Marketing and Responsibility: Ethical Issues in the Perfume Market

This report delves into the critical intersection of marketing and responsibility within the perfume industry. It begins with an executive summary outlining the report's focus on market analysis, industry overview, and ethical considerations, including misleading advertising practices. The report examines the cosmetic industry, focusing specifically on the perfume market, and highlights ethical issues such as misleading advertisements. The analysis includes examples from brands like Gucci, Armani, and Dior, evaluating their marketing campaigns against ethical standards and ASA guidelines. The conclusion emphasizes the need for ethical practices within the cosmetic sector to ensure sustainable growth and customer trust. References to relevant academic sources support the report's findings, providing a comprehensive overview of ethical marketing in the perfume industry.

Running Head: MARKETING AND RESPONSIBILITY: PERFUMES
Marketing and Responsibility: Perfumes
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1MARKETING AND RESPONSIBILITY: PERFUMES
Executive Summary
The report focuses on marketing as well as the responsibility of the company that wants to
introduce perfume in the market. The study provides a clear idea about the focused market as
well as the industry and market. The report also focuses on ethical issues as well as the
theories related to ethical issues. Lastly, the study focuses on the conclusion which enables
the company to understand why it is essential for the company to look into the matter so that
it can flourish in the market.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Focused Market..........................................................................................................................3
Industry..................................................................................................................................3
Market....................................................................................................................................4
Ethical Issues..............................................................................................................................4
Example of Misleading Advertisement..................................................................................5
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7
References..................................................................................................................................9

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Introduction
The conception regarding the responsibility comes along with the marketing of the
product in the marketplace. It is essential to understand by the marketers so that they can
expand as well as flourish in the market. The marketers need to take up the responsibility so
that false and misleading information regarding the product or the service cannot be
circulated (Webster and Lusch 2013). This responsibility should be taken up by every
organisation, which will automatically enable the company to flourish in the market as well
as assist them in attracting more number of customers from in it. The responsibility and
marketing go hand in hand in the market regarding the growth of the company in the long-run
(Nicholls, Hair Jr, Ragland and Schimmel 2013).
Focused Market
The company mainly focuses on a market where they can launch their product or
service, which is necessary so that they can enter the market along with that they can lure the
customers in the process. The focus market mainly remains with an industry. The company
needs to flourish in the market if they can focus on a particular market segment. Therefore,
the company needs to look after the market so that they can sell their product in it along with
that attract the customers towards their product and service. These will automatically enable
the company to generate revenue in the process.
Industry
The industry is considered to be the vast segment in which the company operates in a
particular market. A specific sector might consist of a different market segment as it is the
collection of the same type of products which are there in the various market segment of the
industry. The product in the different markets of the same sector may also complement one

4MARKETING AND RESPONSIBILITY: PERFUMES
another. The industry which is being chosen in the report is the cosmetic industry, which is a
growing industry all around the world, and the consumers are mainly the females irrespective
of the demographic region. The company needs to enter the industry, which is the fastest
growing industry all around the world as these will benefit the company to become successful
as well as enable them to generate revenue in the process.
Market
The market is the part of the industry which is dealing with the specific product or
service in the vast industry. The market that is being selected in the process is the perfume
market. These market is flourishing all around the world, especially within the female
consumers in the market along with the men. These automatically provide the company with
an additional benefit to the company to grow as well as to earn profit from the market. The
perfume market in the United Kingdom is increasing in recent times. These are essential for
the company to grow in the market and to become successful in the process.
Ethical Issues
Various ethical issues were seen in the cosmetic industry, which needs to be
addressed by the company to become successful in the market and to achieve success in the
process. These are important for the growth of the company and to lure the customers
towards them (Sahota 2014). The issues which can be view in this industry are:
 Misleading Advertisement: There is a problem regarding the misleading
advertisement, which is unethical in the market. The company needs to make an
advertisement which provides proper as well as all the necessary details. These
will enable the company to grow in the market and to become successful in the
process. The company should not mislead the customers in the market as it is
essential for the customers to know what they are buying from the company

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(Turner and Knoepfler 2016). Therefore, the company needs to understand that
they should maintain these ethics so that the company should quickly provide
support to the customers as well as maintain the goodwill in the market.
Example of Misleading Advertisement
1. The brand Gucci has taken out advertisement campaign, which mainly focuses on the
female section and names the product as “Gucci Guilty.” Here the company have used
the feminist approach where they enable the sense in the female that they need to
purchase this product to attract the men towards them, which is misleading in the
process and should be changed by the company. The company is generating the
wrong notion in the minds of the female customers and which is unethical in the
process. The company use sex approach to market its product in the marketplace. As
per the ASA guidelines, the claim that is being made by the brand is misleading as the
males will not get attracted if female use the perfume so it is misleading in that sense
and also the company exaggerate about their products capability in the market.

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Fig. 1: Gucci Advertisement
(Source: Created by Author)
2. The next brand is Armani, who introduce a perfume for men and name it as “Armani
Code.” The company launched the product in the market targeting the men by
implementing the pluralism, which enables them to influence the men to buy the
product so that they can attract the females towards them. These are misleading in the
process as they are controlling the men to purchase the product from the market so
that they can gain the attention of the females in the process. The claim that is being
made by the company is misleading as they exaggerate about their product as well as
the secured false claim that women will get attracted if men use their product, which
is wrong to be claimed as per ASA guideline.
Fig. 2: Armani Code
(Source: Created by Author)
3. The next brand is Dior, which introduce a product named “J’adore Dior.” The
company add the product so that they can attract the female section of the society by

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implementing the feminist in the process by showcasing model Charlize Theron, who
looks confident in the advertisement. These will automatically influence the female to
purchase the product from the market. The perfume may or may not generate that
confidence so it can be considered to be a misleading advertisement in the process and
enable them to generate revenue in the process. As per the ASA guideline, the
company’s substantiate the objective claim is false as they put the wrong notion that
women will feel confident if they use their perfume, which is misleading for the
consumer. These need to look after the company.
Fig. 3: J’adore Dior
(Source: Created by Author)
Conclusion
In the end, it can be concluded that the cosmetic sector uses unethical practices as
well as use harmful ingredient. The company wants to add perfume in the market, and for
that, the company needs to look into the ethical consideration so that they can grow in the

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market and can become popular in the process. It is essential for the growth of the company
and to gain popularity in the market. Therefore, it can be said that the company needs to
address all the issues adequately so that they can become successful in the market.

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References
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Nicholls, J., Hair Jr, J.F., Ragland, C.B. and Schimmel, K.E., 2013. Ethics, corporate social
responsibility, and sustainability education in AACSB undergraduate and graduate marketing
curricula: A benchmark study. Journal of Marketing Education, 35(2), pp.129-140.
Pervin, S., Ranchhod, A. and Wilman, M., 2014. Trends in cosmetics purchase: Ethical
perceptions of consumers in different cultures. A cross country comparative study between
South Asian and Western consumers. Journal of Customer Behaviour, 13(1), pp.57-72.
Sahota, A. ed., 2014. Sustainability: how the cosmetics industry is greening up. West Sussex,
UK: Wiley.
Turner, L. and Knoepfler, P., 2016. Selling stem cells in the USA: assessing the direct-to-
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Webster, F.E. and Lusch, R.F., 2013. Elevating marketing: marketing is dead! Long live
marketing!. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 41(4), pp.389-399.