Tag: lifestyle

stealth marketing (via consummate consumer)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

I think this is a very clever post about a growing method of marketing. This is a kind of supercharged “keeping up with the Jones” method which has more than a few moral failings. Of course, in movies and television, the struggling middle class is largely absent. We focus on corporate over achievers with vast sums of money (The Proposal, etc.) or supposedly Middle Americans who never seem to have real money problems. This move is, of course, tripe, and the author here calls it out appropriately.

It’s a good post and this blogger is focused on consumer, So, you might pay more than one visit.

James Pilant

stealth marketing i watched "The Joneses" today, a mildly amusing movie about a fabulous fake family of four that is actually a walking-talking advertisement. Demi Moore and David Duchovny play Mom and Dad to two attractive teenagers, and they sweep into sweet suburbia with their seductive lifestyle and get their unassuming neighbors to keep up with the Joneses by buying everything they have. they call this "stealth marketing.": movie is alright. it gets a little … Read More

via consummate consumer

Ethics vs Modern Economic Realities (via thenewgoodlife)

On By southwerkIn business ethics1 Comment

I would like to have a try at answering the question posed by the author of this post.

It seems to me that a great many of the population are in your position – unable to have a full range of choices in where they buy things. There are many choices in where to buy goods and many of those businesses do things that are immoral or unethical. We would prefer to shop elsewhere.

When a firm is unethical or immoral, it often develops a competitive advantage that makes its products cheaper, in many cases much cheaper.

And I don’t think you have to think very hard before you can think of one of the worst offenders.

If you are in a poor economic situation, buy where you can. There is no point in damaging your health or your family.

Ethics requires action but all choices are never available to us.

So, when one avenue of action is denied us, we seek others. Here we have regulatory agencies, representative government and public advocacy. There is also investigative journalism but this is denied most of the public.

Your most likely remaining options are encouraging awareness by blogging, etc.

I don’t want to try to explain in any detail what you will want to decide yourself, which is what’s your best options?

There are many places where total ethics are impossible by one reason or another, you can still fight the good fight.

We do what we can.

James Pilant

A question for you, is it possible to maintain ethical shopping practices on a budget?  I have been trying for the last year to maintain an equilibrium between these two ideals, to buy products that are as local as possible and ethically manufactured by companies with strong ethical and environmental practices, yet doing so within fairly tight budget.  And I would say I was doing pretty well until recently.  In my efforts to meet these goals I di … Read More

via thenewgoodlife