ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It is my great pleasure to take this opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of number of people who helped me in successful completing of this project. 

Firstly I would like to express my heartily gratitude and sincere thanks to Mr. Agarwal Sir for allowing me to do this project and gratefully acknowledge the contribution by him without his support and valuable suggestion this project could not be successful.  

I offer my heart self regards to Mrs Aradhana Albert for her continuous guidance, monitoring and informal discussion which become light for me in the entire duration of this project in overcoming the barrier and reaching this stage. 

Finally I am sincerely thankful to others who have directly or indirectly helped me in the completion of the project.   

(SHILPA JINDAL)  

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PREFACE

The title of my project is ETHICAL ISSUES IN ADVERTISING.

Advertising can be defined as any paid form of non personal presentation and promotion

of ideas, goods or services through mass media such as newspapers, magazines,

television or radio by an identified sponsor

So basically advertising is a mass communications device through which companies

promote or market their product to the consumer, and this enables them to make informed

consumption decisions.

As now a days advertisements have a very great impact on the consumer’s behavior; it

plays very important role in our Indian economy directly or indirectly. so if it become

unethical it leads our society in wrong direction.

To overcome these problems certain ethical standards are set up by the government and I

want to throw a light on this only.

As it is a very wide field so here I am restricted to the electronic media only.

We have to think about this unethical problem and this wrong presentation of business.

So that we can give good ethics to our youngsters.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

TITLE

The title of the project is “ETHICAL ISSUES IN ADVERTISEMENT”. Advertising

can be defined as any paid form of non personal presentation and promotion of ideas,

goods or services through mass media such as newspapers, magazines, television or radio

by an identified sponsor.

INTRODUCTION

Advertising plays an important part in our everyday lives as it enables us to choose

between different ranges of products. These products are promoted through different

types of advertisements and cater to all types of markets.

On the other hand advertising is plagued with social and ethical issues as it results in over

consumption and waste of resources. Advertising creates an environment where it abuses

certain values and interests that are not universally agreed upon. For example in 2001

Yves Saint Laurent launched a fragrance called ‘Opium which featured a naked model.

This stirred controversy and people found it offensive and sex was being used openly to

promote a perfume. For a fashion magazine the advertisement was fine but for billboards

it was inappropriate and some social groups found it morally and ethically wrong. Some

times advertising draws mixed response from the public, while sometimes it becomes

controversial.

SCOPE AND OBJECTIVE OF STUDY

Many advertisements are designed to generate increased consumption of those products

and services through the creation and reinvention of the "brand image”. For these

purposes, advertisements sometimes embed their persuasive message with factual

information. Every major medium is used to deliver these messages, including television,

radio, cinema, magazines, newspapers, video games, the Internet, carrier bags and

billboards. Advertising is often placed by an advertising agency on behalf of a company

or other organization.

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Advertising is a powerful communication force, highly visible and one of the most

important tools of marketing communication that helps to sell products, services, ideas

and images etc. Many believe that advertising reflects the need of the times. Whether one

likes it or not, advertisements are everywhere. They are seen on the walls, on the back of

buses, in play grounds, on the occasion of sports event, on roadsides, in the stores and

even on aeroplanes. Advertisements are seen in newspapers, in magazines, on the

television, on internet and are even heard on radio.

The fact is that we are being bombarded with advertisements day in and day out from all

imaginable media. The average consumer is exposed to a very large number of

advertisements every day, particularly the urban and semi urban population. In spite of

this, to the dismay and irritation of some and enjoyment of others, advertisement will

continue to make their presence felt in our lives and influence our lives in many

unsuspecting ways because of rapid changes in macro- environment and in our

perception, impressions, feelings, attitudes and behaviour. It seems almost impossible to

remain totally neutral and not take any notice of modern-day advertising. The most

visible part of the advertising process is the advertisements that we see, read, or hear and

praise or criticise. Many suitable adjectives are used to describe advertising, depending

on how an individual is reacting, such as great, dynamic, alluring, fascinating, annoying,

boring, intrusive, irritating and offensive, etc.

