ethical issues in advertising essay

Advertising made simpler for you. Read about new Advertising Trends, Campaigns, and Strategies.

7 Ethics in Advertising | It’s Importance and Effectiveness

Last updated on: August 28, 2024

In today’s consumer-driven world, advertising plays a significant role in shaping our perceptions, influencing our choices, and driving economic growth. However, with great power comes great responsibility. Ethical considerations in advertising have gained prominence as businesses strive to strike the right balance between persuasive marketing and responsible messaging. This article delves into the realm of ethics in advertising, exploring its importance, key principles, and real-world implications.

Table of Contents

What are Ethics in Advertising?

Ethics in advertising refer to the moral principles and standards that govern the conduct of advertisers and their communication with consumers. It involves ensuring that advertising messages are truthful, respectful, fair, and responsible, with a focus on protecting consumers’ interests and promoting societal well-being.

The Importance of Ethics in Advertising

Ethics in advertising hold immense significance for several reasons. Firstly, it fosters trust between advertisers and consumers. When advertisements are perceived as truthful, transparent, and respectful, consumers are more likely to develop positive attitudes towards brands and make informed purchasing decisions.

Secondly, ethical advertising contributes to the overall reputation of a company or industry. Advertisers who prioritize ethical practices not only attract loyal customers but also gain credibility and goodwill from the public. In contrast, unethical advertising can damage a brand’s image and lead to long-term negative consequences.

7 Key Ethics of Advertising Every Advertiser Should Know

1. transparency and honesty in advertising.

Transparency and honesty are fundamental principles of ethical advertising. Advertisers should ensure that their claims are substantiated, avoiding false or misleading statements. Clear disclosures regarding product features, limitations, and potential risks must be provided to consumers. By maintaining transparency, advertisers establish credibility and build long-term relationships with their audience.

2. Avoiding Stereotypes and Offensive Content

Ethical advertising refrains from perpetuating stereotypes or using offensive content that may demean or marginalize individuals or communities. Advertisers should strive for inclusivity, embracing diversity in their campaigns and promoting positive social values. By avoiding stereotypes and offensive content, advertisers create an environment that celebrates and respects the diversity of their audience.

3. Respecting Consumer Privacy

Respecting consumer privacy is another vital aspect of ethical advertising. Advertisers must obtain consent when collecting personal information and ensure the secure handling of data. Transparency about data usage and providing opt-out mechanisms empower consumers to control their personal information, fostering trust and maintaining ethical standards.

4. Social Responsibility in Advertising

Ethical advertising encompasses social responsibility, where advertisers consider the broader impact of their messages on society. Advertisements should not encourage harmful behaviors, exploit vulnerabilities, or promote products that are detrimental to individuals or the environment. By embracing social responsibility, advertisers contribute positively to the well-being of communities and advocate for sustainable practices.

5. Balancing Creativity and Truthfulness

Ethical advertising strikes a delicate balance between creativity and truthfulness. While advertisements aim to capture attention and engage audiences, they should never sacrifice accuracy or misrepresent information. Advertisers can employ innovative and imaginative approaches while ensuring that the core message remains honest and authentic.

6. The Role of Regulatory Bodies

Regulatory bodies play a crucial role in upholding ethical standards in advertising. They establish guidelines and regulations that advertisers must adhere to, ensuring fairness, honesty, and transparency. These bodies monitor and investigate complaints, enforce penalties for violations, and protect consumers from misleading or deceptive advertising practices.

The Impact of Unethical Advertising

Unethical advertising can have far-reaching consequences. It erodes consumer trust, damages brand reputation, and undermines the integrity of the entire advertising industry. Moreover, misleading or manipulative advertisements can harm individuals by promoting unrealistic expectations, fostering insecurities, or exploiting vulnerabilities. Society as a whole suffers when unethical advertising practices prevail.

Case Studies: Ethical Advertising Campaigns

Numerous examples showcase the power of ethical advertising campaigns. The Dove “Real Beauty” campaign challenged traditional beauty standards, promoting self-acceptance and diversity. Patagonia’s “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign encouraged conscious consumption by urging consumers to consider the environmental impact of their purchases. These campaigns not only achieved commercial success but also made a positive impact on societal perceptions and behaviors.

Ethical Advertising: Challenges and Opportunities

Ethical advertising faces various challenges in today’s complex landscape. Advertisers must navigate the digital realm, where issues like ad fraud, data privacy, and invasive targeting pose ethical dilemmas. Additionally, the pressure to maximize profits and compete for consumers’ attention can tempt advertisers to employ questionable tactics. However, these challenges also present opportunities for advertisers to differentiate themselves by prioritizing ethics and establishing meaningful connections with their audience.

Educating Consumers about Ethical Advertising

Educating consumers about ethical advertising is vital for fostering a more discerning and informed audience. By increasing awareness about deceptive practices, promoting media literacy, and encouraging critical thinking, consumers can make more conscious choices and hold advertisers accountable for their ethical conduct. Collaboration between industry stakeholders, educational institutions, and advocacy groups can help empower consumers with the knowledge they need.

Measuring the Effectiveness of Ethical Advertising

Measuring the effectiveness of ethical advertising involves assessing its impact on consumer behavior, brand perception, and social attitudes. Metrics such as consumer trust, brand loyalty, purchase intent, and societal response can provide insights into the success of ethical advertising campaigns. By analyzing data and feedback, advertisers can refine their strategies and demonstrate the tangible benefits of ethical practices.

Ethical Advertising in the Digital Age

The digital age has revolutionized advertising, presenting both opportunities and challenges for ethical practices. Advertisers must navigate issues such as ad transparency, data privacy, and algorithmic bias. It is crucial to embrace responsible data collection, provide meaningful user experiences, and ensure that algorithms are unbiased and transparent. Adapting ethical principles to the digital landscape is essential for maintaining trust and relevance in the evolving advertising ecosystem.

In conclusion, ethics in advertising play a vital role in shaping the advertising landscape and maintaining a healthy relationship between advertisers and consumers. By adhering to ethical principles, advertisers can build trust, promote transparency, and foster positive societal values. The importance of honesty, transparency, respect, and social responsibility cannot be overstated in the world of advertising.

Ethical advertising not only benefits consumers by providing them with accurate information and empowering them to make informed decisions, but it also benefits advertisers themselves. Advertisers who prioritize ethics can establish a positive brand image, gain customer loyalty, and contribute to the overall reputation of their industry.

However, ethical advertising does face challenges in the digital age, such as data privacy concerns, algorithmic bias, and the need to adapt to evolving technologies. Advertisers must stay vigilant, embrace responsible practices, and adapt ethical principles to the digital landscape.

Educating consumers about ethical advertising is equally important. By raising awareness and promoting media literacy, consumers can become more discerning and make choices aligned with their values. Collaboration between industry stakeholders, educational institutions, and advocacy groups is key to empowering consumers with the knowledge they need.

Measuring the effectiveness of ethical advertising is crucial to demonstrate its impact and refine strategies. Metrics such as consumer trust, brand loyalty, and societal response provide valuable insights into the success of ethical advertising campaigns.

