Marketing ethics is defined as a field of study that deals with the moral guidelines and principles behind the operations of marketing that take place in an organization ( Kohlberg, 2007). Taking a case study of Naked Wines, the company lives on the edge of marketing ethics as they run a transparent business model that always sheds light on what transpires between their customers and suppliers or as Naked prefers to call them, Rockstars and Angels (Kohlberg, 2007). With this, the business model has been divided into a part dedicated to wine club and a part dedicated to crowdfunding.
Here, customers usually contributed their money to the pool and the same investment is used to bring quality wine from the winemakers on the clients table. It has further been made transparent by informing the customers that in case the arrangement does not work out for them they can pull out together with their funds (Kohlberg, 2007). This clearly shows how management team at Naked Wines live and abide in proper ethical standards and integrity. Clients are usually referred to as the Angels as from the business model; the Angels are the ones who fund the suppliers- the winemakers, who in turn make sure that customers receive high quality discounted wine( Messerli, 2011). From the business model, Naked Wines has managed to create a social network with its suppliers and customers as they are both committed to a culture that exuberates happiness. This is in reference to the customer happiness team at Naked Wines that has a budget set aside for the sole purpose of delighting their customers at any given time.
That explains why there is a marketing principle that states that there is a "free" bottle of wine every month for an angel, but only if the angel buys a case of wine that month. This principle encourages the angels who keep on purchasing wine to continue with their purchase at the same time encouraging those who do not purchase every month to start purchasing every month so as to increase the company’s revenue thus cementing and strengthening the relationship between the angels and the rock stars (Schectman, 2010). The wait list is real and not artificially created as the main importance of the list is to strike a balance between the supply and demand of the wine so as to reduce the case of having too much wine without customers and running out of wine when customers are available.
Despite society taking a special interest in businesses that have morality overtones, alcohol is one of the oldest "sin" businesses and so does wine fall in this category. Companies that have an eye in financial interest in changes to rule that govern the creation and marketing of their products usually try to change these rules that come with the advertisements that involve alcohol by making sure that the products they produce do not harm the environment ( Messerli, 2011). Moreover, they also make sure that guidelines are set in reference to the product quality and safety strengths that come with a company’s engagement in marketing. With this in mind, this protects a company from paying fines and penalties.
In a case where I would be in a charge of lobbying in Naked Wines, I would make sure that all product and safety regulations are followed by the company so as to prevent the company from paying fines thus protecting its consumers. Secondly, I would make sure that the company practices recycling and minimizes on pollution. Thirdly, educating the public on responsible behavior and on what is expected from them when consuming the products.
References
Kohlberg, L. (2007). Essays in moral development: The philosophy of moral development. New York
Schectman, J. (2010). Good business: Ethics. Oxford University Press.
Messerli, E. (2011). Navigating the generation gap in the workplace from the perspective of Generation Y. Parks & Recreation, 35–36.