METHODOLOGY

For completing this project the required information or the raw data is gathered from the

sources like websites , journals, magazines ,text books etc which is the most difficult task

of this project making as it is the most time consuming process. but overall this topic is

quite interesting to gain knowledge about the ethics in ads the controversial ads also.

The purpose of taking this topic is that in the present scenario advertisement has a great

impact on the consumer’s behavior so if it becomes unethical it will lead the society in

the wrong direction. To overcome these problems certain ethical standards are set up by

the government or regulation bodies and i want to throw a light on this only. Ethics

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basically refers to what is right, good or consistent with virtue. Advertising generates

complex ethical questions which have to be considered, as this mode of communication

commits some highly controversial ethical acts which are damaging to the society as a

whole.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Here I am restricted to the ethical issues of advertisement related to television media only

as this subject has a very wide arena to be focused on. Her I just want to know that how

much these set standards are successful in maintaining the dignity of the Indian’s beliefs

and their feeling.

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

TITLE – Ethical Issues In Advertising

Advertising is a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential

customers to purchase or to consume more of a particular brand of product or service.

Ethics refers to principles that define behavior as right, good and proper. Such principles

do not always dictate a single "moral" course of action, but provide a means of evaluating

and deciding among competing options.

In the present scenario advertisement has a great impact on the consumer’s behavior so if

it becomes unethical it will lead the society in the wrong direction. To overcome these

problems certain ethical standards are set up by the government or regulation bodies.

DURATION OF PROJECT

This is a very long term project so we have been provided with a period of one month for

the completion. To make it easy this period was bifurcated into various sections of

making blue print, abstract, collecting primary data, secondary data, making preliminary

report, secondary report and final report at the end which makes the whole process easy

to attempt.

OBJECTIVE

Advertising plays an important part in our everyday lives as it enables us to choose

between different ranges of products. These products are promoted through different

types of advertisements and cater to all types of markets. On the other hand advertising is

plagued with social and ethical issues as it results in over consumption and waste of

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resources. ‘Advertising creates an environment where it abuses certain values and

interests that are not universally agreed upon.

Advertisements as Mirrors of prevailing norms Marketers claim that advertising simply

mirrors the attitudes and values of the surrounding culture. No doubt advertising, like the

media of social communications in general, does act as a mirror. But, also like media in

general. It is a mirror that helps shape the reality it reflects, and sometimes it presents a

distorted image of reality. Advertisers are selective about the values and attitudes to be

fostered and encouraged, promoting some while ignoring others

The purpose of taking this topic is that in the present scenario advertisement has a great

impact on the consumer’s behavior so if it becomes unethical it will lead the society in

the wrong direction. To overcome these problems certain ethical standards are set up by

the government or regulation bodies and I want to throw a light on this only. I can

differentiate my objectives for taking this topic as follows:

To know the various ethical marketing strategies of the market leaders.

To know how can we make a ethical advertisement.

To know the impact of unethical advertisement on the society.

To enhance my marketing skills.

To know the role of advertisement in the success of any organization.

TYPE OF RESEARCH

As I took the data from magazines , books, internet links , journals and news papers. It is

research of descriptive type.

SCOPE OF STUDY

Advertising is a powerful communication force, highly visible and one of the most

important tools of marketing communication that helps to sell products, services, ideas

and images etc. Many believe that advertising reflects the need of the times. Whether one

likes it or not, advertisements are everywhere. They are seen on the walls, on the back of

buses, in play grounds, on the occasion of sports event, on roadsides, in the stores and

even on aero planes. Advertisements are seen in newspapers, in magazines, on the

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television, on internet and are even heard on radio. Here I am focusing mainly on the

media as a source of advertising.

The fact is that we are being bombarded with advertisements day in and day out from all

imaginable media. The average consumer is exposed to a very large number of

advertisements everyday, particularly the urban and semi urban population.

In spite of this, to the dismay and irritation of some and enjoyment of others,

advertisement will continue to make their presence felt in our lives and influence our

lives in many unsuspecting ways because of rapid changes in macro- environment and in

our perception, impressions, feelings, attitudes and behaviors. It seems almost impossible

to remain totally neutral and not take any notice of modern-day advertising. The most

visible part of the advertising process is the advertisements that we see, read, or hear and

praise or criticize.

