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Marketing News is South-Western's service to provide summaries of the latest marketing news stories. Review the brief summaries and, for stories of interest, select the full summary. |
| ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN MARKETING | |
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Controversial marketing aimed at youth has exploded in recent years, as megabrands like Bratz and Victoria's Secret have taken off the gloves—and much more—in the battle for the youth dollar. While the competition to turn on tweens to adult tastes heats up, one classic American brand has surprisingly exited the youth market under pressure from special interest groups. (Updated March 2007) |
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The publishing industry encountered a credibility crisis heading into 2006 as James Frey's "Million-Little-Pieces" scandal rocked Oprah Book Club fans and raised truth-in-advertising issues for literary marketers. (Updated April 2006) |
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Credit-card companies desirous of new customers have blanketed the nation with low-interest credit offers. But with many banks pitching plastic to young children and even to the newly bankrupt, consumer-protection groups and others say aggressive credit card marketing has become unethical and predatory. (Updated February 2006) |
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Seattle-based Starbucks Corporation has acquired Ethos Brands in a move analysts say will enable the coffee retailer to grab a share of the $9.8-billion a year bottled-water industry--and perhaps even quench world thirst. (Updated September 2005) |
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Burger joint Carl's Jr. riled up broadcast audiences recently when a commercial for the restaurant's Spicy BBQ Burger featured socialite Paris Hilton performing sensual acts with cars and food. Television watchdogs claimed that the erotic commercial amounted to soft-core porn, but spokespersons for Carl's Jr. defended the ad as merely "a beautiful model in a swimsuit washing a car." Who's right, and what ethical considerations should guide today's advertisers? (Updated July 2005) |
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E-commerce firm GoldenPalace.com recently announced that it has once again purchased body advertising to promote its online casino business. Spokespersons for the casino hope that the unusual advertising campaign will leave a lasting impression on target audiences. (Updated May 2005) |
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For over three decades, NASCAR's top auto-racing series was sponsored by a major cigarette manufacturer. The racing association has shifted gears, however, and today network television's second highest-rated sport boasts sponsorships and promotions designed to help racing fans kick their smoking habits, not start them. (Updated April 2005) |
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Drug manufacturers felt the earth move when leading pharmaceutical firm Merck & Co. pulled the plug on its popular Vioxx painkiller in late 2004. A company study revealed that the drug doubled the risk of heart attacks and strokes in patients. The Vioxx discovery has since led to investigations of other drugs such as Celebrex and Aleve, and the entire industry is on edge due to the inevitability of ongoing legal challenges. (Updated February 2005) |
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Citizens
of Kennewick, Washington have rallied together in an effort to rebuild the
city's Playground of Dreams--a popular local park destroyed in a Thanksgiving-weekend
arson. To assist the community, Subway has decided to donate 1,000 pounds
of sandwiches to volunteer workers during the reconstruction of the park.
(Updated 6/1/04) |
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It
has been labeled "mischief marketing" and "Trojan horse marketing,"
but the trendy new strategy for promoting Hollywood movies has created more
than mere "buzz" for ambitious moviemakers--it has created an
ethics controversy for the industry. (Updated 6/1/04) |
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Americans
today have a difficult time trusting car salespeople, and some industry
analysts say that the prominent display of the National Automobile Dealers
Association Code of Ethics has done little to help dealerships build public
trust. Critics of the industry claim that such attempts at self-regulation
lack teeth, and are calling for more regulations to restore faith in the
industry. (Updated 4/1/04) |
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A
recent high-profile lawsuit accusing McDonald's of making people overweight
intensified the national discussion on obesity and challenged corporations
to be watching America's weight. While most retailers aren't being blamed
for consumers' eating choices, many observers suggest the food industry
must play a significant role in America's quest for better health. (Updated 10/01/03) |
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The
push to create a robust economy that is sustainable as well as good for
our social and ecological environments has gained momentum in recent years.
Corporations like DuPont, McDonald's and Ben & Jerry's are well-known players
in the international movement to make business more socially responsible-and
the trend is growing. In fact, poke around any number of Fortune 500 companies
and you'll find people grappling with a host of unexpected issues, from
renewable energy to global poverty. (Updated 10/01/03) |
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With
recent accounting scandals, corporate malfeasance, and indictments of top
executives plastered all over the headlines, concerned marketers are rethinking
how to communicate messages of corporate trust and responsibility. (Updated 10/01/03) |
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