The Dark Side of Marketing

This book offers a profound exploration into how technology-enabled marketing strategies often undermine personal freedom, undertake unethical, non-permissible marketing and manipulate consumer behaviour. It looks at what remedial actions can be taken to have sustainable, ethical and recuperative marketing. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, this book delves into the history, psychology, theories, and models of modern marketing practices, revealing the often hidden, coercive strategies that erode individual autonomy, and will provide guidance for new models for suitable and recuperative marketing.

The authors draw on extensive research and real-world examples from advanced and developing countries and critically examine the technological, legal and ethical implications of these marketing practices. It proposes pathways to more respectful, empowering, democratic, sustainable, and recuperative marketing models and approaches.

Pawan Kumar is Professor in the Department of Marketing at Mittal School of Business, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, India. He has 15 years of experience in business academic research and his areas of interest include entrepreneurship, marketing, e-commerce, consumer behaviour, and marketing research.

Sumesh Singh Dadwal is Senior Lecturer in Strategy at LSBU Business School, UK. He has 25 years of experience in research, teaching, e-learning, quality management, and examination assessment in a wide range of business subjects. His areas of interest include innovation and technology strategy, innovative business models and marketing, entrepreneurship, and business in emerging markets.

Sanjay Modi is Pro Vice Chancellor at Lovely Professional University, Punjab, India, specializing in business and management. He has extensive academic and professional experience,  and some of his notable works include studies on blockchain technology’s application in business and the development of academic leadership competencies.

Arsalan Mujahid Ghouri is Lecturer at LSBU Business School, UK. He has more than 9 years of experience in higher education and research. His areas of expertise include marketing management, consumer behaviour, digital marketing, research methodology, and marketing research.

Hamid Jahankhani is Professor at Northumbria University, UK. His principal research area for several years has been in the field of cybersecurity, information security, and digital forensics.