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CORE STUDY

INTRODUCTION

Advertising can be defined as any paid form of non personal presentation and promotion

of ideas, goods or services through mass media such as newspapers, magazines,

television or radio by an identified sponsor So basically advertising is a mass

communications device through which companies promote or market their product to the

consumer, and this enables them to make informed consumption decisions.

Advertising is a powerful communication force, highly visible and one of the most

important tools of marketing communication that helps to sell products, services, ideas

and images etc. Many believe that advertising reflects the need of the times. Whether one

likes it or not, advertisements are everywhere. They are seen on the walls, on the back of

buses, in play grounds, on the occasion of sports event, on roadsides, in the stores and

even on aeroplanes. Advertisements are seen in newspapers, in magazines, on the

television, on internet and are even heard on radio. The fact is that we are being

bombarded with advertisements day in and day out from all imaginable media. The

average consumer is exposed to a very large number of advertisements everyday,

particularly the urban and semi urban population. In spite of this, to the dismay and

irritation of some and enjoyment of others, advertisement will continue to make their

presence felt in our lives and influence our lives in many unsuspecting ways because of

rapid changes in macro- environment and in our perception, impressions, feelings,

attitudes and behaviour. It seems almost impossible to remain totally neutral and not take

any notice of modern-day advertising. The most visible part of the advertising process is

the advertisements that we see, read, or hear and praise or criticise. Many suitable

adjectives are used to describe advertising, depending on how an individual is reacting,

9 | P a g e

such as great, dynamic, alluring, fascinating, annoying, boring, intrusive, irritating and

offensive, etc.

Advertising plays an important part in our everyday lives as it enables us to choose

between different ranges of products. These products are promoted through different

types of advertisements and cater to all types of markets. . Advertising enables producers

to expand their markets and therefore take advantage of economies of scale to reduce unit

production costs

Many advertisements are designed to generate increased consumption of those products

and services through the creation and reinvention of the "brand image”. For these

purposes, advertisements sometimes embed their persuasive message with factual

information. Every major medium is used to deliver these messages, including television,

radio, cinema, magazines, newspapers, video games, the Internet, carrier bags and

billboards. Advertising is often placed by an advertising agency on behalf of a company

or other organization.

On the other hand advertising is plagued with social and ethical issues as it results in over

consumption and waste of resources. ‘Ethics basically refers to what is right, good or

consistent with virtue. Advertising generates complex ethical questions which have to be

considered, as this mode of communication commits some highly controversial ethical

acts which are damaging to the society as a whole. It promotes overselling, exploitation

of vulnerable groups, vulgarity, offending the public, promoting socially harmful values

or behavior and intrusion of privacy.

Advertising creates an environment where it abuses certain values and interests that are

not universally agreed upon. For example in 2001 Yves Saint Laurent launched a

fragrance called ‘Opium which featured a naked model. This stirred controversy and

people found it offensive and sex was being used openly to promote a perfume. For a

fashion magazine the advertisement was fine but for billboards it was inappropriate and

some social groups found it morally and ethically wrong. Some times advertising draws

mixed response from the public, while sometimes it becomes controversial.

10 | P a g e

NEED OF ADVERTISING

Advertising is the promotion of a company’s products and services carried out primarily

to drive sales of the products and services but also to build a brand identity and

communicate changes or new product /services to the customers. Advertising has become

an essential element of the corporate world and hence the companies allot a considerable

amount of revenues as their advertising budget. There are several reasons for advertising

some of which are as follows:

Increasing the sales of the product/service

Creating and maintaining a brand identity or brand image.

Communicating a change in the existing product line.

Introduction of a new product or service.

Increasing the buzz-value of the brand or the company.

Significance of Advertising

Basically advertising creates wants but does not fulfill them, a person may see an

advertisement for a product, it might be glossy and fancy and he might be attracted to buy

the product. He might eventually buy it but it will not satisfy him it will just be a waste.

It’s a short term material satisfaction which just drives the economy by over consumption

of goods and services. It keeps the consumer in doubt about what to buy and in what

quantities and this doubt in turn has ethical implications.

Four reasons are attributed to the fugacious nature of the way advertising practices are

being carried out in developing countries.