Ultimately, ethics in advertising contribute to a healthier and more sustainable advertising industry. By striking the right balance between persuasion and responsibility, advertisers can build lasting relationships, foster positive change, and create a trustworthy advertising environment.

FAQs Related to Ethics in Advertising

1. can ethics in advertising really make a difference.

Absolutely. Ethics in advertising have the power to shape consumer perceptions, build trust, and foster positive societal change. By adhering to ethical principles, advertisers can create meaningful connections with their audience and contribute to a healthier advertising industry.

2. How can consumers support ethical advertising?

Consumers can support ethical advertising by being aware of deceptive practices, promoting media literacy, and making conscious choices. By supporting brands that prioritize ethical advertising, consumers can influence the industry and encourage responsible practices.

3. What are the consequences of unethical advertising?

Unethical advertising can erode consumer trust, damage brand reputation, and harm individuals by promoting unrealistic expectations or exploiting vulnerabilities. It also undermines the integrity of the advertising industry as a whole.

4. How can regulatory bodies contribute to ethical advertising?

Regulatory bodies play a crucial role in upholding ethical standards in advertising. They establish guidelines, investigate complaints, and enforce penalties for violations, ensuring fairness, honesty, and transparency in advertising practices.

5. What role does social responsibility play in ethical advertising?

Social responsibility is a key aspect of ethical advertising. Advertisers should consider the broader impact of their messages on society, avoid promoting harmful behaviors, and advocate for sustainability and positive social values.

6. How important is ethics in advertising?

Ethics in advertising play a crucial role as they ensure transparency, trust, and credibility in the industry. Adhering to ethical principles helps build positive brand image, fosters long-term customer relationships, and avoids potential legal issues. Ultimately, ethics in advertising are vital for sustaining a reputable and responsible business.

7. What is the ethical side of advertising?

The ethical side of advertising involves promoting products or services while adhering to moral standards and societal norms. It emphasizes honesty, fairness, and respect for consumers’ rights. Ethical advertising avoids deceptive tactics, respects privacy, and provides accurate information, giving consumers the freedom to make informed choices.

8. What is an example of ethics in advertising?

An example of ethics in advertising is ensuring truthfulness in claims. When an advertisement accurately represents a product or service, it maintains ethical standards. For instance, a cosmetics company promoting the anti-aging effects of its product must provide reliable scientific evidence to support their claims. By doing so, they uphold ethical practices and avoid misleading consumers.

9. How do I know if an advertisement is ethical?

To determine if an advertisement is ethical, consider a few factors. First, check for transparency and honesty in the claims made. Look for evidence supporting the advertised benefits or features. Additionally, assess whether the advertisement respects consumers’ privacy and doesn’t engage in intrusive or manipulative tactics. Pay attention to any potential conflicts of interest, such as undisclosed sponsorships. By evaluating these aspects, you can gauge the ethical integrity of an advertisement.

You may also like:

Top 7 English Newspapers to Advertise

Dissecting QUBA 2024 Sports Campaign with Disney+ Hotstar

Top 10 Gujarati TV Channels

Top 10 Marathi TV Channels List

One reply to “7 ethics in advertising | it’s importance and effectiveness”.

Refreshing read! It’s inspiring to see the center of attention on moral marketing practices. Integrity in reality units manufacturers aside in the modern-day market.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

• Business Ethics
• Business Ethics Education
• Business Ethics Journals
• Codes of Ethics
• Conflict of Interest
• Corporate Citizenship
• Corporate Culture
• Corporate Governance
• Corporate Personhood
• Corporation
• CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)
• Environmental Ethics
• Ethical Consumerism
• Ethical Theory: Kantianism
• Ethical Theory: Overview
• Ethical Theory: Utilitarianism
• Ethical Theory: Virtue Theory
• Ethics in Advertising
• Ethics of Wages and Working Conditions
• Executive Compensation
• Globalization
• Human Rights
• Professions
• Regulatory Capture
• Shareholders
• Stakeholder
• Sustainability
• Whistleblowing
• White Collar Crime
• CEBE PressBook
• The Authors

Ethics in advertising considers the range of questions related to right and wrong  regarding the advertising of products or services, or the people who perform that business function.

The central ethical issue with regard to advertising is honesty, and the avoidance of deception. Deceptive advertising is problematic for several reasons. First, it may do harm if it results in people buying something that either harms them or doesn’t actually meet their needs. Second, deception is often wrong because it constitutes a form of manipulation, and hence fails to respect customers as persons. Finally, deceptive advertising undermines the efficiency of markets by making it harder to match products and resources with people and their goals.

Closely related to the question of honesty in advertising are questions related to advertisements that are not literally false, but potentially misleading. One such concern has to do with ads that portray products in a way that may tend to inflate consumer expectations in a way that leads to bad purchase decisions. For example, a car ad showing a mid-sized sedan being driven like a race car may wrongly suggest to potential customers that they too will be able to drive that way, especially if they don’t know that the car in the ad was being driven by a professional driver under carefully controlled conditions.

Another key ethical concern has to do with advertising aimed at vulnerable populations such as children or the elderly. Very young children often cannot reliably tell fantasy from reality. An adult viewing an ad that shows a bicycle flying through the air will typically know that this is merely an attempt by the advertiser to grab their attention. A child, on the other hand, may genuinely be misled about what that bicycle can do.

Some commercial advertisements focus not on promoting a product, but on promoting a brand or the company that owns the brand. In this regard, there is sometimes a concern regarding advertising that, while technically accurate, provides a very incomplete portrayal of a company’s overall performance. When this takes the form of highlighting environmentally-friendly products and other ‘green’ achievements in order to distract from a weak overall environmental track record, it is known as “greenwashing.”

Critics of capitalism sometimes argue that, under a capitalist system, the role of advertising is actually to create in people “needs” and desires they did not formerly have. In this way, it is said, advertisement promotes consumption in a way that is unhealthy for society, but necessary for capitalism as a system.

Finally, questions also arise as to whether there are some products and services that simply should not be advertised, even if they may be legally sold. The advertising of certain products and services is restricted by law in some jurisdictions. For example, the advertising of cigarettes and alcohol are both severely restricted in many jurisdictions.

Further Reading

• Theodore Levitt, “ Advertising: The Poetry of Becoming ,” Harvard Business Review, March/April 1993.
• Pontifical Council for Social Communications, “ Ethics in Advertising ,” February 22, 1997.
• The Canadian Code of Advertising Standards

Standards of Practice of the American Association of Advertising Agencies

By Chris MacDonald and Alexei Marcoux © The Journal Review Foundation of the Americas

Share this:

Useful links.

• Business Ethics Journal Review
• Student’s Guide to Writing Critical Essays in Business Ethics
• The Business Ethics Blog
• Business Ethics Highlights

• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• Manage subscriptions

Ethical Issues in Mass Communication and Advertising Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Introduction

Ethical issues in mass communication and advertising.

Mass communication plays a very important role in modern society. According to Hackley (2014), the mass media has been tasked with the role of educating, informing, and entertaining. They shape public opinion. It is for this reason that the business community has come to value mass communication as a way of promoting their brand and products in a given target market. Leslie (2004) says that mass communication and advertising have a standard code of ethics that they need to follow to ensure that they uphold values and principles within society.

