Moral Leadership at NIMA Marketing Day (retrospective)

We assist marketers in our workshop on this day. Due to rapid technological and societal advancements, (legal) regulations often provide insufficient guidance. Furthermore, what is legally permissible may not always align with what is perceived as just. Consider the case of Booking.com applying for COVID-19 relief funds despite paying billions on dividends. This means that as a marketer, you must consciously make decisions based on your values and the interests of others. Some questions that marketers encounter include:

• Is it permissible for us to deploy algorithms that make choices without users’ awareness?
• Is it fair for our data to be used for personalization without us knowing how and based on what criteria?
• How far does my responsibility extend when I utilize a tech giant like Facebook or Google to reach customers?

These questions, and the journey towards finding answers, were addressed during our presentation at NIMA Marketing Day on September 9, 2021.

Every day, you have the opportunity to contribute to what you value for yourself, your organization, and society as a whole.

Start with your moral values compass

You are provided with a moral values compass to help answer these types of questions. This compass measures three aspects and guides you on how to adjust your course to align optimally with what you deem important. The three components are:

• Current values (first part of integrity):
• Openness to influences (second part of integrity)
• Impact on the environment (consequence of integrity)

Indeed, by employing a moral values compass, marketers can prevent “accidents” like the spread of fake news on platforms such as Facebook. It teaches marketers to consciously reflect on what is “good” and how to achieve it. This cultivates integrity, leading others to follow your moral choices. As a moral leader, you can have a positive impact on people, the planet, and profit, aligning business goals with ethical considerations.