Product Placement: A Critical Review Based on Ethical Theories

Abstract

The ethical dilemma in case of product promotion is not a new phenomenon. Advertisers are always controlled by the ethical rules and regulations of various countries, regions, social groups, and religions. Subsequently, product placement, which is a part of integrated marketing communications (IMC), has established its strength in the present time as a newly formulated promotional tool in the field of marketing. Corporate giants have adopted product placement as a part of their regular promotional activities. As marketers used non-advertising media for product placement, most of the marketing ethicists and religious analysts paid bare attention to product placement. But now, all social groups, ethicists, and religious thinkers have focused attention on product placement to analyze whether this way of product promotion is ethical, rational, as well as permitted by the beliefs of various religions. In this study, product placement is analyzed in light of existing ethical theories with a view to minimize ethical dilemma faced by the marketers.