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|CHAPTER 20 Social Responsibility and Ethics 645

Examples of desirable products abound. For

example, Vapur makes a line of reusable, lightweight,

collapsible water bottles that are highly functional

and also more convenient, stylish, and environmen-

tally friendly than either the disposable plastic bottles

or rigid water bottles they replace. When full, pliable

Vapur Anti-Bottles can be easily stuffed in pockets or

backpacks; when empty, they can be rolled, folded, or

flattened and easily tucked away. At the same time, the

bottles require less energy to make and transport than

rigid bottles, and unlike disposable plastic bottles, they

don’t clog landfills or require recycling. Vapur also do-

Desirable products: Vapur Anti-Bottles’ reusable, collapsible water nates portions of its sales to organizations such as Leave
bottles are highly functional and also more convenient, stylish, and No Trace and The Conservation Alliance, and its Drops

environmentally friendly than either the disposable plastic bottles or rigid of Hope program annually donates thousands of Vapur

water bottles they replace. bottles to charitable organizations around the world.27

Vapur, Inc. Vapur® and Anti-Bottle® are registered trademarks of Vapur, Inc. Companies should try to turn all of their products

into desirable products. The challenge posed by pleas-

ing products is that they sell very well but may end up hurting the consumer. The product

opportunity, therefore, is to add long-run benefits without reducing the product’s pleasing

qualities. The challenge posed by salutary products is to add some pleasing qualities so that

they will become more desirable in consumers’ minds.

For example, PepsiCo hired a team of “idealistic scientists,” headed by a former direc-

tor of the World Health Organization, to help the company create attractive new healthy

product options while “making the bad stuff less bad.” PepsiCo wants healthy products

to be a $30 billion business for the company by 2020. The group of physicians, PhDs, and

other health advocates, under the direction of PepsiCo’s vice president for global health

policy, looks for healthier ingredients that can go into multiple products as well as reduc-

tions of sugar, salt, and fat while maintaining the same flavor in its familiar products. For

example, in 2011 Frito-Lay cut the salt in all of its potato chips by 25 percent. And, to help

cut calories, it uses a zero-calorie sweetener, Pure Via, in its Tropicana Trop50 orange juice

and Gatorade G2 brands. By 2012, PepsiCo’s nutrition business revenue represented 20 per-

cent of its annual net revenue, and 49 percent of its U.S. beverage volume came from juices,
low- or zero-calorie drinks, and active hydration beverages.28

Marketing Ethics

Good ethics are a cornerstone of sustainable marketing. In the long run, unethical marketing
harms customers and society as a whole. Further, it eventually damages a company’s reputation
and effectiveness, jeopardizing its very survival. Thus, the sustainable marketing goals of long-
term consumer and business welfare can be achieved only through ethical marketing conduct.

Conscientious marketers face many moral dilemmas. The best thing to do is often
unclear. Because not all managers have fine moral sensitivity, companies need to develop
corporate marketing ethics policies—broad guidelines that everyone in the organization must
follow. These policies should cover distributor relations, advertising standards, customer
service, pricing, product development, and general ethical standards.

The finest guidelines cannot resolve all the difficult ethical situations the marketer
faces. Table 20.1 lists some difficult ethical issues marketers could face during their
careers. If marketers choose immediate-sales-producing actions in all of these cases, their

FIGURE | 20.4 Immediate Satisfaction
Societal Classification
of Products Low High
High Salutary products Desirable
Long-run products The goal? Create desirable products–
Consumer Benefit those that create both immediate customer
Low Deficient products Pleasing products satisfaction and long-run benefit. For
example, Vapur Anti-Bottles are highly
functional but also convenient, stylish,
and environmentally friendly.