Ethical Aspects for Advertisements
Advertisements are the integral part of business entity; the organizations around the world are
spending billions of dollars on the advertisements, the advertisements are done to promote the product or the services. For the promotion of the products many companies are using advertisements as a tool, the companies just want to sell their product, they do not focus on that what way they are using to promote their product. There are range of unethical issues that are using buy the companies, they are targeting the children, there is exploitation of sex, however there are deception and promotion of illegal products.
The advertisements are affecting the mind of the people; people are buying the products because advertisements appeal them, there are several ethics those advertisements or companies should follow. The companies are attracting or persuading the customers to buy the product through targeting them, unethical ways of promoting the advertisement needed to be banned, otherwise in future; there will be more exploitation of the public by the media. There are persuasive conversations in the advertisements that promote the organization, product or services.
Forbidden Ethics in Advertising with Examples
Deceptive Advertising
There are deceptive advertising by the media or the organization, the deceptive advertising is the way or the wrong, false, misleading advertisement that is promoted, there are a lot of criticism on this type of advertisements by the public, to promote such advertisement in the society is very unethical. Because when the people are persuaded to buy the product and when they do not get what they desired off, they criticized the product or company, this unethical way of promotion needed to be banned so they people do not waste money on the false products.
The unethical advertisement may be defined as the violation of the autonomy, invasion of the privacy or the violation of the human rights. Advertisements or the companies need to be truthful for the consumers, deception in the advertisements could be in sense of prices, which mislead or misguide about the prices of products, the deception could be in term of attitude that generate the negativity in the consumers, there could be anxiety. Deceptive advertisements could support the selfishness or loss of elf respect in the advertisement, promotions of the sex and tobacco advertisements.
The example of the deceptive advertisement; in the case of Qantas Airline in New Zealand, they lied to customers in the advertisement that they are offering flight services at the lower or cheaper cost, however, when the customers went there; there were many unhidden costs that was not mentioned by them, in the advertisement.
Many of the advertisement promote or follow the unethical way for the promotion of their products or services, according to the researchers there are many advertisements that contained the misleading information. The deceptive advertisements are damaging the society, in which advertisement agencies are involved. Government and general public need to take actions on such deceptive advertisements, so public or community can get safe of such lies.
Advertising to Children:
There are several legislations on the advertisements, so they could not promote the unethical products in the advertisements; there are industries that are involved in the wrongdoing. The unhealthy eating and obesity, among the children and teenagers, is increasing day after day, the advertisements are responsible for such issues, and the advertisements are promoting the unhealthy food by targeting the children or teenagers. The negative affect is increasing, through the televisions, there are several programs, which promote the unhealthy food items, the advertisements show the unhealthy food healthy, by showing that children are growing, and loving the taste of the food.
There are advertisements; spoiling the generation, children easily attracted towards the food in the advertisements, they demand the advertisement food or item to their parents, the manufacturers are blamed for making and promoting such food. Promoting the unhealthy or the foods that can create obesity is one the major unethical concern, the government and public authorities need to take steps, as children are very sensitive part of the society and can easily targeted.
The advertisements agencies are promoting such food, by the mean of songs or music in the background that seems attractive, especially to the children; children memorize that songs, and feel like a Spiderman or Superman or any other appealing character that is shown in the advertisement, after the usage of that product.
It is assessed by the researchers that 90% advertising agencies and the companies are taking advantages of the children, the children are lead to the demand of the product, the children can benefits to the manufacturers by increasing their productivity, their profit could be enhanced through targeting the children. The advertising to children is becoming a major concern, the advertisers need to stop, as it is unethical way, we need to protect the children by neglecting or ignoring the advertisement industries.
Sex and gender Stereotyping:
There are sex and gender exploration in the advertisements, the women are used as the object to promote the advertisements, male are the counterpart and women are focal point, these advertisements are being successful in the industries, as people especially, teenagers are attracted towards the advertisements; these advertisements are very wrong ethically.
An unethical way is used to promote the advertisement; the marketers want to draw attention of the consumers by attracting them, sexually, towards their products, these types of unethical advertisements are part of our advertisement agencies now. There are several of advertisements, which are promoting such sex and gender stereotype advertisements, example in the case of AXE body spray, the men is necked and attracting the women, by seducing them, through applying the body sprays. Such advertisements are very unethical and needed to notice by the government and public.
Marlboro Marketing:
Tobacco advertising and promotions, is also included in unethical ways of advertising the product,
as the tobacco is not good for on health, tobacco can harm one’s health, there is need to stop such advertisement. The tobacco advertisements can force or attracts one for the tobacco consumption, the tobacco placement in the advertising, television, short films or film need to be stopped, the tobacco placement is the reason, which is affecting and attracting the youth towards the consumption of tobacco.
The Marlboro marketing is the unethical example of the promotion of tobacco products. The advertisement “Don’t be a May be”, “be Marlboro” is very unethical advertisement, which shows the barefoot, young age women, standing in the roof of a building, holding cigarette in the hand, that attracted or targeted many young people.
The Marlboro campaigns, attracted the young generation and the children, to start the tobacco at the age to 14 years, the children were really attracted by the advertisements, and feel themselves as the Marlboro hero, while holding the cigarette in hands.
The Advertisements Need To Be Noticed:
The unethical advertisements need to noticed and should be forbidden by the government or related bodies, the government need to focus on the advertising agencies that what they are promoting, the societies and communities are suffering a lot from the advertisements. The advertisements are unethically promoted just for the business sake, especially tempting advertisements that are directly targeting the children, the sensitive generation, need to be stooped.
The ethics need to be follow by all the departments’ of advertising agencies and companies need to think of the public and customers, before promoting the deceiving and sexual advertisements, there should be focus not only on the benefits but also in the harm that society will suffer because of the advertisements.
References:
- aef. Ethics in Advertising. 2016. 2 May 2016 <https://www.aef.com/on_campus/classroom/speaker_pres/data/6000>.
- Boseley, Sarah. Marlboro marketing campaign aimed at young people, anti-tobacco report says. 12 March 2014. 2 May 2016 <https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/mar/12/marlboro-marketing-campaign-aimed-young-people-cigarettes-report>.
- Nooh, Mohammad Noorizzuddin. “ADVERTISING ETHICS: A REVIEW.” The Journal of Commerce (2012): 1-12.
- ppu. CHILDREN AND ADVERTISING. 2016. 2 May 2016 <https://www.ppu.org.uk/chidren/advertising_toys_eu.html>.