They need to understand that society looks upon them to ensure they get educated and informed. The kind of messages they present to the audience, how they present these messages, and how such messages influence society, especially teenagers and young adults is very important. In this paper, the researcher will review ethical issues in mass communication and advertising.

According to Biagi (2016), media ethics differs from media laws and regulations. Sometimes the two are closely tied together that it becomes almost impossible to separate them. Media ethics are the moral obligations that media stations have when presenting their content to the public. These moral obligations may be specified in the media law or not, but they are the responsibilities that media stations have towards their audience. The following are some of the primary ethical issues that mass communication and advertising need to observe in modern society where media plays a crucial role in shaping public opinion.

Truthfulness

According to Leslie (2004), mass communication and advertising must uphold the principle of truthfulness at all times. According to Hackley (2014), mass communication is trusted by the public to provide information that is very accurate based on what they observe. Whether it is the issue of politics, socio-economic, science, or cultural factors, the public looks upon mass communication for the right information.

Through mass communication, the public gets to be convinced over various issues that matter a lot to their life. If the content presented to them lacks truthfulness, then the public is denied the opportunity to make rational decisions based on the realities that exist. They get to be misled by such untruthful content and may end up acting from a point of ignorance.

Advertisers are often keen to promote their products to their target audience. Given that every other firm is advertising its products on the same platforms, what often matters is the value that each product promises to offer. As Biagi (2016) says, it is an ethical responsibility of every firm to ensure that the content of their adverts is accurate in terms of what they promise to the customers. Some firms are often tempted to promise more than what they offer in their advertisements. When an advert promises what a firm cannot offer, then that is considered unethical advertising practice. In many countries around the world, laws are governing this ethical practice. Such laws prohibit firms from promising what they cannot offer.

Mass communication and advertising should be fair in whatever content they present to the public. Fairness in this context may be broad, but Leslie (2004) defines it as media practices that do not negatively target a section of the society because of their race, religion, gender, age, social status, or any other factor that may have a negative influence on them. For a long time, mass communication has been used as the tool of propagating racism and prejudice against a section of society. This happens in news reporting and entertainment. In news reporting, the reporters are often keen to present a section of the society as violent and criminal minded. A good example is the Black communities in the United States.

Whenever a journalist goes to the Black neighborhoods, their primary aim is often to cover criminal incidences or acts of violence that claimed the lives of people. They forget that such acts also exist in White neighborhoods. Given that such negativities are only investigated in a section of the society, the public gets convinced that indeed it is true that violence and criminal acts only take place in such communities. All the good things in such communities are often ignored.

That is media bias, one of the main unethical practices common in mass communication today. When it comes to films, the same narratives apply. A decent officer who respects the law and abides by it is often white. A delinquent who disregards rules and regulations and engages in drugs is often a Black (Leslie, 2004). The advertisers also have their share of blame in terms of fairness. It is unfair when these advertisers use a section of the society, such as Blacks, to advertise harmful products such as cigarettes and alcohol. They need to be seen to be fair in the content of the message they present. There should be no form of prejudice at all.

Standards of decency

Standard decency is another major ethical issue in mass communication and advertising. According to Shimp (2007), mass media and advertisements are often accessible to people of all ages and as such, care should be taken to ensure that the minds of the minors are not polluted by adult content. For instance, in mass communication, some contents cannot be aired during the watershed period when minors are still awake.

This is a requirement that should be observed at all times. For the advertisers, standard decency is a guiding principle that defines how they have to package their promotional information based on the target audience. The depiction of sex is often a major issue when it comes to the advertisement. The primary aim of the advertisers is to convince the public, irrespective of their age, that the product they offer is the best. It becomes very difficult to ensure that a given advert only remains convincing to a given market segment- defined by their age- and not to the other segment. The national government has policy guidelines that restrict advertisers from having adult content in their advertisements.

The issue of decency also comes when advertising products such as alcohol and cigarette. These are products known to cause several health problems including liver cirrhosis among others. Presenting them as very healthy products fit for consumption without clearly stating to the audience the dangers involved is lack of decency.

Social responsibility

According to Shimp and Andrews (2013), mass communication and advertising must also consider the issue of social responsibility. These media stations must realize that they are socially responsible to the public. In this context, they should try to ensure that their desire to make profits do not cloud their judgment to do the primary responsibilities of informing, educating, and entertaining. In most cases, the educating programs may not be as popular as spreading gossips and giving the audience the content that they want. Sometimes such educative programs may not be as profitable as those that are purely focused on entertaining.

However, mass media stations may sometimes need to make an important sacrifice. They need to remember that they have the responsibility of inculcating positive practices among the public. For the advertisers, they ought to realize that they also have a social responsibility to the public. The desire to make more money is always strong. However, these advertising firms need to understand that the sustainability of their businesses largely depends on how the young generation of today is protected and provided with what they need to become responsible citizens of tomorrow. As such, some of their programs should be focused on educating teenagers on how to become responsible citizens.

Ethical issues in mass communication and advertising should always be treated with the level of seriousness that they deserve. Mass communication informs, educates, and entertains the public. These three primary functions should be done with truthfulness, decency, fairness, and a sense of responsibility. Mass communication and advertisement should avoid any form of deceit or misleading messages that may direct the public to act in a harmful manner. There should be a deliberate effort to protect the public and to promote cohesion in society. Meeting these ethical requirements promotes sustainability in mass communication and advertising.

Biagi, S. (2016). Media/impact: An introduction to mass media . Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Hackley, C. E. (2014). Advertising and promotion: An integrated marketing communications approach . Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Leslie, L. Z. (2004). Mass communication ethics: Decision making in postmodern culture . Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

Shimp, T. A. (2007). Advertising, promotion, and other aspects of integrated marketing communications . Mason, OH: South-Western Publ.

Shimp, T. A., & Andrews, J. C. (2013). Advertising, promotion, and other aspects of integrated marketing communications . Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.

• Advertising and Women's Body Image in Canada
• Camel Product's Advertisement Deconstruction
• Business Philosophy: the Hippocratic Oath of the Manager
• Need for Internet Censorship and its Impact on Society
• Psychological Techniques of Interrogation and Their Results
• Online-Only Magazines - Mass Media
• "Marry Me" through Google Glass
• The days of broadcasting are behind us
• The Particular Features of the Media Control and Regulation in Japan and South Korea
• Drones for Newsgathering & Surveillance
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2020, August 31). Ethical Issues in Mass Communication and Advertising. https://ivypanda.com/essays/ethical-issues-in-mass-communication-and-advertising/

"Ethical Issues in Mass Communication and Advertising." IvyPanda , 31 Aug. 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/ethical-issues-in-mass-communication-and-advertising/.

IvyPanda . (2020) 'Ethical Issues in Mass Communication and Advertising'. 31 August.

IvyPanda . 2020. "Ethical Issues in Mass Communication and Advertising." August 31, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/ethical-issues-in-mass-communication-and-advertising/.

