Exploring Business: Pfizer - Essay Example

Jarvik acknowledges that he has considerable experience with heart disease (Owens, 2008). This removes liability from Pfizer and also supports his credentials to promote Lipitor without much concern over ethical judgment consequences from society and regulatory entities.

More careful selection of appropriate celebrity endorsements would be one method of improving the advertising approach. Seeking celebrities that actually have used Lipitor is more in line with regulatory framework guidance for advertisers to avoid consumer perceptions of deception. Additionally, Pfizer could reposition Lipitor under a product benefits focus, using chemists and developers as appropriate endorsers to describe product quality as well as the credentials of research and development teams.

Puffer is merely an exaggeration in an attempt to position or differentiate a product by embellishing product benefits. Deception, however, would occur when a product makes claims it cannot achieve, such as promising cures to illnesses from a vitamin marketer that are not supported by research or actual human consumption. Consumers can also contact the Federal Trade Commission to investigate allegations of blatant deception allowing for expert scrutiny and inquiry.

One well-known marketing campaign that has used puffery is Folgers Coffee. The promotional phrase, “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup” is simply positioning and/or differentiation tactics utilizing puffery (Boone & Kurtz, 2007). This form of puffery is designed to send the perception to consumers that the product benefits of Folgers, or psychological benefits, can be achieved through consumption.

United Egg Producers, a trade group that represents the interest of many egg manufacturers, utilized deceptive packaging strategies to gain consumer interest. The phrase “Animal Care Certified” was used as a logo on many egg cartons to express United Egg Producer’s focus on the humane treatment of egg-laying hens. The Better Business Bureau investigated allegations about this scenario and determined it was blatantly deceptive (Barrionuevo, 2005). The FTC approved a label change based on the findings after researching United Egg Producers' legitimate care practices.

 As a self-constructed question related to the case: What are the ethics behind advertising that blends puffery with deception? The answer to this question can be illustrated by the skincare brand Proactiv, which utilizes youth actors speaking testimonials of their renewed skin condition as a result of using this product. The before pictures used to illustrate product benefits clearly show acne problems with the paid endorsers. The after pictures, however, clearly exhibit substantial make-up placed on the faces of actors which over-emphasizes the clearing benefits of Proactiv. This is a blatant form of deception, however, it seems to be widely accepted throughout the industry for vanity-inspired products. Though it might not be illegal under regulatory frameworks, it is an unethical business practice as it misleads consumers about their expected results from using Proactiv.