The clear conscience of the controversial sector marketer : a neutralization theory approach
Les marketers des secteurs controversés face à leur conscience : une approche par la théorie des neutralisations
Résumé
The aim of this paper is to study neutralization techniques used by marketing practitioners to justify unethical pro-organizational behavior. We analyze the narratives of 17 practitioners in two controversial sectors (alcohol and tobacco). Three sets of arguments are used: moralization of professional activity through the virtuous organization, denial of responsibility due to over-restrictive legislation, and economic rationalization.