When businesses started out about thirty years ago, technology was minimal and not a valuable resource. Associates were able to use a typewriter and some computers but it was for basic purposes. Notes at meetings were written by hand and documents were transferred via floppy disks in the mail. There were no cell phones and word of mouth advertising never exceeded past family members and close friends. Consumer products were advertised solely on self-benefit-oriented basis meaning they displayed a price and what it was used for. Shoppers were more aware of printed advertisements in magazines and commercials because those were the only sources that could validate the product without purchasing it. However with the world literally at our fingertips with the Internet, we can read consumer reviews, false advertisements and the ethical behaviors of the company producing the product (Peloza, White & Shang, 2013).
The ethical field of study has now expanded on not only internal self-awareness but also how the entire company affects certain environmental factors. According to my research, by advertising a product with a positive ethical behavior done by the company, consumers are more interested in buying it. For example, Minute Maid has begun advertising that its packaging comes from post-consumer recycled products. By stating this fact, consumers are more reluctant to purchase Minute Maid over a competitor because they feel the company is making a positive ethical decision. This in turn makes the consumer feel as though they are upholding a better ethical standard (Peloza, White & Shang, 2013).
Minute Maid, as with almost every product, has a target audience it’s trying to address. In the past, general research was done based on demographics and consumer patterns to help reach its target audience. Today, however, we have the Internet and more importantly social media. I