1. IvyPanda . "Ethical Issues in Mass Communication and Advertising." August 31, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/ethical-issues-in-mass-communication-and-advertising/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Ethical Issues in Mass Communication and Advertising." August 31, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/ethical-issues-in-mass-communication-and-advertising/.

Advertising Ethics

• Living reference work entry
• First Online: 07 September 2021
• Cite this living reference work entry

• Andrew B. Gustafson 3  

81 Accesses

Ethical product promotion ; Moral advertising

Introduction

This is a study and concern about how one ought and ought not to promote products, services, and ideas through various sorts of media. Issues include not only the truth in advertising but the appropriate methods of persuasion as well as concern for potential harms caused, the undermining of autonomy, or other negative effects of advertising on society.

What is advertising? Advertere in Latin literally is ad (“toward”) and vertere (“to turn”), and the point of advertising is to get potential customers to turn toward a product, service, or idea. Advertising has a positive role in society by alerting people with common interests to products or services which they really want and need. As Leiser has written, “Advertising is far more ancient, and in some respects more respectable, than many people imagine. In a sense, the first person to cut open a fruit or vegetable so that passersby could see its interior before buying it...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

Arrington R (1982) Advertising and behavior control. J Bus Ethics 1(1):3–12

Article   Google Scholar  

Bauman Z (2007) Consuming life. Polity Press, Cambridge

Google Scholar  

Galbraith JK (1958) Affluent society. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston

Gustafson A (2001) Advertising’s impact on morality in society: influencing habits and desires of consumers. Bus Soc Rev 106(3):201–223

Jhally S (2017) Advertising at the edge of the apocalypse. http://www.sutjhally.com/articles/advertisingattheed/

Klein N (2000) No logo: taking aim at the brand bullies. Vintage Canada, Toronto

Leiser B (1978) The ethics of advertising. In: De George RT, Pichler JA (eds) Ethics, free enterprise, and public policy: original essays on moral issues in business. Oxford University Press, New York

Levitt T (1970) The morality (?) of advertising. Harv Bus Rev (July–August) 84–92

Schudson M (1986) Advertising as capitalist realism. In: Advertising, the uneasy persuasion: it’s dubious impact on American Society. Basic Books, Inc., New York, pp 209–233

Waide J (1987) Making of self and world in advertising. J Bus Ethics 6:73–79

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA

Andrew B. Gustafson

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrew B. Gustafson .

Editor information

Editors and affiliations.

Ottawa, ON, Canada

Deborah C Poff

Alex C. Michalos

Section Editor information

Andy Gustafson

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Cite this entry.

Gustafson, A.B. (2021). Advertising Ethics. In: Poff, D.C., Michalos, A.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Business and Professional Ethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23514-1_411-1

Download citation

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23514-1_411-1

Received : 24 February 2021

Accepted : 07 March 2021

Published : 07 September 2021

Publisher Name : Springer, Cham

Print ISBN : 978-3-319-23514-1

Online ISBN : 978-3-319-23514-1

eBook Packages : Religion and Philosophy Reference Module Humanities and Social Sciences Reference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

