Do You Consider This Marketing Tactic Immoral?
We all have different thresholds regarding wrong and right, moral and immoral.
I personally think it’s immoral to abandon a dog. Someone else thinks its no big deal. But this isn’t about dogs…
It’s about marketing, and things you can do to promote yourself and your business.
I just read about a business that donated 150 tuxedos to a charity for disadvantaged young people being honored for their academic success. Whether those kids needed tuxedos or not, it was a grand gesture, and it got his business mentioned on Oprah.
Wow… that’s the kind of publicity that would cost far more than those tuxedos! 
It was a generous gift, but he didn’t do it in secret. He did it in a way that would boost his business.
Some believe that’s immoral. That it isn’t really charity or generosity if you give with the expectation of publicity. They say you’re getting far more than you gave, so the generosity doesn’t count.
What do you say?
Is it OK to support the local youth groups if your name goes on a banner next to the baseball field? Is it OK to present a check to the food bank if you’ll get your picture in the newspaper as a result? If you buy 6 cartons of books for a literacy group, do you have to give in secret for it to count?
I know what I think, but what do you think?
Posted: January 21st, 2010 under advertising, marketing, Uncategorized.
Tags: advertising, charitable giving, marketing, self-promotion