1. The role of Information and Communication technologies: As ICTs evolve so do

marketing practices. If yesterday it was television that revolutionized the way

advertisements could create a lasting impact on the consumer, then today the

internet and phone text messages are doing just that.

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2. The world today is an increasingly global village: Social and ethnic boundaries

are fast falling in the wake of cable television and the like.

3. Rapid economic expansions in countries like China and India have meant that

marketers have to quickly respond to the changing socio-economic scenarios.

Millions of people have entered the middle class and millions more are poised to

do so. For marketers, the consequences can be mind boggling-as incomes and

spending powers rise, marketers have to respond to increasing demands from

consumers.

4. Better and improved marketing research has meant that the entire populace is not

seen in totality but rather as a congeries of different types of consumers.

TYPES OF ADVERTISING

There can be several branches of advertising. Mentioned below are the various categories

or types of advertising.

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Celebrity

Advertising

Infomercials

Public Service

Advertising

Surrogate Advertising

Covert Advertising

Print Advertising

Outdoor Advertising

Broadcast advertising

TYPES

OF

ADVERTISING

1. Print Advertising – Newspapers, Magazines, Brochures, and Fliers

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The print media have always been a popular advertising medium. Advertising products via newspapers or magazines is a common practice.

In addition to this, the print media also offers options like promotional brochures and fliers for advertising purposes. Often the newspapers and

the magazines sell the advertising space according to the area occupied by the advertisement, the position of the advertisement (front page/middle

page), as well as the readership of the publications.

The print media have always been a popular advertising medium. Advertising products via newspapers or magazines is a common practice.

In addition to this, the print media also offers options like promotional brochures and fliers for advertising purposes. Often the newspapers and

the magazines sell the advertising space according to the area occupied by the advertisement, the position of the advertisement (front page/middle

page), as well as the readership of the publications.

For instance an advertisement in a relatively new and less popular newspaper would cost

far less than placing an advertisement in a popular newspaper with a high readership. The

price of print ads also depend on the supplement in which they appear, for example an

advertisement in the glossy supplement costs way higher than that in the newspaper

supplement which uses a mediocre quality paper.

2. Outdoor Advertising–Billboards, Kiosks, Tradeshows and Events

Outdoor advertising is also a very popular form of advertising, which makes use of

several tools and techniques to attract the customers outdoors. The most common

examples of outdoor advertising are billboards, kiosks, and also several events and

tradeshows organized by the company. The billboard advertising is very popular however

has to be really terse and catchy in order to grab the attention of the passersby. The kiosks

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not only provide an easy outlet for the company products but also make for an effective

advertising tool to promote the company’s products. Organizing several events or

sponsoring them makes for an excellent advertising opportunity. The company can

organize trade fairs, or even exhibitions for advertising their products. If not this, the

company can organize several events that are closely associated with their field. For

instance a company that manufactures sports utilities can sponsor a sports tournament to

advertise its products.

3. Broadcast advertising – Television, Radio and the Internet

Broadcast advertising is a very popular advertising

medium that constitutes of several branches like

television, radio or the Internet. Television

advertisements have been very popular ever since

they have been introduced. The cost of television

advertising often depends on the duration of the

advertisement, the time of broadcast (prime

time/peak time), and of course the popularity of the

television channel on which the advertisement is

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The radio jingles have been very popular advertising media and have a large

impact on the audience, which is evident in the fact that

many people still remember and enjoy the popular radio

jingles

The radio jingles have been very popular advertising media and have a large

impact on the audience, which is evident in the fact that

many people still remember and enjoy the popular radio

jingles

going to be broadcasted. The radio might have lost its charm owing to the new age media

however the radio remains to be the choice of small-scale advertisers.

4. Covert Advertising – Advertising in

Movies

There is no commercial in the entertainment but the

brand or the product is Subtly ( or sometimes

evidently) showcased in the entertainment show.

Some of the famous examples for this sort of

advertising have to be the appearance of brand Nokia which is displayed on Tom Cruise’s

phone in the movie Minority Report, or the use of Cadillac cars in the movie Matrix

Reloaded.

