🍱 Marketing Ethics, Social Media Updates and Healthcare for All!
Fasten your seatbelts, we're ready for takeoff!
Hello and welcome back to The Marketing Kable, where you and I are bonding over ideas, voices and campaigns that can inspire!
something to read
no, nobody loves the way you lie. Last week, we talked a little bit about Permission Marketing, a concept developed by Seth Godin. Godin stresses the need to acquire permission, either explicitly or implicitly, before bombarding anyone with ads and appeals.
This week, we're delving deeper and talking about the Ethics of Modern Marketing. Oof.
Ethics might sound like a heavy word (the image in my mind: a bunch of eager undergrads studying Latin after class hours- don't ask me why), but its scarcity makes it all the more important for us to focus on it.
Sooo many companies have been accused of being unethical in their marketing practices that you could learn Latin from scratch by the time we count them all!
Take, for example, J&J's refusal to put warning labels on its packaging because "such a label would be confusing". Lolwhut.
This and other dubious (though legal) decisions suggest the company prioritised profits over safety and only rolled over after many years of customer advocacy and the tens of thousands of lawsuits filed by women who have developed ovarian cancer from using their talc.
As marketers, we have a responsibility towards the people we're trying to connect with. As Uncle Ben said, with great power comes great responsibility. Marketers shape opinion. Lying, misleading, dodging, or bamboozling people is a big no-no (Please take notes, J & J).
I have for you an interview with Marketing Week, where lecturers Amber Burton and Dr Steve Dumbleton discuss the many complexities of ethics in modern marketing.
Here are the takeaways:
Well, well, well, legality and morality - two things that don't always go hand in hand. Just because something's legal doesn't mean it's morally sound.
When it comes to marketing, the credibility gap is the size of the Grand Canyon. If a brand promises to do something, they best deliver. Otherwise, they'll be caught with their pants down, and not in a good way.
And speaking of running, marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. You can't just blindly follow the data without considering the people who buy your stuff. Trust is earned, not given like candy on Halloween.
You need a good brand purpose that aligns with what your brand wants to be known for. Authenticity is key: Don't pretend to be something you're not, or you'll end up like a cat trying to meow like a dog. It just doesn't work.
something to watch
healthcare that actually listens to women? Woah! As depressing as it sounds, women around the world are used to being snubbed by healthcare providers, their pain dismissed, and their symptoms labelled as imaginary.
And that's what makes Tia's campaign, Finally, Healthcare That Hears You, such a refreshing take.
The campaign uses dark humour to show how very absurd these conversations would sound if they took place in non-healthcare contexts.
It features testimonies of frustration from women to show how the healthcare industry frequently gaslights them. And in doing so it offers up a model for the industry to emulate - a model that lets women know they are seen, heard and cared for.
something to listen to
the algorithm is a rolling stone. I'm not the biggest fan of podcasts, especially long ones. I have trouble listening to the whole thing and often stop for breaks and whatnot. If you're like me, you're gonna be particularly happy today.
Today we're listening to The Social Examiner. It keeps you informed about social media platform updates. No fluff, no filler, just quick and dirty insights that could give you a leg up on the competition.
Spare 15-20 minutes each week to find out what new changes our Silicon Valley overlords have wrought in their platforms, and tweak your marketing strategies accordingly.
something to inspire
are you phil-ing this? AstraZeneca's marketing team really knows how to have a good time. I mean, were they jamming out to Purple Pills or belting out Just Like A Pill? Who knows, but either way, they've come up with a pill that's anything but ordinary.
Their Asthma Behaving Badly is our inspiration for today. The purple pill they've cooked up is Phil, the badly behaved eosinophil with big buggy eyes and a wide mouth.
And why is Phil purple, you ask? Well, because eosinophils, those pesky white blood cells, show up purple when stained against blood cells.
But let's be real; asthma can be a real buzzkill. That's why AstraZeneca is highlighting just how frustrating and annoying it can be in a way that's both fun and informative. Phil is the perfect guy for the job.
And let's give it up for the microsite, folks. Unlike most microsites out there, it's not trying to drag you to AstraZeneca's website with obnoxious CTAs. Nope, it's all about the eosinophilic asthma narrative, baby.
something to learn
can you caption? We're the Instagram generation, but writing Instagram captions from a marketing standpoint is an art of its own. I mean, on my personal insta, I used to write essays in the caption. Yes. Essays.
That simply will not fly when I'm writing copy to stop the scroll. Scrolls are gonna start scrolling even faster if they see a wall of text trying to sell them something. So what do we do?
We read The Ultimate Guide to Writing Good Instagram Captions by Jillian Warren from the Later Blog.
And what do we learn?
First, know your audience! Analyze your followers and cater your captions to their interests and preferences.
Keep it short and sweet! Instagram users prefer snappy captions that get to the point. Make sure yours are attention-grabbing and concise.
Don't hide your sponsorships- the people deserve to know!
Don't forget the emojis and hashtags! They add personality to your captions and help you reach a wider audience.
Add a clear call-to-action to encourage your followers to engage with your post. Whether it's asking for likes, comments, or website visits, make it relevant and compelling.
Last but not least, be authentic! Use your captions to showcase your brand's personality and values. Share your story, be relatable, and connect with your followers on a deeper level.
Bonus tip: Write your captions in batches, don't try to write them on the fly (I'm gonna remember this one from now on).
That's it for this edition of The Marketing Kable. If you received this newsletter as a forward, do consider signing up. It's forever free and just for you.
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