Towards a Critical Evaluation of Ethics Social Responsibility in Advertising

Introduction Today, more than ever before, advertising practitioners face ethical and social responsibility concerns that are common to all professionals, but they also stumble upon issues related to factors unique to the advertising industry.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Towards a Critical Evaluation of Ethics Social Responsibility in Advertising specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Despite some academic and popular debate of ethics and social responsibility challenges in advertising, ranging from their sweeping social ramifications to consumer insights of potentially distasteful advertisements, new and more complex challenges continue to present, in part, due to convergence of technology and today’s fractionalized media market place (Drumwright Murphy, 2004 p. 7). The challenges are further propelled by the fact that advertisements, in their most comprehensive nature, reach deeply into our most fundamen tal concerns, predominantly in as far as our interpersonal and family relationships, influence on target audiences, the desertion of cultural traditions, and the role of advertisement in society are concerned (Leiss et al., 1990 p. 1). Using a case study approach and comprehensive review of relevant literature, this paper will seek to illuminate the role advertisement plays in society. In particular, the paper will focus attention to ethics and social responsibility issues in advertisement, and how these issues affect or influences the role advertisement plays in the social setting. Additionally, the paper will seek to explicate some basic economic assumptions and how they can be violated by ethical and social responsibility concerns in advertising. It should be noted at this early juncture that the present paper will largely depend on personal opinions articulately backed by current literature on the above mentioned topics. A quick review of the case study demonstrates that the com plainant was objecting to an advertisement perceived to be phonographic and offending to children and other road users. According to his assessment, the picture of the naked woman in the advertisement was not only unlawful according to Australian advertising standards as set out by the relevant bodies, but was also causing distraction to other road users. The complainant, in my view, was largely relying on code 2.3 administered by the Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB), and which states that â€Å"†¦advertising or marketing communications shall treat sex, sexuality and nudity with sensitivity to the relevant audience and, where appropriate, the relevant programme time zone† (AANA, n.d.).Advertising Looking for essay on advertising? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The following section will largely rely on the advertiser’s response to bring into light critical issues that are relevant to this discussion. Ethi cs, Social Responsibility and the Role Advertisement Plays in Society In any part of the world, ethical and social responsibility issues are considered as mainstream topics in the advertising literature, in part, due to the self-regulating nature of the industry and the influence that advertisements have on consumers (Drumwright Murphy, 2004 p. 7). Indeed, ethics and social responsibility overall are immensely broad topics, but here they will be considered within the context of how they affect and influence the role advertisement plays in society, not mentioning that they will be compared along the continuum of the case study. Advertising ethics is basically concerned with â€Å"what is right or good in the conduct of the advertising function† (Drumwright Murphy, 2004 p. 7). In a broader sense, it concerns itself with questions relating to what ought to be done within the advertising framework, not just with what must be done to comply with any legal obligation. On its part , social responsibility has over the years emerged as a leading theme guiding the management and communication practice, especially after the recognition by practitioners that it is a valid and essential business tool that conveys concrete and superficial benefits for organizational and social outcomes. In a holistic orientation, social responsibility can be defined as an organization’s social commitments that go outside the scope of the organization and obligations set by the law, to advance a social cause (Kerr et al., 2008 p. 155). Both ethics and social responsibility are central to the advertising practice. However, ethical and social responsibility principles, in my view, are not laws or regulations in the same sense that legal restraints are; on the contrary, these principles are neither uniformly nor officially approved by all members of society, nor can the violators of ethical and social responsibility principles be sanctioned or chastised as by the law.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Towards a Critical Evaluation of Ethics Social Responsibility in Advertising specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This challenge is further compounded by the fact that the advertising industry in many countries is self-regulated, implying that advertisers are jointly responsible for upholding advertising standards, codes and practices that ostensibly curtail harm to consumers and, by extension, society (Study Guide, p. 38). This exposition of facts lead to the conclusion that advertisers must at all times choose, on their own volition, to work within acceptable moral standards to avoid violating the consumers and, to a large extent, the society’s basic economic assumptions. When this is achieved, as Preston (2010) postulates, advertising intrinsically generates the potential to ensure consumer success and satisfaction in the market place (p. 259). From the case report, it is evidently cl ear that the board, in making its ruling, relied on the fact that the image used in the advertisement was consistent with the beauty industry. In other words, the image used in the advertisement is both industry and market specific. Pollay (1988) asserts that â€Å"†¦consumers and campaigns have often been researched carefully to identify perceptions, motivations and values of the audience. Advertisements are then designed to strike an emphatic note and deployed with increased media effectiveness† (p. 7). As demonstrated in the case report as well as this particular author, advertisements therefore influence public awareness, perceptions, expectations, attitudes, feelings, societal values, preferences and behaviour. In consequence, advertisements that are in taste with the product, service or industry being advertised, in my view, will always impact the society positively in as far as they are done in an ethical manner. A Ministry of Health advertisement, for example, ma y offer useful insights on how HIV/AIDS is transmitted, thus providing a conducive environment for the population to change their perceptions, attitudes and behaviour. As such, advertisements, in my view, act to disseminate information within the social context, not mentioning the fact that they act as knowledge conduits. Another strong point submitted by the advertiser in the case study is that of relevancy of the image to the advertisement.Advertising Looking for essay on advertising? