ABSTRACT
Marketing. The word is often used derisively even though it describes one of the primary fields of business. Marketing is perhaps the most visible and most criticized aspect of business. Some have argued that criticisms of marketing—especially its most visible component, advertising—are in fact criticisms of capitalism and the market system itself (Phillips 1997). Many sarcastically say “marketing ethics” is an oxymoron, and advertising ethics has been referred to as the “ultimate oxymoron” (Beltramini 2003). Delving into ethical questions is difficult for any profession because it raises complex, debatable, and often uncomfortable issues. However, such an analysis is vital to the responsible, ethical practice of marketing, and it is fundamental to understanding marketing and business more generally as a profession whose managers are “agents of society’s interest” (Khurana and Nohria 2008: 76).
