Ethics and Advertising
In advertising, ethics refer to the application of fairness, applying the right moral codes in doing business, and using appropriate behavior in making advertising decisions, according to the special essays information. In an advertising scenario, ethics play a vital role in achieving a competitive advantage over competitors. According to Stone & Desmond, organizations that apply their ethical codes in an appropriate manner, are more likely to gain a competitive advantage and meet the desires of consumers and those of the organization.
As the advertising environment has become competitive in meeting the dynamic demands of the consumers, the focus among market players has shifted from providing products to organizations adhering to ethical values. Research suggests that customers are more likely to develop a positive attitude towards those firms that uphold ethical principles in their advertising. In addition, customers are more likely to buy their products and consume their services. Furthermore, when organizations practice ethical standards that are acceptable by the society, their advertising process is more likely to become efficient. However, if a firm disregards the application of ethics in advertising, it will receive negative publicity, loss of confidence among consumers or may even face a legal action in court.
Regulating Advertising to Protect Consumers
Today, organizations in the marketing industry make use of advertisements in selling their products and appealing to the consumer. Advertising is an extremely crucial element in marketing because it communicates a lot of information to customers. For example, through advertisements, consumers learn about how to have the image of a model, and how to buy love, happiness and success. Thus, advertisements have the liability of enlightening consumers, and the issue of ethics and morality in advertising is essential for their protection.
It is a fundamental principle to protect consumers, especially when using the internet in a product promotinion. There has been a growing concern among law regulators that some advertising companies purposely design messages, whereby children have the potential to bypass adult supervision. In addition, such advertising websites display immoral content to underage children, and persuade them to purchase products via credit cards. However, in the recent past, countries like the United States have set regulations in order to closely monitor activities of such dishonest marketing firms. For example, in the United States, the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission closely monitor advertising activities and provide clear ethical guidelines for advertising companies.
Example of Ethical Issues in Portraying Women as Advertising Tools
The need for advertisement inconsiderately compromises the rights of women to privacy. For example, there is an exposure of women's sexuality in the advertisements, since they are used as objects of sexual attraction in public commercials. Baker observes that little has been done to eliminate the portrayal of young and beautiful women as sexual objects. They are used as a means of creating a sense of appeal and persuasion that a particular product or service is best for the consumer. It is a clear example where consumers need to be protected from deceptive advertising.
Deceptive or Unethical Advertising Practices Since advertising is a competitive aspect of business, most organizations always engage in unfair or deceptive marketing practices. Kurtz & Mackenzie assert that deceptive advertising occurs when consumers are duped into believing that they will get more value from a service or a product, so that they can make a purchase. Deception or unfair ethics in advertising occur in many forms, such as misrepresentation, misleading or omitting an essential element in the marketing mix when dealing with the consumer. However, due to the wide array of information that customers accesses before making a purchase, more often they become skeptical of advertising gimmicks, and are able to protect themselves against deception. As a result, consumers keep on changing their taste and preferences, once they discover that a product does not provide the expected value.
Deceptive or misleading advertising is a gimmick that many firms use to attract customers to buy their products and services. With regards to the components of advertising mix, deceptive advertising is engrossed in the concept of price and promotion. In terms of pricing, it may take many forms, such as making extraordinarily low price offers, making false comparisons, omitting vital information on sale, and providing misleading selling prices. In terms of promotion, deceptive advertising occurs when a seller deliberately employs a bait-and-switch selling strategy to sell a product, or when they intentionally fail to disclose vital information about the performance of a product.
Ethical advertising is a field where each consumer needs to take a stand to avoid the influence from unethical marketers. In the example mentioned above, it is quite ironical that the sexuality of women is abused, as they are negatively portrayed in advertisements. It is a clear case, which points that advertising companies use unethical means to make profits in total disregard of the consumers. As a result of many unethical advertising gimmicks that marketers use to appeal to customers, it clearly indicates an urgent need for consumer protection. In addition, when making marketing choices, consumers should have the potential to rationalize among competing brands, and be vigilant on any malpractices. Towards this end, it is recommendable that advertising companies exercise caution, particularly in consideration of the long run effect of their advertising ethics.