Is Targeting Uninformed Consumers Ethical? Argumentative Essay
Targeting uninformed consumers, is unethical. A company trying to sell a product shouldn’t have to go about means of deception or hiding information in order to turn a profit. In this argumentative essay, we will define uninformed consumer marketing, examine examples of it, and address multiple viewpoints on the topic.
The practice of targeting uninformed consumers is when a company deliberately excludes information regarding a product. The reasoning behind such actions can be attributed to an incentive to cut operating costs. However, this can leave consumers with little to no information regarding what they might be consuming. Likewise, consumers may gain a false perception on what a product does or how it will impact them.
This intentional lack of information can manipulate consumers into supporting a potentially harmful product. An example of this effect is the recent debate about GMO labeling. In which a company would genetically modify a food with the intention to increase certain desired properties in the food. For clear communication, it should be understood that this modification is not natural. Rather, a natural product, such as corn, may be given attributes that it did not possess prior to being genetically modified. These attributes could include adding a protein to a plant that is lethal upon consumption by an insect. Today many foods include GMOs, and while scientists deem GMOs safe, consumers still have the right to know that their food has been modified. However, some argue that because the scientific consensus declares GMOs as safe, there’s no reason to label which products have been modified. This argument stems from the belief that consumers will be more inclined to avoid products that are labeled as possessing GMOs. While this argument is reasonable, Kristin Mascolo from the Whitman School of Management, found that GMO labeling would increase operational costs. This increase would result in a loss in profits generated by a company. However, rather than scaring away customers, Kristin’s paper suggested that GMO labeling would do the opposite. As consumers would understand that GMOs are safe for consumption and in turn, would change the public opinion on GMOs. This finding invalidates the argument that GMO labeling would result in consumers avoiding GMO labeled products.
As stated above, the argument for GMO labeling has many perspectives. And while this essay is not on GMO labeling, it is about the right for consumers to make informed choices on the products they are consuming. Another example of targeting uninformed consumers would be associating sex with a certain product. For example, clothing companies have long depicted their products with sexualized females. This choice of sexual inclusion, results in a consumer associating a product with sexual desires, thus leading them to buy said product. There’s no denying that females are commonly objectified in marketing towards men. But does it work, yes. Studies have shown that men will buy products that are marketed by sex. But how does this connect to uninformed consumers? This connects because, products marketed with sex, do not garuntee or promise the desired sexual outcome. Henceforth, the marketing creates a deceptive perception on how a product will impact an individual's life. However, opposing viewpoints argue that studies have also found inconclusive or unclear data on how sexual marketing impacts consumers. But, upon further examination, the studies that indicated inconclusive outcomes did not use proper variables. For example, one study tested men by showing women depicted in increasing stages of nudity. Then the man would rank how much they wanted the product. However, the product in each stage of nudity was not the same. Thus invalidating the study and its conclusions due to the lack of a proper control variable.
The targeting of uninformed consumers is unethical because arguments that favor the utilization of uninformed marketing, stem from a desire to increase profits (in the case of GMO labeling) and lack proper data to back their argument (sexual marketing).
Citations:
Mascolo, Kristin. “Research Explores Impacts of Consumer Attitude on GMO Food Labelling and Pricing.” Whitman Voices, 21 Aug. 2019, voices.whitman.syr.edu/programs/marketing/research-explores-impacts-of-consumer-attitude-on-gmo-food-labelling-and-pricing/.
Gramazio, S., Cadinu, M., Guizzo, F. et al. Does Sex Really Sell? Paradoxical Effects of Sexualization in Advertising on Product Attractiveness and Purchase Intentions. Sex Roles (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-020-01190-6
