PEARSON ent > Marketing Ethics: Extreme Baby Monitoring Marketing Ethics Extreme
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PEARSON ent > Marketing Ethics: Extreme Baby Monitoring Marketing Ethics Extreme Baby Monitoring Every parent's fear when putting an infant to sleep is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDs) -the sudden unexplainable death of an otherwise healthy baby. In the United States, about 2,000 infants die each year of SIDS, the third leading cause of infant death. For $199, parents can buy monitors that track babies' vital signs, such as respiration, heart rate, skin temperature, sleeping position, and quality of sleep. The Mimo Smart Baby Monitor is a cute clip-on turtle that attaches to a special organic cotton onesie, and the Owlet Baby Monitor is a smart sock that looks like a little toeless boot. If parents don't want to attach these devices on their little ones, they can opt for the SafeToSleep Breathing Monitor sheet with a built-in monitor. All of these devices stream data to parents smartphones. Manufacturers of these devices promote them to parents for "your baby's health or to give "that extra assurance to protect against SIDS. However, several government agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics all agree that these devices cannot protect a baby from SIDS. But fear sells, and most of these manufacturers cannot keep up with the demand for their products. Is it right for marketers to play on parents' fear to sell products that experts conclude are not necessary or effective? (AACSB: Communication; Ethical 1-11. 1-12. Discuss other examples of marketers using emotion to sell products. Are they ethical? (AACSB: Communication; Ethical Reasoning)Explanation / Answer
1-11.
No, it is not ethical to play with the parents when several government agencies have already declared that the devices used for SIDS cannot protect a baby. Fear is the main approach which the marketers are placing on the parent's mind by wrong aspects of communication which is undone. The communication is required to be identified by the parents so to take the right decisions for their babies.
The sense of ability to identify the exact approach has to be verified by the parents with putting arguments so that the marketers should not get the scope to place the fear in their mind.
The critical thinking is also another approach to making the right judgment before buying SIDS for babies. As government has instructed there are no such products or device which can monitors the babies’ while sleeping. The parents are requiring removing the fear and thinking critically before going for buying SIDS.
1-12.
Other examples: TV advertisement like fairness creams “glow shiny within 7 days”, vegetable oil “keep your heart healthy” etc.
These are some of the TV advertisement which targets the viewer's mind and they get emotional by watching those ads on the sets of their television. This makes them buy those products but the ultimate outcome obtain is zero. Therefore publishing the advertisements are ethical but it should contain the ethical message to the followers that truly benefits them.
The communication process is required to be stronger between a customer and the company as the approach made for selling purpose is not an ethical way of conducting the business.
The ethical reasoning has to be identified before buying the products from the market as the emotional aspect can be there to target feared customers, and this may be a total loss for a customer. The right judgment should be made before buying the products.
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