• Publish with us

Policies and ethics

• Find a journal
• Track your research

Ethics in Advertising

• Advertising

In the modern business world, the role of advertisements is extremely important and the ethics in advertising is the subject of controversial and never-ending debate. Authors discuss the issues and argue on advertising intensity. The advertising industry is continuously attacked with criticism and disapproval from the general public. Many people think that advertising is encouraging materialism, obesity, taking advantage of children, using sex to sell products and manipulating our buyer behaviour. Advertisement is a means of informing the consumers and potential consumers about the various goods and services available to them. It is an essential instrument of communication between the consumers and the sellers. ‘Advertising both informs and transforms the product by creating an image that goes beyond straightforward facts.’ (Wells et al, 2003:14). Advertisements have the ability to attract more customers to a particular item, lower the price of certain commodities because of increased demand etc. There has occurred an evident change in the kind of advertisements and the importance of advertisements. ‘The most dramatic change affecting advertising has undoubtedly been the growth in importance in promotions, both consumer and trade. Advertisements leave a long lasting impact in the minds of the consumers.’ (Jones, 1998:16). ‘Advertising may be defined as a paid non personal communication from an identified sponsor using mass media to persuade an audience. Today, advertisers can provide customisation through interactive media such as the Internet. Traditionally a one- to- one approach or personal selling was adopted. This kind of interactive advertising helps to reach a larger audience.’ (Wells et al, 2003). ‘Ethics can be simply defined as a set of prescriptive rules, principles, values and virtues of character that inform and guide interpersonal and intrapersonal conduct: that is, the conduct of people towards each other and the conduct of people towards themselves.’ (Spence and Heekeren, 2004:2). What seems to be ethical to one may not always be ethical to another. Ethical decisions are influenced by the cultural background, values, and religion, legal aspects etc. of a person. Therefore the ethical standards differ from person to person. ‘There is nothing morally wrong with the practice of advertising in itself. But how managers advertise may generate moral problems. These problems usually centre around the use of persuasion and the creation of consumer demands. Moral questions may arise, sometimes; because of the way advertisers go about trying to convince people that they should buy their product. Advertising ethics affects the practice of our lives and also the practice of business in subtle and prominent ways.’(www.questia.com). Advertisements have several economic, political, cultural and moral benefits and disadvantages. (www.vatican.va/roman_curia). Advertising can be a useful tool for sustaining honest and ethically responsible competition that contributes to economic growth in the service of authentic human development. Advertising is economically beneficial as it informs people about the availability of rationally desirable new products and services and improvements in existing ones, helping them to make informed, prudent consumer decisions, contributing to efficiency and the lowering of prices, and stimulating economic progress through the expansion of business and trade. This helps in the creation of new jobs, higher incomes and a more decent and humane way of life for all. Advertising helps developing countries to improve their standard of living. ’Twenty to forty percent of the price consumers pay for the products they buy, goes into the production costs and for commercials. The manufacturers first convince the consumers to buy their products, which might not ordinarily be required. Then they charge the consumers for the cost of advertising.’ (Consumers Association of Penang, 1990:98). Serious harm can be done if advertising and commercial pressure become so irresponsible that communities seeking to rise from poverty to a reasonable standard of living are persuaded to seek this progress by satisfying wants that have been artificially created. The result of this is that they waste their resources and neglect their real needs, and genuine development falls behind. Moral advertising helps to convey messages of faith, of patriotism, of tolerance, compassion and neighbourly service, of charity toward the needy, messages concerning health and education, constructive and helpful messages that educate and motivate people in a variety of beneficial ways. But sometimes advertisements can be vulgar and morally degrading. Today, some advertisers consciously seek to shock and titillate by exploiting content of a morbid, perverse, pornographic nature. It has been observed that advertisements of tobacco and alcohol result in a rise in its consumption. Sometimes these advertisements have a negative impact on children especially youngsters. ‘Each year one million young people take up smoking and the figures continues to grow.’ (Wells et al, 2003:40). But it can be argued that there is no evidence that people have started smoking or consumption of alcohol because of advertisements. Advertisements may cause consumers to switch brands. It may also make them aware of the variety of products available in the market. Most people are found to have started smoking or consuming alcohol as a result of peer pressure. Advertisements can betray its role as a source of information by misrepresentation and by withholding relevant facts. Deliberate misrepresentation of facts or even concealing of facts is unethical. This might help to increase sales in the short run. But once the commodities do not achieve the perceived expectations, the consumers turn to other options. This will drastically affect the company in the long run. Concealing information by advertisements is also unethical. Advertisements are required to provide full and honest information to the consumers. Concealing information is as good as giving away false information. ‘Advertisements can distort the truth by implying things that are not so or withholding relevant facts.’ (www.vatican.va/roman_curia). Sometimes we may also find exaggeration of advertisements. This may give wrong expectations to the consumers. When results are not achieved as expected it causes frustration. This is very true with regards to cosmetic products. For example, pimple cure creams, slimming tablets, shampoos for hair loss etc. Many of these products promise quick results. When these expectations are not met, the company will lose their customers. Therefore exaggeration of advertisements may also be treated as being unethical. One another unethical practice is oversize packing of small products to make it look like the customer are getting a lot for his/ her money. Advertisements sometimes, deliberately manipulate by playing on the anxieties or feelings of inadequacy of some people. This may not be considered unethical as long as the advertisement simply presents the attractiveness of the products. There are some organisations, which are formed to deal with such unethical advertisements. ‘The Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB) provides a free public service in complaint resolution. It provides determinations on complaints about most forms of advertising in relation to issues including the use of language, the discriminatory portrayal of people, concern for children, portrayals of violence, sex, sexuality and nudity, and health and safety. The Advertising Standards Board is made up of members of the public invited to reflect current community attitudes in serving as Board members. The Board considers written complaints about advertisements in the mainstream media, using the Advertiser Code of Ethics as the basis of its determinations. It considers advertisements which people find offensive on the basis of: • Discrimination (race, nationality, sex, age, sexual preference, religion, disability) • Violence • Language • Portrayal of sex, sexuality or nudity • Health and safety • Alarm or distress to children The Advertising Standards Board is one way in which the advertising industry is seeking to maintain high standards in all forms of advertising.’ (www.advertisingstandardsbureau.com). ‘Advertising industry must adopt a harm- minimisation policy by which bad and harmful consequences from various advertising practices and strategies shall be, if not eliminated, at least minimised. Only this will help to develop ethical advertising. For this purpose, proper ethical policies that include adequate ethical training for practitioners, codes of ethics and adequate self- regulative ethical controls by way of rewards and penalties should be adopted by the advertising industries as a whole. Ethical advertising helps to create a cultural environment, which is not only responsive to ethical advertising but also has individual who are pro- active in enhancing the ethical possibilities of advertising that meet the challenges of its hybrid and paradoxical nature.’ (Spence and Heekeren, 2004:119). ‘Advertising is morally neutral in itself and as long as advertiser’s respect people’s freedom to make choices without pressure about goods and services advertisers are perfectly justified in telling people, even persuasively, what they have to sell.’ (Williams, 1992). Advertisers must be vigilant about what they are advertising, how they advertise etc. in today’s society, advertising has a profound impact on how people understand life, the world and to a great extend themselves, especially in regard to their values and their ways of behaving. ‘Advertising can be conceived and conducted not merely in an ethically neutral manner, a category in which a lot of advertisements fall, but in appositively ethical manner.’ (Spence and Heekeren, 2004:122). Roger Crisp (1987) argues that ‘all forms of a certain common type of advertising are morally wrong’, on the ground that they override the autonomy of consumers and manipulates them without their knowledge and for no good reason. He claims that such advertising causes desires in such a way that a necessary condition of autonomy — the possibility of decision — is removed. The author discusses ‘four notions central to autonomous action - autonomous desire, rational desire and choice, free choice, and control or manipulation’. He also claims ‘that the argument developed by Philip Nelson, which concludes that even if persuasive advertising does override autonomy, it is still in the interests of consumers to be subjected to it, is seriously mistaken’. I have found several very interesting books which are written to defend advertising. Kirkpatrick’s aim (2007) was to undermine a critique of advertising as a offensive monopolistic force which must be heavily regulated by the government. Similarly, ‘Ethics and Manipulation in Advertising’ examines the claim that advertising should be subject to more political control and regulation because its manipulates consumers. Surprisingly, author does not deny the existence of manipulative advertising. Instead, he discusses the question of whether that advertising is a good or bad thing, using widely accepted ethical theories as criteria for making his claims. Philips classifies advertising practice and clearly distinguishes between informational ads – those whose essence is rational persuasion that ‘induces changes by convincing a person through the merits of the reason put forward’ (1997:16) - and manipulative ads – all persuasive ads, especially associative advertising and subliminal ads that ‘foil the rational evaluation of a product by creating the illusion that it will satisfy conscious or unconscious desires that it may not, in fact satisfy.’ (1997:18).

Semiotics of Advertising

Advertising takes products and turns them from something normal and ordinary into something desirable, something that people associate with being trendy, popular and fashionable. This results in ordinary products turning into ‘name brands’ as people feel that they cannot be successful or happy unless they own these products. To get these brands to change from being ordinary to being called ‘name brand’ is hard work on the side of the advertisers, but with the use of semiotics we are able to see the coded messages that the advertisers are sending, making us want to have that brand. Semiotics began as a method for analysing language but now it is used for analysing how all sign systems work. Semiotics is concerned with meaning and with the ways in which meanings are produced. Semiology is defined ‘as the science of signs, it suggests that all communication is based on sign systems , which work through certain rules and structures’. (O’Shaughnessy & Stadler, 2002:80). The semiotic analysis of advertising assumes that their creators design the meanings of advertisements. As well as just asking us to buy something, Williamson (1994) argues that advertisements ask us to participate in ideological ways of seeing the world and ourselves. Advertisements make use of signs, codes, and social myths that are already in circulation, and ask us to recognise and often to enjoy them. While reading and decoding the signs in advertisements, we participate in the structures of meaning that advertisements use to represent advertised product, society, and us. Bignell (2002) states that “To possess the product is to ‘buy into’ the myth, and to possess some of its social value for ourselves”. Buy using semiotic analysis we are able to identify the attempts to link to these myths. It helps us understand how products are linked to these cultural myths, and how they normalise some myths which may be obscene to some, or just untrue. Bignell states that often “Advertising has been critiqued as one of the social institutions which perform this function of naturalising dominant ideologies in our culture”. Semiotics is a very useful tool to decode advertising, for both academics and those who aspire to work in the advertising industry. It is also highly useful for the consumers of advertisements and their products. It gives viewers another tool in avoiding consumerism by seeing that in advertising “the ‘hard sell’ has been replaced by a more defuse range of functions.’ (Sinclair 2006).

