ADVERTISING ETHICS

 

Advertising & Ethics (Criticism)

Advertising has been attacked by critics who charge that it goes beyond selling products or ideas to exert a powerful influence on society. According to this view, advertising in its many forms is so pervasive and so persuasive that it has the ability to shape social trends and mold personal attitudes. This influence is unwanted, intrusive and often detrimental to society, say critics. Defenders respond that, in addition to the economic benefits to improved competition, lower prices and more product choices, advertising promotes freedom of speech, as goods and services. Furthermore, advertising is actually influenced by society because it acts as a mirror in reflecting certain societal changes. For example, advertising must continually adjust their language and illustrations to conform to changes in socially acceptable practices.

This ongoing debate over the proper role of advertising in society is entirely separate from the ethical issues of deceptive or fraudulent advertising and it boils down to one basic question: Does advertising help or hurt society?

Language and Literacy

Advertising sometimes twists words or changes spelling and grammar to make a point. Advertising copy is accused of playing fast and loose with the rules of language, which encourages the audience to do the same. Some critics go further, complaining that people have less need for readily available in the electronic media both by advertising and by sponsoring news and entertainment programs. Why do ads bend grammar and use slang? Sometimes it’s to avoid sounding stilted, sometimes it’s for emphasis and sometimes it’s to sound like the people you want to reach. “There’s no real intent to damage the language.” When advertisers want to reach teenagers they try to adopt teenage speech patterns, advertisers often use unorthodox spelling so a word can be used as a legal part of a brand name as a trademark.

Manipulation and Exploitation

Does advertising manipulate people into buying what they don’t need? Critics contend that advertising is so powerful and persuasive that people have no choice but to buy what they see advertised, regardless of their actual need for these products. Advertisers exploit our inadequacies, anxieties, hopes and fears. Advertisers, using psychological or emotional appeals, get us to buy their products by making us feel that these products help us gain status, acceptance, even love.

On the other side of the controversy, defenders acknowledge that the whole reason to advertise is to persuade. There’s no magic or dishonesty about using the marketing mix to identify customer needs, to create an appropriate product and to advertise the product. Defenders contend the advertising offers people the information they need to choose among products in the marketplace. Advertising can be seen as building consumption not by making people purchase what they don’t need but by making the market more efficient for both consumer and producers by offering information about the product, its availability.

No amount of advertising pressure can force people to buy something they don’t want and anyone who is persuaded by advertising to buy a bad product (or a product that doesn’t meet a legitimate need) won’t make that mistake again. Far from being helpless to resist advertising’s persuasive power people are able to ignore or discount advertising messages, by zapping television commercials, turning down the radio, or simply turning the page in a magazine or newspaper. Most consumer are savvy about what they see advertised and research indicates that children understand and are skeptical about advertising’s persuasive power.

Advertising Old People and Minority Groups

Critics say that ads often portray entire group of people in stereotypical ways showing elderly people only as senile for example. These advertising can reinforce negative or undesirable views of these groups. This can contribute to discrimination against them. By presenting minorities and women more realistically, advertisers can significantly expand their markets for a wide variety of products. The situation is slowly changing as minority group’s protest against stereotypes. However, showing more minority groups is only half the answer. The other half, perhaps more difficult, is to make their portrayal realistic.

Advertising is a waste of money

There is a feeling among some that advertising is blatant, uneconomic and antisocial. It makes people buy more than they need it, encourages consumption of liquor and cigarettes; it is the cause of violence, murder, etc.

The money that is spent on advertising is considered a waste. This amount, it is felt, can be used effectively in other ways. Models are paid lakhs and crores of rupees (Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, etc.) Ads on products that do not sell are also wanted. However, in all areas of work, failure and superfluous expenditure is there in almost all activities.

Whether advertising is a social waste is difficult to interpret. Allegations of social waste are based on statements as:

·         Ads make false statements which confuse & mislead

·         Ads force customers to want goods & services that are not needed

·         Ads promote products which are harmful

·         Ads are forced on consumers (TV ads)

With reference to the statement that ads mislead and make false statement it may be said most statements are true to a large extent. Yes, ads exaggerate but again consumers are not fools. Products are not brought only for its product attributes; it is bought for prestige (car), hope of a beautiful appearance, people want to look better, eat better, live better, drive better cars & improve their standard of living. Products may satisfy entirely or partially the wants of society. Persuasion is used not only in advertising but also in sermons for preachers, lecturer and even directives from government.

The second criticism is that ads make people buy what they cannot afford. Ads cannot move people in the direction which are contrary to social trends. Products are produced after market research to find out what people want, what is the demand. When people decide against the use of product no amount of advertising can make them buy the product. IF advertising can make consumers buy products there will be no product failure.

Advertising promote products harmful to citizens

There is a lot of legislation preventing the promotion and sale of harmful products. Cigarettes are harmful but smoke is more harmful. Liquor is dangerous and immoral according to critics. Attempts to abolish ads on these products only result in more use and illicit trade in such products. No product causes more death than automobiles. Is that immortal and should its production be banned?

Advertising is lacking in good taste

Some ads (Harpic ad) are irritating. If the public is offended, the advertisers find out through decreases in sales or news reports and that situation are rectified.

Advertiser’s job is to communicate. Some advertisers are aesthetic and more sensitive than others.

Ads are forced on TV viewers

The viewers are under no obligation to see the commercials. TV programmes cost money. If ads are not shown the programmes have to be made at government expense and the tax payer will have to pay additional taxes.

Does advertising result in a better standard of living? Advertising has indeed made considerable contribution to a better standard of living with many other factors like our productive economic system. It has resulted in a dynamic expanding economy. Today’s economy is geared to a high level of consumption and production level. If employments are to be maintained and the economy has to grow, consumers will have to maintain the standard of living.

Advertising places an undue stress on material things

With the role of advertising to maintain a high standard of living, it is obvious that advertising does stress to a considerable extent the consumption of material goods. Does this mean that less stress is placed on people’s cultural and spiritual needs? Is there a decline in cultural and spiritual fields because of advertising? Has interest in literature, music, painting, sculpture theatre, creative pursuits, efforts on the poor and the less fortunate in our society less because of advertising? In fact a decent standard of living is a prerequisite to a general interest in cultural activities. Both material goods and cultural activities are compatible.

If the cultural & spiritual life is not as high as critics feel it should be, is advertising to be alarmed?

Advertising forces people to buy goods they do not need

It is true that many products can be grouped as not necessary at present. However many products that are luxuries become necessities for a reasonable standard of living. Who is to decide that a particular item is not, the critics or the government? The freedom of choice cannot be taken away from people.

Critics are the loudest in wanting freedom of speech. Advertising, as long as it does not violate standards of good taste, ethics, etc. is one form of freedom of speech.