. marketing professionals, partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to validate the model. Findings reveal that U.S. marketing professionals rationalize their ethically questionable intentions through their: (1) perception of moral intensity (i.e., minimizing the harms on others, perceiving their selfinterest as most salient, and indifference to social consensus), (2) reliance on various neutralization techniques, and; (3) judgment of their ethically questionable intentions as ethical. After controlling for the Machiavellian personality trait, Machiavellianism did not have a profound effect on the decision-making process, which implies that marketers, in general, are capable of the cognitive distortions found in this study.

Enhancing or disrupting guilt: the role of ad credibility and perceived manipulative intent

Viewing the consumer as an active, skeptical reader of the persuasion attempt is an emerging perspective in advertising research. This perspective suggests that a consumer's recognition of an emotional ''tactic'' in an ad can have a significant impact on an ad's intended effect. Adopting this approach, we examine whether consumers' evaluations of an ad's credibility can enhance, and perceptions of manipulative intent can disrupt, the emotional response intended by the advertiser. We also investigate the effects of these two variables on attitude toward the ad and corporate attributions, including attitude toward the sponsor of the ad. We examine a commonly employed emotional tactic-the guilt appeal-and report the results of an experimental study. Our results suggest that credible guilt advertisements that are not overtly manipulative induce guilt feelings and positive attitudes. However, when consumers infer manipulative intent by the marketer, consumers do not feel guilty, but do have negative attitudes toward the sponsor of the advertisement and the advertisement. D

An empirical examination of three machiavellian concepts: Advertisers vs. the general public

Journal of Business Ethics, 1989

This paper examines the perceived ethics of advertisers and the general public relative to three ethical concepts. Based on the survey findings, it can be concluded that with regard to the ethically-laden concepts of manipulation, exploitation, and deviousness, advertisers are perceptually as ethical as the general public. The research also clarifies some of the differences between ethics and Machiavellianism.

Contextual bias in ethical judgment of marketing practices

Psychology and Marketing, 1996

Human judgment is susceptible to contextual biases, yet most ethical models in marketing do not indicate how context influences decision making. The authors illustrate how ethical judgments of marketing practices can be influenced by contextually induced frames of reference. Scenarios describing ethical or unethical marketing practices are used in two experiments to prime subjects who subsequently rated the ethics of a target scenario. The target tends to be rated as more ethical by subjects primed with descriptions of unethical practices, and less ethical by subjects primed with descriptions of ethical practices. Moreover, this contrast effect is contingent upon the interplay of innate and induced moderating factors. Subjects with high needs for cognition that are unaware of the potential bias induced by contextual priming are prone to the contrast effect. Awareness of the priming induced bias mitigates contrast effects among high need for cognition subjects. Implications for ethical decision making and further psychological research in marketing are discussed. 01996

Lie, Cheat, and Steal: How Harmful Brands Motivate Consumers to Act Unethically

Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2018

While brand punishment – through either individual or collective action – has received ample attention by consumer psychologists, absent from this literature is that such punishment can take the form of unethical actions that can occur even when the consumer is not personally harmed. Across three studies, we examine consumers’ propensity to act unethically towards a brand that they perceive to be harmful. We document that when consumers come to see brands as harmful –even in the absence of a direct, personal transgression – they can be motivated to seek retribution in the form of unethical intentions and behaviors. That is, consumers are more likely to lie, cheat, or steal to punish a harmful brand. Drawing on these findings, we advance implications for consumer psychologists and marketing practitioners and provide avenues for future research in the area.

Impact of Deceptive Advertisement on Consumer Psyche

2013

Relationships have diverse categories and have different significances and implications. Among different connections existing in this word, there is a very influencing connection that survives between a deceptive advertising and moral philosophies and ethical behavior of people. This study is carried out on nearly 150 students of COMSATS Institute of Information Technology of Sahiwal division of Pakistan to find out Impact of deceptive advertisement on consumer psyche. The Pearson correlation and regression was applied on data and results exposed a positive and a significant relationship between stakeholder interest and concern with cooperate social responsibility and moral philosophies. And cooperate social responsibility has a positive and significant result with stakeholder interest and concern. And also shows a positive relationship with moral philosophies or ethic behavior. Sample size of study was insufficient to save time, so sample size can be increased for future research. ...

Impact of unethical issues in advertising on consumer buying behavior

Advertising is one of the best means of mass communication. Advertising especially in India can be easily regarded as the most entertaining package of mass media. Effective advertisements strategies have been used by most of the companies to influence the buying behaviours of the consumers. Advertisements are helpful in creating the awareness and perception among the customers about a product and service. Advertisement involves rational and emotional appeals. The present study focuses on identifying the influence of unethical issues in advertisements on the consumer behaviour. Misleading and false advertisements are also a part and parcel of unethical advertisement. We will try to study the impact of all these activities on the buying behaviour of a consumer.