5. Surrogate Advertising – Advertising Indirectly

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Covert advertising is a unique kind of

advertising in which a product or a particular

brand is incorporated in some entertainment and

media channels like movies, television shows

or even sports.

Covert advertising is a unique kind of

advertising in which a product or a particular

brand is incorporated in some entertainment and

media channels like movies, television shows

or even sports.

Common examples include

Fosters and Kingfisher beer

brands, which are often seen

to promote their brand with

the help of surrogate

advertising.

Common examples include

Fosters and Kingfisher beer

brands, which are often seen

to promote their brand with

the help of surrogate

advertising.

Surrogate advertising is prominently seen in cases where advertising a particular product

is banned by law. Advertisement for products like cigarettes or alcohol which are

injurious to heath are prohibited by law in several countries and hence these companies

have to come up with several other products that might have the same brand name and

indirectly remind people of the cigarettes or beer bottles of the same brand.

6. Public Service Advertising – Advertising for Social Causes

Today public service advertising has been

increasingly used in a non-commercial fashion in

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Public service advertising is a

technique that makes use of

advertising as an effective

communication medium to convey

socially relevant messaged about

important matters and social welfare

causes like AIDS, energy

conservation, political integrity,

deforestation, illiteracy, poverty and

so on.

ent or the summary of an interesting point. You can position

the text box anywhere in the document. Use the Text Box Tools tab to change the formatting of

the pull quote text box.]

Public service advertising is a

technique that makes use of

advertising as an effective

communication medium to convey

socially relevant messaged about

important matters and social welfare

causes like AIDS, energy

conservation, political integrity,

deforestation, illiteracy, poverty and

so on.

ent or the summary of an interesting point. You can position

the text box anywhere in the document. Use the Text Box Tools tab to change the formatting of

the pull quote text box.]

several countries across the world in order to promote various social causes. In USA, the

radio and television stations are granted on the basis of a fixed amount of Public service

advertisements aired by the channel.

7. Celebrity Advertising

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Although the audience is getting smarter and smarter and the modern day consumer

getting immune to the exaggerated claims made in a majority of advertisements, there

exist a section of advertisers that still bank upon celebrities and their popularity for

advertising their products.

8. Infomercials

There are two types of infomercials, described as long form and short form. Long form

infomercials have a time length of 30 minutes. Short form infomercials are 30 seconds to

2 minutes long. Infomercials are also known as direct response television (DRTV)

commercials or direct response marketing.

The main objective in an infomercial is to create an impulse purchase, so that the

consumer sees the presentation and then immediately buys the product through the

advertised toll-free telephone number or website. Infomercials describe, display, and

often demonstrate products and their features, and commonly have testimonials from

consumers and industry professionals.

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Using celebrities for advertising involves signing up celebrities for advertising

campaigns, which consist of all sorts of advertising including, television ads or

even print advertisements.

Using celebrities for advertising involves signing up celebrities for advertising

campaigns, which consist of all sorts of advertising including, television ads or

even print advertisements.

ETHICS

1. INTRODUCTION

In this era of globalization &multinational competition, ethical practices in business are

assuming importance as relationships with various suppliers& customers are shaped by

ethical practices& mutual trust. So, ethical decision taking assumes importance in today’s

corporate world.

2. What Is Ethics?

Ethics refers to principles that define behavior as right, good and proper. Such principles

do not always dictate a single "moral" course of action, but provide a means of evaluating

and deciding among competing options. The terms "ethics" and "values" are not

interchangeable. Ethics is concerned with how a moral person should behave, whereas

values are the inner judgments that determine how a person actually behaves. Values

concern ethics when they pertain to beliefs about what is right and wrong. Most values,

however, have nothing to do with ethics. For instance, the desire for health and wealth are

values, but not ethical values.

3. The Importance of Universality

Most people have convictions about what is right and wrong based on religious beliefs,

cultural roots, family background, personal experiences, laws, organizational values,

professional norms and political habits. These are not the best values to make ethical

decisions by — not because they are unimportant, but because they are not universal. In

contrast to consensus ethical values — such basics as trustworthiness, respect,

responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship — personal and professional beliefs vary

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over time, among cultures and among members of the same society. They are a source of

continuous historical disagreement, even wars. There is nothing wrong with having

strong personal and professional moral convictions about right and wrong, but

unfortunately, some people are "moral imperialists" who seek to impose their personal

moral judgments on others. The universal ethical value of respect for others dictates

honoring the dignity and autonomy of each person and cautions against self-

righteousness in areas of legitimate controversy.

