Marketers face this dilemma every day. They must push some boundaries past the point of pain in order to get the jump and be competitive. At the same time, they must clearly stay within constraints such as ethics and regulatory requirements in order to retain integrity, reputation and a clean record.
The two should balance: think ambitiously; compete responsibly.
Bad things happen when they don’t. Bubbles form. Temptations rise. And as they do, the urge to scuff the chalkmarks increases. The Global Financial Crisis is the poignant repercussive example of what happens when borders get realigned: when organizations reset their ethical boundaries and then use those reframed parameters as the basis for more ambitious (read: morally dubious) behaviors that they rationalize as necessary, even “responsible” in order to remain competitive.
It’s comfortable for most marketers to forge ways to profitably pursue their purpose because the money triumphs and the purpose justifies. You can make target and validate getting there as having done something good in the process. It’s a much greater challenge for brands to work through how they will purposefully pursue their profit – because then, the behaviors are front and center and the profits are the validation that customers support and reward you for choosing to behave that way.
Don’t Face Branding Issues Alone. Join us for The Un-Conference: 360 Degrees of Brand Strategy for a Changing World. May 18th ~ 20th at the famed Versace Mansion in South Beach, Florida. A fun, competitive-learning experience reserved for 40 marketing oriented leaders and professionals.
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