Unethical marketing in 2 large international companies

1. Nestle

The unethical marketing practice of Nestle in developing countries came to light in the 1970s when it was charged for wrongfully marketing its baby milk formulas. This marketing campaign of Nestle led millions of mothers and workers to believe that Nestle milk was better than breastfeeding. Additionally, when the baby milk was advertised in over 20 countries, the instructions and warnings for using it were neither clear nor understandable, resulting in the deaths of countless babies. International boycott has been established to force Nestle to change its policies and misconducts over the years until now.

2. Phillip Morris – Marlboro

As the largest manufacturer of cigarettes, Phillip Morris is responsible for the deaths of thousands young adults due to smoking and related diseases. When looking into the marketing strategies of this large international company, we can find some staggering issues. Firstly, the company has exploited young girls to hand out Marlboro cigarettes for children, resulting in smoking behaviors of several underages. Furthermore, for a long time, Phillip Morris has invaded private researches on children’s additive habits to find measures enhancing cigarettes’ sales. On top of that, using Marlboro cigarettes are advertised in newspapers, magazines and multiple forms of media advertisements. Consequently, teenagers are encouraged to smoke Marlboro cigarettes on a large scale.

(Source: http://www.ethicalshopping.com/)