Ethical Challenges Associated with Social Marketing Communication

This chapter draws from both moral philosophy and recent examples of social marketing campaigns to discuss ethical challenges that social marketers may encounter in their work. In doing so we highlight that both the overall ‘social good’ being pursued and the communication methods and techniques used require careful consideration. We also consider risks of using ethically contentious social marketing communication practices among a more networked world, even in the pursuit of social good. To foster further discussion and consideration of ethical issues we offer questions for social marketers as individuals and for the discipline as a whole.