In this activity students review a series of common marketing claims that would be generally considered to be misleading. There are 12 examples to consider, with students making a judgment call on which ones to retain and which ones would be unethical and/or ineffective. A pragmatic approach to understanding marketing tactics.
Although widely posted and discussed, one of marketing’s biggest branding failures – Colgate Beef Lasagne (or Colgate Kitchen Entrees) was fake. Students review the back story to find out how this happened and the importance of always validating sources for key decision making.
In this activity, students look at three scenarios where companies have manipulated and/or influenced market research and analytic results for their own purpose. This poses the question of ethical use of information. Your students discuss both ethics and business goals in order to see which one is more important.
This activity is a variation of the Marketing Ethics Game (also available of Great Ideas). But instead of a game, students review, discuss, and debate the 10 ethical and social dilemmas. In this situations, students will need to trade-off profits for ethical behavior, the customer experience, and staff satisfaction. Great for in-class discussions and debates.
This is a points-based game built around 10 ethical and social dilemmas (trade-offs). In each round, students need to make a strategic decision that will add/remove points for profits, customer satisfaction, staff satisfaction, and ethical behavior. But what is more important to your students – profit maximization or running a well-balanced business? Designed as a game to make ethical decisions fun, enjoyable, and more real-world based.
This case study examines Bud Light’s trans influencer campaign from April 2023. It covers all the key points and highlights multiple marketing lessons, including brand management and adopting to DEI issues.
In this exercise students look at the brand-impact and ethical implications of misleading product packaging. Sure, it may be helpful in growing short term sales, but is it a viable long term strategy. Students will review ten visual examples of misleading packaging.
In this exercise, students will be presented with a mix of target markets and multiple target audiences for a new social initiative. It is a helpful activity for clarifying the difference between target markets and audiences. And it is very flexible, as it can be run as a case study discussion, as a marketing debate, or even a student role-play.
EXCLUSIVE ACTIVITY FOR MEMBERS
This case looks at Patagonia, a company that is highly successful in terms of growth and profits, but also makes a substantial contribution to the environment, sustainability, and even to the anti-consumer movement and ideology.
This activity addresses the trend of anti-consumerism and provides a brief profile of an anti-consumer. Students discuss the change in consumer behavior and its resultant impact on marketing activities.