Assignment 1: Ethically Irresponsible

There are some pretty bad products and services out there. Some were blatantly bad and others that we think we need. At first it was a challenge finding information about failed products until I found Walletpop.com. And then I was reminded a of a jewel from the 90's called Web TV.

Unneeded product that failed:

Web TV was not dangerous or really unethical, but since the company could not seem to reach the million subscriber mark the bill for the Internet service became massive. I remember some of my more spoiled friends' parents got Web TV for them. It was dreadfully slow and not quite as easy as just using a computer.

Unneeded product that were successful:

Women's fashion magazines sell incredibly well. Doctored images of impossibly thin women can be seen in almost every gas station, grocery store, and bookstore in the country. The benefit of these magazines is to keep the reader informed of the latest trends in clothing and make up. But these magazines also show the reader the new trends in weight loss and unaffordable beauty products. The marketing strategy is unethical to me because fashion magazines play on women's insecurities, but also pretend to be there to help.

Planned Obsolescence:

There are two products that I believe fit this category well. The first is the cell phone. Cell phones are expensive enough to be a big ticket purchase, but flimsy enough to be replaced more often than your shoes. I can't really complain because my phone from 2006 won't seem to die. However most of my friends' cell phones seem to disintegrate in their hands twice a year. The unethical part of this scenario is that something expensive should be quality enough to last. The second product is the Amercian made car between the 70's and 80's. Hence, the negativity about American cars that my parents and their generation may always cling to.

Demand Side Market Failure :

I found a great list of products like this on Walletpop.com. WebTV is a good example of a service that just could not really attract new customers. Colgate TV dinners and Ben-Gay aspirin are two of my favorite demand side market failures. Because TV dinners made by the people who make your toothpaste just doesn't sound appealing. Ironically Kirkland, (Costco brand), does very well and they make lots of frozen food and shampoo. I think Ben-Gay aspirin speaks for itself.