The ethics of informal social experiments

Abstract

The dissemination of informal social experiments via social media videos may have consequences on formal social marketing research and society overall. This discussion paper explores the ethics of informal social experiments and hypothesizes on societal outcomes arising from potential ethical breaches. A purposely chosen sample of six social experiment campaigns are assessed against relevant ethical themes embodied within the Marketing Research Association’s Code of Marketing Re-search Standards. The social experiment campaigns reviewed exhibit a pattern in the areas of the profession’s ethical code that are contravened. This exploratory evaluation is limited to a small sample. Future research to systematically validate whether potential ethical violations concern viewers and assess the impact of these violations is suggested. This work may provide a basis for marketing industry groups to explore initiatives to regulate disclosure of informal social experiments. This paper provides a basis for reflective evaluation by both informal and formal social marketing researchers.