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More While arguing their case for a three-tired framework for evaluating ethical considerations, Johnson and Scholes (1997) are of the opinion that the first tier of the framework – the macro level – should be largely concerned with considering the relative virtues of diverse socio-political structures, such as the free enterprise economies, and the objectives which profit-making organizations and, by extension, advertisement practitioners are expected to fulfil (p. 207). This assertion offers credence to the advertisement by virtue of the product being advertised (Naked Tan), the scope of the business in question and, finally, the purpose which the advertisement is expected to fulfil in a predominantly free enterprise economy. In consequence, it can be argued that advertisements, depicted along the continuum of the macro level of the three-tier framework, serves societal interests by not only lowering prices through sharing relevant information with the target audience, bu t also by stimulating product or service innovation. To achieve desirable outcomes, however, such advertisements must always adhere to ethical considerations and the plight of not only the target audiences, but also the greatest number of people in line with the utilitarian approach. Preston (2010) is of the opinion that â€Å"†¦while the law, as an external force, is the same for everyone in commerce, ethics is within each person’s mind, and so reflects individual and perhaps unique decisions† (p. 260). This assertion, in my view, can be effectively used to explain the discomfort felt by the complainant towards the image appearing on the advertisement in the case study. In line with the above assertion, there exist a wide body of literature demonstrating that ethical principles are cultural specific, and that different cultures have different ethical standards. Advertisement communication is also industry and product dependent (Study Guide, p. 24, 42). The unique ness of advertising along the spectrum of culture, industry, and product variables, in my view, is beneficial to the society since it does not only allow enhanced economies of scale by virtue of the fact that what may appeal to one segment may not necessarily appeal to another target audience, but it also assist in mass distribution of product information among various target audiences. The practice of advertising, as is the case in other disciplines, has its own negative effects. First, advertisements have been accused for projecting a biased position on products and services by creating needs and wants that only serve to drain scarce resources, thus demonstrating a negative economic underpinning to the society. In what is now commonly referred to as the Galbraith’s theory, John Kenneth Galbraith postulated that organizations â€Å"†¦do not use advertising to inform us about products that might sate our independently determined desires. Rather, the function of advertis ing and marketing is to bring into being wants that previously did not exist† (Potter, 2006 p. 2). This observation, in my view, is valid to the extent that advertisements are capable of creating a dependence effect especially in the case of minors who may be incapable of making decisions from an informed point of view. It is also worth noting that the superficial creation of wants that previously did not exist only serves to entrench the culture of consumerism among the target audiences, in the process benefiting advertisers by virtue of having a ready market for products and services, while seriously draining scarce financial and material resources at the societal level. Second, the practice of advertising has been accused for encouraging deception, more so in cases where the target audiences are incapable of making their own informed decisions. It is imperative to note that the culture of deception demonstrates unethical behaviour and is, in its own right, socially irrespon sible. Although children have over the last couple of years being receiving unprecedented level of attention from advertising practitioners and marketers, and that they are no longer viewed as adults-in-waiting but as rational agents in their own right (O’Sullivan, 2005 p. 371), chances are that they are likely to fall victim to unethical practitioners by virtue of the fact that their cognitive capacities may not be fully developed to a point of making decisions from an informed perspective. Some advertisers, as noted by this particular author, continue to use commercial free speech and the self-regulating nature of the advertising industry to entrap children to some unnecessary wants that may, in the long-term, be detrimental to their health. Such advertisements, in my view, have obvious social ramifications in terms of increased heath care costs, early childhood mortality, and the dependence syndrome. This observation can be validated in the case study where the complainant observes that the advertisement is counterproductive to children. Third, the lack of universal set of ethical and social responsibility principles continue to present challenges within the advertising industry (Study Guide, p. 40). This observation is reinforced in the case study by the fact that the complainant found the image in the advertisement offending, while others, including the ASB and the advertiser, found it to be within acceptable ethical limits. What’s more, advertisers themselves often fail to recognize in the first instance that there exists an ethical dilemma in what they display to the public gallery in the form of advertisements (Study Guide, p. 40, 45). These assertions, in my view, are valid to the extent that society continue to be bombarded by advertisements that in most occasions have a negative bearing on what is ‘right’ or