Integrity in Marketing

What does marketing integrity mean, after all? There are many areas of a marketers job in which bending the rules, however slightly, is oh so tempting! If you bend a little, it becomes easier and easier to bend a lot and soon, your product is advertised as a cure-all for world hunger, a bringer of peace, and capable of stopping the war in Iraq!

Overblown claims are certainly not the only area where integrity can be compromised. Unfair comparisons to competitve products, inadequate warranties, and offensive advertising are other areas in which marketing integrity is often violated.

Don't forget that you, as a marketer, have an obligation to your buyers also to make sure that your product does what it is supposed to do, and that it has no harmful elements to it. If you make magnetic games with small parts, it is your obligation to make sure that the package clearly states that this product is not recommended for use by small children.

From well-known author Michael Gerber comes this true statement: " Without integrity, marketing is left to tricks, sophistry and lies—the same devices the old trickster used with the peas and the shells on the streets of many cities: Is it here? Is it there? Where is it? "

How do you keep your integrity intact as a marketer? Here are some simple suggestions.

1) Take a hard, cold look at the product or service you are selling. Would you buy it or recommend it to someone you like? If the answer is no - GET ANOTHER JOB, NOW! You will not be effective in promoting this product, and you will be living a lie if you do so. You have to believe in what you are promoting.

2) Look at your advertising claims - does the product really do everything you claim it does? If it doesn't, does your company have a good legal team?

3) Are there ways your product can be misused that could result in personal injury or property damage? If so, are these spelled out in the packaging or contract? Yes, this does herald back to the days of writing " Danger, Hot Coffee" on a paper cup from McDonalds after a lawsuit,but if you can save just one person from injury, your extra pains are justified. If the misuse of your product is common or easy to do, you have a stronger obligation here.

4) Look at your advertising again - are there any elements to it that could be offensive? Look beyond your current culture - remember, " Pepsi Makes You Come Alive" translated to " Pepsi Makes Your Ancestors Come Back From the Grave" in Chinese.

5) Make sure you communicate accurate delivery dates to your customers. Some marketers are afraid that they will lose a deal if they tell the sales team how long it will REALLY take for this to get to market. What happens is that companies stake their futures on having your product, and I have seen companies go under due to this type of unethical behavior. A good guardband is always recommended.

6) If you find a product flaw, communicate it accurately and factually, without marketing fluff. Nothing turns off a customer more than to hear hype when he finds out his new widget doesn't quite have all the bugs worked out yet.

7) If there is a problem , don' t be afraid to apologize. This, after all, is one of the major hallmarks of business integrity.

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