4. Why Be Ethical?

People have lots of reasons for being ethical:

There is inner benefit. Virtue is its own reward.

There is personal advantage. It is prudent to be ethical. It’s good business.      

There is approval. Being ethical leads to self-esteem, the admiration of loved ones

and the respect of peers.

There is religion. Good behavior can please or help serve a deity.

There is habit. Ethical actions can fit in with upbringing or training.

There are obstacles to being ethical, which include:

The ethics of self-interest

When the motivation for ethical behavior is self-interest, decision-making is reduced to

risk-reward calculations. If the risks from ethical behavior are high - or the risks from

unethical behavior are low and the reward is high - moral principles succumb to

expediency.

This is not a small problem

Many people cheat on exams, lie on resumes, and distort or falsify facts at work. The real

test of our ethics is whether we are willing to do the right thing even when it is not in our

self-interest.

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The pursuit of happiness

It depends on how one defines happiness. Our values, what we prize and desire,

determine what we think will make us happy. We are free to pursue material goals and

physical sensations, but that alone rarely (if ever) leads to enduring happiness. It more

often results in a lonely, disconnected, meaningless existence. The morally mature

individual finds happiness in grander pursuits than money, status, sex and mood-altering

substances. A deeper satisfaction lies in honoring universal ethical values, that is, values

that people everywhere believe should inform behavior. That unity between principled

belief and honorable behavior is the foundation for real happiness.     

Ethical Principle in Advertising

All advertising should be legal, decent, honest and truthful. Every advertisement should

be prepared with a due sense of social responsibility and should conform to the principles

of fair competition, as generally accepted in business. No advertisement should be such

as to impair public confidence in advertising.

Decency

Advertisements should not contain statements or visual presentations which offend

prevailing standards of decency

Honesty

Advertisements should be so framed as not to abuse the trust of consumers or exploit

their lack of experience or knowledge.

Social Responsibility

1. Advertisements should not condone any form of discrimination, including that based

upon race, national origin, religion, sex or age, nor should they in any way undermine

human dignity.

2. Advertisements should not (without justifiable reason) play on fear.

3. Advertisements should not appear to condone or incite violence, or to encourage

unlawful or reprehensible behavior.

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4. Advertisements should not play on superstition.

Truthful presentation

Advertisements should not contain any statement or visual presentation which directly

or by implication, omission, ambiguity or exaggerated claim is likely to mislead the

consumer, in particular with regard to:

1. characteristics such as: nature, composition, method and date of manufacture, range

of use, efficiency and performance, quantity, commercial or geographical origin or

environmental impact;

2. the value of the product and the total price actually to be paid;

3. delivery, exchange, return, repair and maintenance;

4. terms of guarantee;

5. copyright and industrial property rights such as patents, trade marks, designs and

models and trade names;

6. official recognition or approval, awards of medals, prizes and diplomas;

7. the extent of benefits for charitable causes.

8. Advertisements should not misuse research results or quotations from technical and

scientific publications. Statistics should not be so presented as to exaggerate the

validity of advertising claims. Scientific terms should not be used to falsely ascribe

scientific validity to advertising claims.

Comparisons

Advertisements containing comparisons should be so designed that the comparison is not

likely to mislead, and should comply with the principles of fair competition. Points of

comparison should be based on facts that can be substantiated and should not be unfairly

selected.

Unassembled Merchandise

When advertised merchandise requires partial or complete assembly by the purchaser, the

advertising should disclose that fact, e.g., "unassembled," "partial assembly required."

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Testimonials

Advertisements should not contain or refer to any testimonial or endorsement unless it is

genuine, verifiable, relevant and based on personal experience or knowledge.

