The American Marketing Association is one of the largest
professional associations for marketers, has 38,000 members worldwide
in every area of marketing. For over six decades the AMA has been the
leading source for information, knowledge sharing and development in the
marketing profession.
The Web Guru follows the American Marketing Association's ethical norms and values:
The American Marketing Association commits itself to promoting the highest standard of professional ethical norms and values for its members. Norms are established standards of conduct that are expected and maintained by society and/or professional organizations. Values represent the collective conception of what people find desirable, important and morally proper. Values serve as the criteria for evaluating the actions of others. Marketing practitioners must recognize that they not only serve their enterprises but also act as stewards of society in creating, facilitating and executing the efficient and effective transactions that are part of the greater economy. In this role, marketers should embrace the highest ethical norms of practicing professionals and the ethical values implied by their responsibility toward stakeholders (e.g., customers, employees, investors, channel members, regulators and the host community).
General Norms
1. Marketers must do no harm. This means doing work for which
they are appropriately trained or experienced so that they can actively
add value to their organizations and customers. It also means adhering
to all applicable laws and regulations and embodying high ethical standards
in the choices they make.
2. Marketers must foster trust in the marketing system. This means that
products are appropriate for their intended and promoted uses. It requires
that marketing communications about goods and services are not intentionally
deceptive or misleading. It suggests building relationships that provide
for the equitable adjustment and/or redress of customer grievances. It
implies striving for good faith and fair dealing so as to contribute toward
the efficacy of the exchange process.
3. Marketers must embrace, communicate and practice the fundamental ethical
values that will improve consumer confidence in the integrity of the marketing
exchange system. These basic values are intentionally aspirational and
include honesty, responsibility, fairness, respect, openness and citizenship.
Ethical Values
Honesty— to be truthful and forthright in our dealings
with customers and stakeholders.
* We will tell the truth in all situations and at all times.
* We will offer products of value that do what we claim in our communications.
* We will stand behind our products if they fail to deliver their claimed
benefits.
* We will honor our explicit and implicit commitments and promises.
Responsibility—to accept the
consequences of our marketing decisions and strategies.
* We will make strenuous efforts to serve the needs of our customers.
* We will avoid using coercion with all stakeholders.
* We will acknowledge the social obligations to stakeholders that come
with increased marketing and economic power.
* We will recognize our special commitments to economically vulnerable
segments of the market such as children, the elderly and others who may
be substantially disadvantaged.
Fairness—to try to balance justly
the needs of the buyer with the interests of the seller.
* We will represent our products in a clear way in selling, advertising
and other forms of communication; this includes the avoidance of false,
misleading and deceptive promotion.
* We will reject manipulations and sales tactics that harm customer trust.
* We will not engage in price fixing, predatory pricing, price gouging
or “bait-and-switch” tactics.
* We will not knowingly participate in material conflicts of interest.
Respect—to acknowledge the basic
human dignity of all stakeholders.
* We will value individual differences even as we avoid stereotyping customers
or depicting demographic groups (e.g., gender, race, sexual orientation)
in a negative or dehumanizing way in our promotions.
* We will listen to the needs of our customers and make all reasonable
efforts to monitor and improve their satisfaction on an ongoing basis.
* We will make a special effort to understand suppliers, intermediaries
and distributors from other cultures.
* We will appropriately acknowledge the contributions of others, such
as consultants, employees and coworkers, to our marketing endeavors.
Openness—to create transparency
in our marketing operations.
* We will strive to communicate clearly with all our constituencies.
* We will accept constructive criticism from our customers and other stakeholders.
* We will explain significant product or service risks, component substitutions
or other foreseeable eventualities that could affect customers or their
perception of the purchase decision.
* We will fully disclose list prices and terms of financing as well as
available price deals and adjustments.
Citizenship—to fulfill the economic, legal, philanthropic
and societal responsibilities that serve stakeholders in a strategic manner.
* We will strive to protect the natural environment in the execution of
marketing campaigns.
* We will give back to the community through volunteerism and charitable
donations.
* We will work to contribute to the overall betterment of marketing and
its reputation.
* We will encourage supply chain members to ensure that trade is fair
for all participants, including producers in developing countries.
Implementation
Finally, we recognize that every industry sector and marketing
subdiscipline (e.g., marketing research, e-commerce, direct selling, direct
marketing, advertising) has its own specific ethical issues that require
policies and commentary. An array of such codes can be accessed through
links on the AMA
Web site. We encourage all such groups to develop and/or refine
their industry and discipline-specific codes of ethics to supplement these
general norms and values.
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