Psychoactive Ads and Audience

There is a widely-used tool of advertising, the full consequences of which are still unknown: the emotion-arousing ad (Hyman and Tansey, 1990). It may be used in the variety of situations but whatever it promotes, it does so by reaching out, grabbing its viewers and demanding attention. One type of these ads seems to be especially morally controversial – a psychoactive ad: ‘A psychoactive ad is any emotion-arousing ad that causes a meaningful, well-defined group of viewers to feel extremely anxious, to feel hostile toward other, or to feel a loss of self-esteem.’ (Hyman and Tansey, 1990:106). Given that these ads can actually hurt viewers, therefore Hyman and Tansey (1990) believe that it is unethical to carelessly produce and use such ads. They argue that because some ill-conceived psychoactive ads can cause harm, ethical issues must arise during their production. If not for sake of caring about society, people responsible for advertising practices should be aware of the possible audience reactions to the use of such ads. When customers feel that specific advertising practices are unethical, they may exhibit an unwanted behaviour, ranging from indifference to the products, to boycotts or demands for government regulations (Snipes, LaTour and Bliss, 1996). Such actions can be very costly for a company and may tarnish its image permanently. Though all psychoactive ads cause viewers to respond emotionally, all ads that cause viewers to respond emotionally are not psychoactive ads. Neither upbeat ads nor warm ads are psychoactive (Hyman and Tansey, 1990). Upbeat ads are ads that cause viewers to feel alive, cheerful, happy, light-hearted, care-free and so forth (Edell and Burke,1987). Warm ads are ads that cause viewers to feel a ‘positive, mild, volatile emotion involving physiological arousal and precipitated by experiencing directly or vicariously a love, family or friendship relationship’ (Aaker et al., 1986:366). Hyman and Tansey (1990) provide description of psychoactive ads, defined and organised by type. On this view, ads that can cause extreme anxiety rely on appeals using pathos, tragedy, heroism or fear. Emotion-arousing ads are widely used and are commonly perceived to be very effective. There is an empirical evidence indicating, that subjects better remember and more regularly recall ads awakening fear, than they do warm or with no emotional content ones (Thorson and Friestad, as reported in Psychology Today 1985) and I am about to examine it in my dissertation. Polay (1985, cited in Henthorne et al., 1993) claims that fear appeals have been used extensively in marketing communications. Rosenberg (1956) suggested that use of fear appeals is grounded in the belief that some form of arousal is necessary for individual behaviour change to occur. Moreover, the presentation of information alone is insufficient to change, or greatly influence, individual behaviour (Leventhal and Niles, 1964). Therefore, in order to make advertising appeals more distinctive, hence and persuasive, advertisers frequently use dramatic emotional ads-messages designed to ‘shock the emotions and make the brain itch’ (Moore 1989 ). However, it is worth to mention, that individuals may differ significantly in the level of emotional intensity with which they respond to an advertising stimulus, and the intensity level may have a parallel influence on attitude formation (Moore, Harris and Chen, 1995). Larsen and Diener (1987) confirmed that when people are exposed to equal levels of affect-producing stimuli, some individuals consistently respond with high levels of emotional intensity while others respond with only moderate levels. In other words, advertising does not affect all viewers in the same way. Hopefully, I will be able to prove it while working on the dissertation. The adult audience (the subject of my concern) tends to be selective in its exposure to media. The meanings they take from the media are influenced by its attitudes, experience, peer groups, membership of sub-cultures and so on (Curran, 1990). Precisely that is why, some individuals may experience intense emotional discomfort when exposed to negative emotional appeals and others may be only mildly affected (Moore and Harris, 1996). Studies in U.S. show that only 17% consumers see advertising as a source of information to help them decide what to buy – surprisingly, Americans are highly sceptical, which prove that advertising’s powers have been greatly exaggerated (Brierley, 1995). Americans attitudes toward television and other mass media are mixed. Some of their fear and distrust arises from a belief that the mass media are monolithic, controlled by ever-fewer people and speak with a single voice (Jamieson and Campbell, 1997). For the advertising analysts, the audience scepticism and knowingness undermine simplistic critiques of advertising effects, in which people do what ads tell them, accept the role offered in ads as representations of the world, and take up the positions offered by advertising texts (Myers, 1999). There are clearly tensions between seeing the audience as sceptical and rational on the one hand, and as vulnerable on the other. There is also a tendency to generalise, to create a homogeneous ‘public’ that underlines the regulatory demands for honesty and decency

The use of ‘shock’ ads is the subject of much debate in the advertising community. Critics have warned that these ads may produce excessive levels of anxiety that may pose a genuine threat to the psychological well being of the message recipient. The images and messages contained in such adverts are very powerful and a study of this area should prove interesting as advertising impacts on all areas of our lives.

BOOKS:   Brierley, S. (1995) The Advertising Handbook 2nd Edition, Routledge Consumers Association of Penang, Selling Dreams- How Advertising Misleads Us, Jutaprint, Malaysia, 1990.   Jamieson, K.H Campbell, K., The Interplay of Influence: News, Advertising, Politics and The Mass Media 4th Edition, Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1997. Jones, J.P., How Advertising Works- The Role Of Research, Saga Publications Inc, United States Of America, 1998.   Kirkpatrick, J. In defence of Advertising, TLJ Books, Claremont, California, 2007. Maddock, R.C. Fulton, L., Marketing to the Mind: Right Brain Strategies for Advertising and Marketing, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996. Myers, G., Ad Words: Brands, Media, Audiences, London: Arnold, 1999. O’Shaughnessy, M., Stadler, J., Media and Society an Introduction, South Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 2002. Phillips, M.J. Ethics and Manipulation in Advertising: Answering a Flawed Indictment, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997. Spence, E. and Van Heekeren, B., Advertising Ethics, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 2004. Wells, W. Burnett, J. and Moriarty, S., Advertising Principles and Practice, 6th Edition, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 2003. Williams, G.J., Ethics of Modern Management , Quorum Books, New York, 1992. Williamson, J., Decoding Advertisement: Ideology And Meaning In Advertising. London: Marion Boyars Publishers, Incorporated, 1994.    JOURNALS AND ARTICLES: Aaker, David A. Stayman, Douglas M. Hagerty, M.R., ‘Warmth in Advertising: Measurement, Impact, and Sequence Effects’ Journal of Consumer Research, 1986, 12, 365-381 Burke, Marian Chapman & Edell, Julie A., ‘The Impact of Feelings on Ad-Based Affect and Cognition’ Journal of Marketing Research, 1989, 26, 69-83 Bignell, J. ‘Analysing Advertising’ Media Semiotics: An Introduction, Manchester University Press, Manchester, 2002   Crisp, R. ‘Persuasive advertising, autonomy, and the creation of desire’, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol.6, No 5, July 1987 Curran, J., The new revisionism in mass communication research: A Reappraisal, 1990, 2, 135-164 Henthorne, T.L. LaTour, M.S. Nataraajan, R., ‘Fear Appeals In Print Advertising: An Analysis of Arousal and Ad Response’ Journal of Advertising, 1993, Vol.22, No 2 Hyman, M.R. Tansey, R. ‘The Ethics of Psychoactive Ads’ Journal of Business Ethics, 1990, 9, 105-114 Larsen, R.J. Diener, E., ‘Affect Intensity as an Individual Difference Characteristic: A Review’ Journal of Research in Personality, 1987, 21 (1), 1-39 Leventhal, H. Niles, P., ‘A Field Experiment on Fear Arousal with Data on the Validity of Questionnaire Measures’ Journal of Personality, 1964, 32 Moore, D.J. Harris, W.D., ‘Affect Intensity and the Consumer’s Attitude toward High Impact Emotional Advertising Appeals’ Journal of Advertising, 1996, Vol.25, No.2 Moore, D.J. Harris, W.D. Chen Hong C., ‘Affect Intensity: An Individual Difference Response to Advertising Appeals’ Journal of Consumer Research, 1995, 22, 154-164 Psychology Today: 1985 Advertising: Sold on Emotion 19 (3), 9 Sinclair, J., ‘Advertising’ in Cunningham S. and Turner G. (eds), The Media & Communications in Australia, Allen & Unwin, NSW, 2006 Snipes, R.L. LaTour, Michael S. Bliss, Sara J., ‘A Model of the Effect of Self-efficacy on the Perceived Ethicality and Performance of Fear Appeals in Advertising’, Journal of Business Ethics, 1996, 19, 273-285 WEBSITES:   www.questia.com [accessed 24.10.2008]   www.vatican.va/roman_curia [accessed 12.11.2008]   www.media-awareness.ca [accessed 11.11.2008]  www.advertisingstandardsbureau.com [accessed 25.10.2008]

