What are unethical digital marketing techniques?

Marketing is a concept which is related to beliefs. With marketing, a consumer is made to believe that a certain product or service delivers the results mentioned. Whether it is digital or traditional, marketing is a tool to sell your product or service by gaining trust. But with the increasing attention towards digital marketing, there are many unethical practices prevailing. Recently, social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube have made their rules more stringent so as to avoid unethical practices in the digital marketing field.

What Are They Like?

It is unethical to do false marketing by conveying the false messages into society. These practices are some deeds which we observe usually.

• Posting videos with controversial and irrelevant thumbnails just to attract an audience

• Altering the facts and misleading consumers about the product

• Concealing the side-effects of using a product

• Creating a negative opinion on certain products or people based on gossips

• Manipulating the facts and posting on various social media platforms in the interest of product promotion

• Spreading a false belief in public that a certain product or service can only save them

• Disparaging the products of Rival company

• Portraying women as sex symbols to get enough traffic to the website, social media platforms, and channels

• Using fear tactics such as a shortage of supply

• Plagiarism of brand names, logos, marketing messages or content of the website

• Imposing more charges on consumers than the actual pricing

• Discriminating a certain group, sex, religion etc. for brand promotion

• Sending spam messages/emails etc.

It is our subconscious mind that influences our preferences in choosing a product. Unethical marketing strategies like the ones mentioned, affect the subconscious mind of a consumer and letting them believe what is shown in the advertisement is correct, like Subliminal advertising. Such type of manipulative branding techniques come under unethical marketing techniques, which must be avoided.