We all
know what advertising does. It’s meant to win the consumer. Consumers are won
by attraction and persuasion. To win the consumer, advertisers either boast the
real properties of what’s being sold, or they make fantastical promises about
what the product or service will do for anyone who buys it.
Ethical
dilemmas arise beginning with what advertising is. It’s a paid means to inform
the public of a product or service, and to form the message in a way that
persuades individuals to do or buy something. The inherent nature of persuasion
is shady. It’s biased, one-sided. Unlike traditional journalism, advertising is
meant to do one thing: present the only side of the story in its own interest.
Is it ethical to present only one side of a story, or is that considered intentional
deception?
This
falls into the realm of the ethical theory of egoism. Since advertisers only
show the one side of a situation in an organization’s interest, might all
advertising be seen as self-serving? In his book “Ethics in Media
Communications: Cases and Controversies,” Louis Alvin Day writes, “Morality
involves taking into account the interests of others; an entirely selfish
person cannot, by definition, make ethical judgments.” Can advertising be
classified as entirely self-centered, and therefore unable to be ethical?
Possibly, but advertising must exist, and therefore should be subject to
applied ethics and handled on a case-by-case basis.
An ad for the American Cancer Society urging women to
remember to get mammograms each year; is that self-centered for the
organization? Well, yes. And no. This is why advertising has to be examined
case by case. This ad is not unethical because it is protected by the theory of
utilitarianism. The theory asserts that if the breach of morality is less than
the greatest benefit, then the act is ethical. So even if the ad brings in
donations for the organization, the greater good of society is served by the
medical health issue awareness that the ad brings to the public.
An ad for UNICEF is not considered
egoistic because it falls in the category of communitarianism. The ethical
theory of communitarism protects ads that support a sense of community, in this
case a global one, over the needs of individuals. Although a UNICEF ad will
bring money to the organization, it serves the greater good by creating a
communal bond. The greater good is served by bringing people together to help
those in need.
Another
consideration that must be made by advertisers is that of ethical relativism.
This is particularly important in a global market. What would be perfectly
acceptable content in one country might be offensive in another. The British
Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre in the UK banned Tourism Australia’s campaign because of its
offensive slogan: “Where the bloody hell are you?” The ethics of whether or not
to use that kind of verbiage depend on the region and audience for the ad.
These
are the types of ads that are considered ethical in regard to classical ethical
theories. The ads that ruin the credibility and reputation of the field of
advertising are the ones that are no more than a modern medicine show. A
majority of modern ads promise a fantasy outcome to buying the advertised
product or service. These ads make such outrageous claims that it’s hard to
believe that anyone would fall for them. But they do.
The Axe body spray ads are a prime example
of fantasy advertising. The theme of the ad campaign is that Axe products for
men, when applied, will attract women. The first ads featured nerdy guys who
used Axe products and were subsequently chased and preyed upon by attractive,
ravenous women. The ads continue with the theme to this day, although there has
been controversy and public debate about the ethical implications of
advertising that uses sex to get consumers to buy products. The campaign is
purely egoistic, throwing out the ideas of truth and fairness by exploiting
consumers with a lie and portraying sexist ideas.
Advertisers
these days must also consider social issues. Ads that disregard hot button
social issues such as gender stereotyping, child sexualization and eating disorders
are considered unethical. In the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority banned an ad
featuring an anorexic-looking model, calling the ad “socially irresponsible.”
Advertisers have a responsibility to heed the research and growing
evidence of women’s health problems in correlation to exposure to ads. The
psychological problems of poor body image and eating disorders among women have
been linked to how women are portrayed in modern advertising.
Advertising
is an important and necessary part of life. Consumers rely on different media
to bring them information about products and services, and ads are a way of
doing just that. Ads will never be perfectly ethical at all times - each one
can be argued, no matter how innocuous it might seem. Advertisers themselves
are incapable of being perfectly ethical because anything viewed or heard could
potentially offend someone somewhere. That sets an impossible standard for
moral purity. But individuals in the advertising field can take responsibility
for what is conceived and published. That’s the best way to be ethical.
Sources:
“Ethics
in Media Communications: Cases and Controversies,” by Louis Alvin Day
“Breast
Cancer TV Ad,” Video retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrVTGdNQTqA
“UNICEF:
For Every Child,” Video retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPWr6Eg_dC4&feature=autoplay&list=PLB8A59A42D5B08487&lf=results_main&playnext=2
“Brits
ban ‘bloody hell’ TV ad,” by Jano Gibson and David Braithwaite via The Sydney
Morning Herald. Retrieved from http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/brits-ban-bloody-hell-tv-ad/2006/03/09/1141701625132.html
“Where
the bloody hell are you?” Video retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn0lwGk4u9o
“The
AXE Effect – Women – Billions,” Video retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9tWZB7OUSU
“Watchdog
bans Drop Dead ad featuring skinny model ,” by Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith via
Campaign. Retrieved from http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/news/1103077/Watchdog-bans-Drop-Dead-ad-featuring-skinny-model/
“The
Impact of Media Images on Body Image and Behaviors: A Summary of the Scientific
Evidence,” Report retrieved from http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/uploads/file/The%20Impact%20of%20Media%20Images%20on%20Body%20Image%20and%20Behaviours%206%20Nov%281%29.pdf
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