Ethical Challenges in Innovative Digital Marketing

The current chapter discusses the ethical concerns that arise because of the high uptake of new and customer focused digital marketing approaches. With artificial intelligence, big data, behavioral targeting, and immersive technologies becoming more prone to increase engagement and loyalty to brands, new questions surround privacy, informed consent, algorithmic bias, psychological targeting, transparency, and adherence to the emerging global regulations. The chapter provides a review of the concepts behind the theory on empowerment and taking advantage of consumers by using examples and case studies to determine how consumers can be empowered and taken advantage of by advanced personalization at the same time, thus obliterating the difference between relevance and intrusion. The argument entails that innovations do not go well with ethical considerations but they are key drivers of lasting brand trust and sustainable loyalty. It presents practical bodies of ethic design and responsibility, which include practical courses of action.