Issues Concerning the Product as Part of the Marketing Mix

Abstract

In this paper the authors review the premises of modern marketing concepts as well as critiques on marketing practices in relation to ethical issues. Here we are dealing with manipulative marketing, deception and delusion due to which one may justifiably ask: is this going in the direction desired by society as a whole. The article describes in detail ethical issues concerning the product as part of the marketing mix, and a few case studies from Croatian business practice are analysed for illustration purposes. A comparison is made between the latter and the opinions of Croatian citizens on current ethical issues, data obtained through research done by the marketing research agency GfK-Croatia. Finally the authors offer suggestions on how to implement ethics in Croatian business practice in light of the existing Code on Ethical Business Management, legislation on consumer protection and the National Programme for Consumer Protection, with special reference to issues concerning the products themselves. Current modes of consumer protection are examined as well as the NGO’s responsible for the same in the Republic of Croatia.