Tag Archives: ethics

What if your consumer can’t afford it?

This BusinessWeek article on Mexican microlending and a newspaper note I bumped into detailing the growth of luxury brands in Mexico made me wonder on whether it is ethically sound to sell high-ticket products to a consumer if said person can't afford it.

On one side you have the free will of your customer, on the other the fact that you may knowingly sell them something that will cause them more trouble than enjoyment.  I'm all for giving all the necessary information to the consumer, but he/she has to take their decisions independently.

Ethics, propaganda and marketing

Following a story doing the rounds in Slashdot, I found this article that details the American propaganda machine in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Wheareas I definitely understand the rationale for the Americans to give their version of events, it makes me rather uneasy that they do so posing as a neutral party, thereby undermining their own credibility.

If you're a brand, that's something you should never do as audiences hate discovering they are being cheated, even if your brand is called USA.