Legal and Ethical Issues in Advertising: A Comprehensive Guide

by Prince Kumar

Last updated: 29 July 2023

Table of Contents

Advertising is a powerful tool for promoting products and services, but it also raises legal and ethical concerns. In this blog, we’ll cover the key legal and ethical issues in advertising, including the role of self-regulation, the impact of social and cultural factors on advertising practices, and best practices for ethical advertising.

Legal Issues in Advertising

Advertising is regulated by various laws and regulations to protect consumers from deceptive, false, or misleading advertising. Here are some key legal issues in advertising:

• False Advertising: Making false or misleading claims about a product or service.
• Deceptive Advertising: Using misleading or ambiguous language or images to misrepresent a product or service.
• Comparative Advertising: Making unfair or untrue comparisons between a product or service and a competitor’s product or service.
• Endorsements and Testimonials: Using endorsements and testimonials without disclosing any material connections between the endorser and the advertiser.
• Children’s Advertising: Advertising to children in a way that is unfair or deceptive, or that takes advantage of their credulity.

Ethical Issues in Advertising

In addition to legal issues, advertising also raises ethical concerns. Here are some key ethical issues in advertising:

• Stereotyping: Using stereotypes or promoting harmful or offensive images or ideas.
• Exploitation: Using vulnerable groups, such as children or the elderly, for commercial gain.
• Privacy: Collecting and using personal data without the individual’s consent.
• Cultural Sensitivity: Using images or language that may be offensive or insensitive to certain cultures or groups.
• Environmental Impact: Advertising products or services that may have a negative impact on the environment.

Self-Regulation in Advertising

To address these legal and ethical issues, the advertising industry has developed self-regulatory practices and guidelines. The self-regulatory system is overseen by organizations such as the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), which provides a code of conduct for advertising in India.

The ASCI code requires that advertising be honest, legal, decent, and truthful, and prohibits advertising that is offensive or harmful to the public. The code also includes guidelines for areas such as misleading claims, safety, and environmental claims.

Best Practices for Ethical Advertising

Here are some best practices for ethical advertising:

• Be Honest: Ensure that all claims made in advertising are truthful, and avoid using misleading or ambiguous language.
• Be Respectful: Avoid using stereotypes or images that may be offensive or harmful to certain groups.
• Protect Privacy: Ensure that personal data is collected and used in a way that respects the individual’s privacy and data protection rights.
• Be Transparent: Disclose any material connections between endorsers and advertisers, and be transparent about any environmental or social impact of products or services.
• Foster Responsibility: Take responsibility for the impact of advertising on the environment, society, and culture, and strive to minimize any negative impact.

Advertising is a powerful tool for promoting products and services, but it also raises legal and ethical concerns. By understanding the key legal and ethical issues in advertising, including false advertising, deceptive advertising, comparative advertising, endorsements and testimonials, and children’s advertising, you can ensure that your advertising is legal and ethical. By following best practices for ethical advertising, such as being honest, respectful, transparent, fostering responsibility, and protecting privacy, you can develop advertising that is not only effective but also socially responsible.

How useful was this post?

5 star mean very useful & 1 star means not useful at all.

Average rating / 5. Vote count:

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you! 😔

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

Syllabus – Management of Marketing Communication & Advertising

1. Marketing communication & advertising – basic concepts

• Marketing Communication in Marketing
• Communication – Key Concepts
• Indian Media Scene

2. Advertising campaign planning & execution

• Planning Communication Strategy
• Advertising Campaign Planning – Strategic Consideration, Creative Consideration
• Advertising Creativity : Campaign Planning and Execution
• Advertising Research – Role and Trends
• Measuring Ad Effectiveness – Definitions and Techniques

3. Media planning concepts

• Media Concepts, Characteristics and Issues in Media Planning
• Media Selection, Planning and Scheduling
• Internet as an Emerging Advertising Media

4. Marketing communication form

• Managing Sale Promotion
• Direct Marketing
• Publicity and Public Relation
• Social Marketing Communication

5. Strategies for advertising agencies

• Function and Structure of Ad Agencies
• Managing Client Agency Relationship
• Strategies for Account Management
• Legal and Ethical Issues in Advertising

• < Previous Event
• Next Event >

Home > CURCE > 2019 > ORAL > 60

Oral Presentations

Presentation title.

The Ethics of False Advertising

Presenter Information

Melissa Pacifico , University at Albany, State University of New York Follow Kaylie Johnson , University at Albany, State University of New York Follow Phillip O'Meara , University at Albany, State University of New York Follow

The Press: Freedom, Bias, Ethics II

Lecture Center 22

3-5-2019 3:15 PM

3-5-2019 4:15 PM

Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Academic Major

Business, Communication

False advertisement, the use of misleading and untrue information to push a consumer product, is an unethical marketing ploy that has tricked consumers since the beginning of the consumer business industry. With the modern emergence of social media, consumers are now vulnerable than ever to falling victim to these unethical deceptive representations. The ‘Fyre Festival’ documentaries that recently premiered on both Netflix and Hulu are a perfect example of modern day false advertising mixed with the use of unethical social media influencer advertising. In this research project we aim to uncover the significance of unethical advertising and research the results of both ethical and unethical advertising through the examination of four major companies who have been accused of using this tactic. The four companies we will be analyzing are Fyre, Groupon, Hydroxycut, and Redbull, since they are some of the well-known false advertising cases in the United States over the past few years. The goal of our research is to discover whether or not society falls for false advertising and how influencers and companies utilize unethical marketing to lure in consumers or followers. We will focus on four instances of false advertising and will understand how consumers were tricked into spending their money on a certain product, or going on a trip. We will analyze the marketing methods and tactics from each company and examine the trends that we find. We will be looking in depth at each lawsuit and analyze the results of both ethical and unethical advertising.

Select Where This Work Originated From

Course assignment/project

First Faculty Advisor

Chang Sup Park

First Advisor Email

[email protected]

First Advisor Department

The work you will be presenting can best be described as.

