Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: In the digital age, the ethics of marketing communications become a necessary tool to maintain the trust of consumers and the international community. The conducted research is relevant in the context of modern global conflicts, such as the state of war in Ukraine, where the use of media becomes critically important and requires an ethical approach. The aim was to consider the impact of digital technologies on ethical aspects of marketing communications, especially in the context of their use in the conditions of contemporary global conflicts and crises, in order to develop recommendations for ensuring an ethical and responsible approach to communication strategies. A systematic literature review, synthesis and generalisation of data, as well as content analysis have been used for the study. The article comprehensively reviews the ethics of marketing communications in the digital age. In particular, the peculiarities of business ethics in comparison with universal ethical standards are studied, the necessity of compliance of business practices with generally accepted moral norms is emphasised. The factors that have caused the transformation of communication methods with a special emphasis on the revolutionary role of digitalisation in marketing are analysed. The paper reviews the views of prominent scientists and marketers regarding the impact of digital communications on the formation of successful brands. The factors that determine the ethical nature of marketing communications, including personal, organisational and institutional aspects, are identified and analysed. The fundamental principles of the ethics of marketing communications, in particular, the ethical use of data, transparency in advertising practices and responsible communication with the audience have been defined. The importance of personalised approaches to communications with customers and methods of using data analytics to support them are noted. The issue of the ethical use of influencers in marketing communications is considered separately. The ethical aspect of the use of hidden advertising by influencers is studied. The peculiarities and subtleties of the use of sponsored content from the point of view of compliance with ethical norms are considered. Key problems of ethical marketing communications are systematised and highlighted. Modern innovative approaches to the evaluation of the ethical aspect of brands are studied, in particular, it is determined that the brand ethical positioning index is the optimal tool for a comprehensive evaluation of the ethics of brands. The practical value of the study lies in the systematisation and analysis of factors that determine the ethical nature of marketing communications in the digital age, including methods of their evaluation and influence on the formation of successful brands
Authors: Oleksandr Petrychak, Oleksandr Demianenko
Institution: Cherkasy State Technological University
Language: English
Subfield: Marketing
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4405000577