Advertising

AdvertisingAnd media ethicsAdvertising ethicsAdvertising has always been part of American culture.From colonial times, this country has promoted itself.Advertising ethicsAmericans generally support extensive advertising in their culture.We believe rational people can be savvy enough to sort out advertising appeals.Advertising ethicsWe know advertising has powerful effects in society.We dont often know when, and how, however.Advertisings supporters say self-interest brings buyers and sellers together so everyone is happy.Critics say ads exploit the public and appeals to peoples worst side.Advertising ethicsAdvertising relates to media ethics in a variety of areas:Stereotypes.What is appropriate to advertise?How to make appropriate advertising pitches?What kind of ads should appear, in what media?How far should advertisers invade privacy?Advertising ethicsEthics philosophers say one standard doesnt apply to advertising: truth.By truth, in this case, we mean, fair, unbiased accounts.Advertising does not generally provide that.Most advertising can be called opinion: the tastiest beer, the sexiest perfume.These claims cant usually be verified as true.Advertising ethicsThe Federal Trade Commission regulates most advertising for outright lying or deception.You cant make false statements in an attempt to deceive.But this often is a gray area.Advertising ethicsFair and balanced doesnt apply to advertising.Advertising plays up strong points, and plays down weaknesses.We presume the public knows this, but some people really dont quite remember that.Advertising ethicsRationally it would be good to demand that advertisers use clear, relevant and truthful evidence to support a claim.But most advertisers dont appeal to a rational side. Instead they try to create an appealing lifestyle around a product.Evidence is irrelevant.Advertising ethicsWe can identify special cases regarding advertising that are worth closer examination in a discussion of media ethics.

Advertising ethicsFirst is political advertising. Should political candidates, central to the democratic process, be advertised using evidence and rational appeal?We know they are not.Political advertisers may argue that the goal is persuasion, and if they stray from the truth, the marketplace of ideas will sort out misleading information.Advertising ethicsSo, once again, those in favor of advertising shift the burden of sorting out the good from the bad to society.But should not advertisers share that burden?Advertising ethicsSecond case: advertising from groups professing an ideology.Ecology, animal rights, abortion, gun rights, anti-smoking, etc.Do these groups have some ethical responsibility to tell the truth?Many groups argue their cause is critically important. But where do we draw the line?Advertising ethicsThird, advertising for harmful produces. What is the ethical standard for things that can hurt people?Cigarette ads, of course, have been carefully controlled. Since 1971 they have been banned from television.These clearly were the kind of ads that appealed to children, and today, it is hard to defend their ethical use.[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYvOgnabABU] Advertising ethicsOkay, so cigarette advertising today is fairly tightly controlled.But what about ads for alcohol, guns, pornography, strip joints, term paper companiesall legal, but not necessarily always healthy to society.Advertising ethicsWhat about movies and television?Humphrey Bogart smoked all the time. (He died of throat cancer.) Many young people were encouraged to smoke based on this suave, sexy movie star.Smoking was widespread in the advertising world of the 1960s. But should it be depicted in a popular program today, such as Mad Men? Will people attracted to the retro chic pick up that habit?Advertising ethicsA fourth area concerns separation of advertising and news.Most newspapers label advertising as such, and clearly separate it from news.In magazines, its not so certain.Should media reveal when it does a story on an industry based on the amount of advertising it bought?Should programs feature brand-named products whose placement was obviously paid for?Advertising ethicsWhat about news celebrities?Should people who present news shows also do advertisements?If not, should sports or weather presenters also do advertising? Where to draw the line?Advertising ethicsA fifth special area: dishonest, deceptive content.Is it ethical to mislead people in advertising?While the FTC requires truth, advertisers can nevertheless get buy with misleading to an extent, and extent some would call deception.Is it ethical to advertise credit cards for people with little income or poor credit, while not divulging large fees and penalties? Advertising ethicsIs it ethical to advertise work at home schemes (Make $20,000 a year!), despite that most of these are scams for gullible readers?What about weight-loss products that promise to melt fat away, or give unreasonable results?What about exercise products that are useless?Advertising ethicsDoes the medium itself have some responsibility to protect its readers or viewers from misleading advertising?Some editors believe so, and more did in the past; many would not accept advertising for liquor, guns, abortion clinics or gentlemens clubs. But does their refusal constitute a limit on free speech?Advertising ethicsWhat about ads that dont necessarily try to sell such services, but do enhance photos to make the product or service look better than it really is?Is it ethical to use Photoshop to improve skin, make people thinner, make wrinkles vanish?Is it unethical to make clothes or food look better? Advertising ethicsSixth: Using sex, fear, or violence to sell.Sex sells, the others also appeal to primal emotions. That makes them effective sales tools. You seldom see models ad ads who look like real people. Does this lead to unrealistic goals of thinness and beauty?Advertising ethicsA seventh area: placement.Have media which include material emphasizing social responsibility, healthy or good behavior some ethical consideration regarding placement?What about an ad which seems to promote the opposite: a story about healthy eating next to a supersize fast food ad?Some media try to avoid this conflict by going ad-free. Consumer Reports is an obvious example.

Advertising ethicsBut many media have tried that, and have gone out of business.Public television is supposedly ad-free, but what about considerations of sponsors?Public broadcasting has become more and more obtrusive in its fundraising efforts and credits to corporate donors. Is this in effect advertising?Advertising ethicsWhat would the great philosophers say?It seems most advertisers would argue from the teleological perspective: the ends justify the means.Pressure groups do this all the time. They will argue that can show color close-ups of aborted fetuses, cancerous throats, beaten animals or abused children because the cause is just.Advertising ethicsPoliticians use lies and half truths to get that scurrilous opponent out of office.But is this kind of advertising destructive to a democratic society?What would Kant say? Just tell the truth.But what if the truth meant displeasing your employer, not promoting a product that could do good for others, or failing in your advertising?

Advertising ethicsThe question, then, as one media ethicist said: truth or consequences?Do we generally expect advertisers to tell the truth?We say no, we say we are jaded, savvy consumers who can read through advertising claims.

Advertising ethicsBut are we deceiving ourselves?Many people love advertising, the entertainment, the industry.We happily wear walking advertisements for soft drinks, beer or athletic shoes on our clothingand in fact usually we happily pay for the privilege.Advertising ethicsAmerica accepts more advertising in more places than any country in the world.In fact, in this more difficult economy, many Americans are willing to accept it in more places than ever before: on school buses, applied to school lockers, in parks and in other public places once closed from commercialism.

Advertising ethicsWe dont seem to be nearly as cynical regarding advertising as we like to profess.While we say we are sophisticated Americans who can sort through it all, its at least worth asking ethical questions regarding what should be advertising, where, when, and how.