e. those that are contrary to the intent of the marketing material) are taken (Wesley & Barczak 2010). Psychological knowledge has allowed this balancing act in video game marketing to be much more finely tuned than it would be otherwise. Ethical Principles

The first three principles discussed herein relate to the efficacy of various marketing efforts, and the considerations that must be taken into account in order for marketing to reach the people intended and be responded to in the desired manner. When it comes to the ethical principles of marketing it is less about direct efficacy and more about the overall social benefit and cultural values being upheld in marketing materials and efforts. The ethics of marketing are essentially limiting factors on the types and precise design of marketing materials that can be utilized for a given product or industry, but viewing them only as limitation does not really present an accurate view of marketing ethics or what, through its influence on the other major areas of marketing principles discussed above, the use of ethical principles in marketing can do for an organization overall.

There is an abundance of ethical concerns in relation to the marketing of various products, with products that are considered potentially harmful or dangerous presenting more extreme and thus clearer examples of these issues. The marketing of cigarettes to children through cartoon figures such as Joe Cool, the spokescamel for Camel cigarettes for a time, caused a major ethical (and thus political) backlash that ended up harming the company, for instance (Kurukshetra 2009). The use of more ethical decision making in the development of marketing materials, such that minors and other vulnerable populations are not put at undue risk through overexposure to marketing information, would have helped this company in purely pragmatic ways.

Though not causing quite the same controversy as cigarettes, video games have been far from immune to accusations of ethical violations in their marketing efforts, The issue of violence in marketing efforts...

Interestingly, objections to marketing have at times been more vociferous than those aimed at the content of the video games themselves, which demonstrates the social and psychological sensitivity of many individuals and activist groups to marketing materials and what they represent (Wesley & Barczak 2010).
Conclusion

Developing effective and ethical marketing is a highly complex process with many different considerations that need to be taken into account. The discussion above barely scratches the surface of four major areas of marketing principles, but provides a starting point for the development of ever-more refined and effective marketing techniques. Continuing research and an ongoing commitment to continued development will drive marketing efforts to ever more refined levels, helping to propel the economy beyond recovery and back into sustained growth.