what is ‘good’ in terms of advertising ethics. It is indeed true that some advertisements as portrayed by various mediums of communications only serve to tear down the moral fabric using the misplaced excuse of lack of universal set of ethical standards. This, in social responsibility terms, is both individually and collectively wrong. Academics and advertising practitioners have over the years discovered a close correlation between advertising and economics. In this sphere of knowledge, opinions are once again divided among those who view advertising as a positive force in as far as the economic benefits discussed herein are concerned, and those who view it as a negative force in as far as the economic and social consequences, also discussed in this essay, are concerned. Pro-advertising advocates argues that advertising contributes to, among other things, higher standards of living, enhanced customer satisfaction, enhanced economies of scale, lower prices for products and services, effective and efficient mass distribution of product information to consumers in making informed decis ions, and product innovation, while anti-advertising campaigners argues that advertisement by its very nature drains away scarce resources by creating a culture of dependence that is not healthy to a free enterprise economy (Study Guide, p. 30; Potter, 2006 p. 2). The following section aims to look at two basic economic assumptions that are not only relevant to the case study, but are also in line with a free market enterprise. It should be noted at this juncture that advertising is a basic function of free market economies by virtue of the fact that it continues to be proactively used to communicate the value of products and services to people who know nothing about their reputation (Norris, 1980 p. 5). One of the four basic economic assumptions as opined by Arens et al (2011) is self-interest. In an entirely free-market representation, according to the authors, all stakeholders – consumers, suppliers, manufacturers and middle men, among others – are believed to act o ut of self interest as they seek to take full advantage of their own fulfilment. The assumption of self-interest, in my view, not only enables the stakeholders in a free-market economy to efficiently allocate scarce resources, but also creates an enabling environment whereby value and utility can be maximized. The advertiser of the ‘Naked Tan’ in the case study actively employs the basic economic assumption of self-interest to drive sales for his product, thus enhancing the value and profit margin of his business. The consumers of ‘Naked Tan’, on their own free will, can either decide to buy the product if it pleases them, and if the cost is favourable depending on their own self-interest. In consequence, it can be argued that the assumption of self-interest, superficially and comprehensively, drives free enterprise economies. The second basic economic assumption, according to Arens et al (2011) is known as complete information and entails practitioners dis playing their ads in areas that best serve their interests in as far as variables such as market share, cost, and geographic location are concerned. This assumption forms one of the hallmarks of a free-market economy, in part, due to the fact that it deals with how advertisers and marketers can be able to access information that will enable them make informed decisions, thus enhance value creation and maximize returns. From the case study, it is evidently clear that the advertiser of ‘Naked Tan’, while maintaining acceptable ethical standards as set out by the ASB, has also made use of this assumption to identify advertising locations and mediums that will ostensibly allow him to maximize value. Conclusion From the above discussion, it is evidently clear that issues of ethics and social responsibility are of germane importance to the practice of advertising. Advertisers, in striving to do what is good in the eyes of the majority members of society, must always ensure th at ethical standards are applied to advertising scheduling and decision-making processes, not mentioning the fact that they must use their social, intuitive, and cognitive abilities to ensure that the content depicted in the advertisements is acceptable to the majority number of people within any given population. The roles that advertisement play in society has been well articulated in this essay, and individual perceptions and viewpoints well delivered. Advertisers don’t live in a vacuum and, as such, they should be able to undertake comprehensive research on their target audiences for purposes of gaining an in-depth insight on their preferences and dislikes. Such an undertaking, in my view will offer the practitioners a rationalistic framework on which to base and justify their advertising based on acceptable ethical standards, and not necessarily on any legal obligation. List of References Arens, W.F., Weigold, M.F., Arens, C (2011). Contemporary Advertising, 13th Ed. Bo ston, MA: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Australian Association of National Advertisers (n.d.). Viewed http://aana.com.au/ . Drumwright, M.E., Murphy, P.E (2004). How Advertising Practitioners View Ethics. Journal of Advertising, Vol. 33, Issue 2, pp. 7-24. Johnson, G., Scholes, K (1997). Exploring Corporate Strategy, 4th Ed. London: Prentice Hall. Leiss, W., Klein, S., Jhally, S (1990). Social Communication in Advertising: Persons, Products and Images of Well-being, 2nd Ed. Ontario: Nelson. Norris, V (1980). Advertising History According to the Text Books. Journal of Advertising, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 3-11. O’Sullivan, T (2005). Advertising and Children: What do the Kids Think? Qualitative Market Research, Vol. 8, Issue 4, pp. 371-384. Pollay, R.W (1988). Keeping advertising from going down in History – Unfairly. European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 22, Issue 8, pp. 7-16. Preston, I.L (2010). Interaction of Law and Ethics in Matters of Advertisers’ Responsibility for Protect ing Consumers. Journal of Consumer Affairs, Vol. 44, Issue 1, pp 259-264. Potter, A (2006). Galbraith Theory of Advertising had us all Fooled. MACLEANS.CA. Viewed https://www.macleans.ca/ . Spitzer, R (2010). Is Social Responsibility Good? Journal of Quality Participation, Vol. 33, Issue 3, pp 13-17 Naked Tan, 28/07/2010, Ref No. 0305/10. This essay on Towards a Critical Evaluation of Ethics Social Responsibility in Advertising was written and submitted by user Sara L. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.