Finished or mostly finished by conference date

This document is currently not available here.

Since February 17, 2020

• Collections
• Disciplines

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS

Author Corner

• Policies and Guidelines
• Open Access Policy

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright

Home — Essay Samples — Business — Business Ethics — The Importance of Ethics in Advertising

The Importance of Ethics in Advertising

• Categories: Business Ethics Ethics Marketing and Advertising

About this sample

Words: 737 |

Published: Jan 4, 2019

Words: 737 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Table of contents

Related to the purpose of the different activities, works cited:, communication effect.

• Sales Effect. Communication effect research consists of three types of researchers.
• Direct Rating Method. Here’s customers are directly asked to the rate of advertisement and then there ratings are calculated.
• Portfolio Tests. Here’s the customers see at the ads and listen carefully to the ads and all the contents of the ads.
• Laboratory Tests. Here’s the operation of measures the heart rates, blood pressure, perspiration etc. are used on the customers after the watches the ads to know the physiological relation of the body.
• Cohen, S. (2017). The ethics of de-extinction. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 30(1), 1-18.
• Shultz, D. (2017). Should we bring extinct species back from the dead?. Science, 358(6365), 592-594.
• Stewart, C., & Bowen, J. (2016). The ethics of de-extinction. Wildlife biology in practice, 12(1), 19-30.
• Wennersten, J. R., & Wennersten, L. (2015). The Ethics of De-extinction. In The Ethics of Bioethics (pp. 155-174). Springer, Cham.
• Witmer, L. M., & Ridgely, R. C. (2009). The extinct Carolina parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis): a vanishing species revisited. Journal of vertebrate paleontology, 29(1), 1-12.
• Wood, J. L., & Penney, D. (2014). Reintroducing extinct species: conservation’s next frontier. Evolutionary Applications, 7(8), 978-982.
• Woolf, A., & Arluke, A. (2013). Bringing extinct species back to life: playing God?. Journal of Animal Ethics, 3(2), 149-165.
• Zimmer, C. (2013). New clues to the extinction of passenger pigeons. National Geographic. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/9/130905-passenger-pigeon-extinct-habitat-loss-birds-environment/

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Verified writer

• Expert in: Business Philosophy Sociology

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

2 pages / 687 words

2 pages / 1047 words

3 pages / 1329 words

1 pages / 502 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Harmonie Water is a company that has recently come under scrutiny due to allegations of mismanagement and unethical business practices. This case study seeks to analyze the various aspects of the Harmonie Water case, including [...]

Purpose of Each of The Sections in a Typic Research Article All research article contain content that is in chronological order that leads from a hypothesis to a conclusion. The chronological order starts with a meaningful [...]

In general when a company is not able to meet its short term and other liabilities and became insolvent, the best way to get over it is winding up or liquidation. Through the liquidation disposing the assets of the company for [...]

Over many years world have witness how prominent and successful companies felt helpless and ran into bankruptcy over a night. While numerous reasons led to the fall of those companies, it was all centered to the unethical [...]

It is as certain as the sun rising, it’s going to happen. Everyone is going to face death at some point, it’s only a matter of time. If you drove a sub-compact car designed by Ford during the early 1970s, it may come sooner than [...]

The ethics are principles based on doing the right thing. They are the moral values by which an individual or business operates. The business should act ethically until attaining the ultimate success. The history of doing right [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

Log in using your username and password

• Search More Search for this keyword Advanced search
• Latest content
• Current issue
• JME Commentaries
• BMJ Journals

You are here

Current issue, september 2024 - volume 50 - 9.

Current controversy

Feature article and commentaries, original research, extended essays, student essay, brief reports.

• Equity in global bioethics scholarship and practice: walking the talk, together (21 August, 2024) Free Harald Schmidt
• Update on the ethical, legal and technical challenges of translating xenotransplantation (10 November, 2023) Rebecca Thom , David Ayares , David K C Cooper , John Dark , Sara Fovargue , Marie Fox , Michael Gusmano , Jayme Locke , Chris McGregor , Brendan Parent , Rommel Ravanan , David Shaw , Anthony Dorling , Antonia J Cronin
• Designing AI for mental health diagnosis: challenges from sub-Saharan African value-laden judgements on mental health disorders (19 February, 2024) Free Edmund Terem Ugar , Ntsumi Malele
• Machine learning for mental health diagnosis: tackling contributory injustice and epistemic oppression (30 May, 2024) Giorgia Pozzi , Michiel De Proost
• Navigating cultural diversity: harnessing AI for mental health diagnosis despite value-laden judgements (27 May, 2024) Hazdalila Yais Haji Razali , Aimi Nadia Mohd Yusof
• Old wine in new bottles? What is new with AI for mental health diagnosis? (21 June, 2024) Marcos Paulo de Lucca Silveira
• Negotiating cultural sensitivity in medical AI (27 May, 2024) Ji-Young Lee
• Designing AI for mental health diagnosis: responding to critics (8 July, 2024) Edmund Terem Ugar , Ntsumi Malele
• If it walks like a duck…: Monitored Emergency Use of Unregistered and Experimental Interventions (MEURI) is research (23 November, 2023) G Owen Schaefer
• Ethical issues in Nipah virus control and research: addressing a neglected disease (9 December, 2023) Tess Johnson , Euzebiusz Jamrozik , Tara Hurst , Phaik Yeong Cheah , Michael J Parker
• Does the Duty of Rescue support a moral obligation to vaccinate? Seasonal influenza and the Institutional Duty of Rescue (27 November, 2023) Abigail Sophie Harmer
• Research involving the recently deceased: ethics questions that must be answered (8 December, 2023) Brendan Parent , Olivia S Kates , Wadih Arap , Arthur Caplan , Brian Childs , Neal W Dickert , Mary Homan , Kathy Kinlaw , Ayannah Lang , Stephen Latham , Macey L Levan , Robert D Truog , Adam Webb , Paul Root Wolpe , Rebecca D Pentz
• Taking a moral holiday? Physicians’ practical identities at the margins of professional ethics (29 September, 2022) Henk Jasper van Gils-Schmidt , Sabine Salloch
• Clinicians’ criteria for fetal moral status: viability and relationality, not sentience (8 November, 2022) Lisa Campo-Engelstein , Elise Andaya
• How do US orthopaedic surgeons view placebo-controlled surgical trials? A pilot online survey study (29 September, 2022) Michael H Bernstein , Maayan N Rosenfield , Charlotte Blease , Molly Magill , Richard M Terek , Julian Savulescu , Francesca L Beaudoin , Josiah D Rich , Karolina Wartolowska
• Staffing crisis capacity: a different approach to healthcare resource allocation for a different type of scarce resource (1 July, 2022) Catherine R Butler , Laura B Webster , Douglas S Diekema
• Ectogenesis rescue case: a reply to Hendricks (21 September, 2023) William Simkulet
• Large language models in medical ethics: useful but not expert (22 January, 2024) Andrea Ferrario , Nikola Biller-Andorno

Issue Information

• Table of Contents (PDF)
• Front Cover
• Editorial Board (PDF)