When customers see a marketing campaign or advertisement, they base their judgments about a company on what they see, read, or hear. Therefore, it is crucial for companies to ensure that what they are putting out into the world is what they truly believe and want to present as a brand. According to Jaworek, Karaszewski, and Kuczmarska (2021), “consumers identify themselves with how a given company builds its inherent values and reputation” (1051). Ethics are important in all businesses, but when marketing for a brand, ethics are very crucial in choosing an image that represents who or what they are. Mindful marketing is an effort to be ethical while remaining effective. Hagenbuch and Mgrdichian (2020) define mindful marketing as “marketing that meets the needs of the marketer and its customers while doing no harm to them or any other stakeholders (e.g., employees, suppliers, or the general public) (17). It is important to consider ones intended audience and clearly state the company’s objectives in order to create an effective marketing plan (Keller and Thackeray 2011). By staying true to these social marketing objectives, a company can promote its ethical values by supporting a consumer-to-brand relationship. When organizations do not uphold ethical values through their marketing strategies, there can be not only negative effects on the company, but also on the consumer. An example of unethical marketing is highlighted by Emond et al. (2021), where unhealthy food marketing was found on commercial educational websites. During the pandemic, many children were learning online using educational websites. The advertisements on these websites were not only distracting, but they encouraged unhealthy eating habits for children. This shows that marketing may not always be effective, or ethical depending on the platform, audience, message, and values. Marketing is ethically important in maintaining a positive image and relationship with consumers.
Marketing is used as a way to entice consumers to purchase a product or service. This is done through advertisements including posts, videos, sayings, etc. with the intention of reaching a specific demographic. With a target audience in mind, companies are purposeful in how they market themselves in order to attract specific groups. Benson, Ezingeard, and Hand (2019) studied purchase behavior and found that beliefs and trust are important for women when it comes to consumer purchasing. When someone is interacting with a brand and it aligns with the person’s beliefs and there is a sense of trust, then the person is more likely to partake in a transaction. It is important for consumers to interpret the underlying intent in marketing; when an advertisement is connected positively to a social cause, it can have an influence on consumers’ purchase behavior (Baek et al. 2017). Women feel more comfortable with their purchases when they can trust a brand. In a study of green marketing, Santhosh and Babu (2020) found that women were concerned with the health and well-being of their families. This made them look past the costly side of green products and focus on the benefits that the products purported to provide. Instances like this show that trust in a product or brand plays a vital role in purchase behavior.