Testimonials or endorsements that have become obsolete or misleading through passage

of time should not be used

Portrayal or imitation of personal property

Advertisements should not portray or refer to any persons, whether in a private or a

public capacity, unless prior permission has been obtained; nor should advertisements

without prior permission depict or refer to any person's property in a way likely to convey

the impression of a personal endorsement.

Exploitation of goodwill

Advertisements should not make unjustifiable use of the name, initials, logo and/or

trademarks of another firm, company or institution nor should advertisements in any way

take undue advantage of another firm, person or institution's goodwill in its name, trade

name or other intellectual property, nor should advertisements take advantage of the

goodwill earned by other advertising campaigns.

Imitation

1. Advertisements should not imitate the general layout, text, slogan, visual

presentation, music and sound effects, etc., of any other advertisements in a way that

is likely to mislead or confuse the consumer.

2. Where advertisers have established distinctive advertising campaigns in one or more

countries, other advertisers should not unduly imitate these campaigns in the other

countries where the former may operate, thus preventing them from extending their

campaigns within a reasonable period of time to such countries.

Identification of advertisements

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Advertisements should be clearly distinguishable as such, whatever their form and

whatever the medium used; when an advertisement appears in a medium which contains

news or editorial matter, it should be so presented that it will be readily recognized as an

advertisement.

Safety and health

Advertisements should not without reason, justifiable on educational or social grounds,

contain any visual presentation or any description of dangerous practices or of situations

which show a disregard for safety or health.

Children and young people

The following provisions apply to advertisements addressed to children and young people

who are minors under the applicable national law.

Inexperience and Credulity

a. Advertisements should not exploit the inexperience or credulity of children and

young people.

b. Advertisements should not understate the degree of skill or age level generally

required to use or enjoy the product.

i. Special care should be taken to ensure that advertisements do not mislead

children and young people as to the true size, value, nature, durability and

performance of the advertised product.

ii. If extra items are needed to use it (e.g., batteries) or to produce the result

shown or described (e.g., paint) this should be made clear.

iii. A product that is part of a series should be clearly indicated, as should the

method of acquiring the series.

iv. Where results of product use are shown or described, the advertisement

should represent what is reasonably attainable by the average child or

young person in the age range for which the product is intended.

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c. Price indication should not be such as to lead children and young people to an

unreal perception of the true value of the product, for instance by using the word

'only'. No advertisements should imply that the advertised product is immediately

within reach of every family budget.

Avoidance of Harm

Advertisements should not contain any statement or visual presentation that could have

the effect of harming children and young people mentally, morally or physically or of

bringing them into unsafe situations or activities seriously threatening their health or

security, or of encouraging them to consort with strangers or to enter strange or

hazardous places.

Guarantees

Advertisements should not contain any reference to a guarantee which does not provide

the consumer with additional rights to those provided by law. Advertisements may

contain the word "guarantee", "guaranteed", "warranty" or "warranted" or words having

the same meaning only if the full terms of the guarantee as well as the remedial action

open to the purchaser are clearly set out in the advertisements, or are available to the

purchaser in writing at the point of sale, or come with the goods.

Unsolicited products

Advertisements should not be used to introduce or support the practice whereby

unsolicited products are sent to persons who are required, or given the impression that

they are obliged to accept and pay for these products (inertia selling).

Claimed Results

Claims as to energy savings, performance, safety, efficacy, results, etc. which will be

obtained by or realized from a particular product or service should be based on recent and

competent scientific, engineering or other objective data.

Layout and Illustrations

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The composition and layout of advertisements should be such as to minimize the

possibility of misunderstanding by the reader. For example, prices, illustrations, or

descriptions should not be so placed in an advertisement as to give the impression that the

price or terms of featured merchandise apply to other merchandise in the advertisement

when such is not the fact. An advertisement should not be used which features

merchandise at a price or terms boldly displayed, together with illustrations of higher-

priced merchandise, so arranged as to give the impression that the lower price or more

favorable terms apply to the other merchandise, when such is not the fact.

Asterisks and Abbreviations

An asterisk may be used to impart additional information about a word or term which is

not in itself inherently deceptive. The asterisk or other reference symbol should not be

used as a means of contradicting or substantially changing the meaning of any advertising

statement. Information referenced by asterisks should be clearly and prominently

disclosed. Commonly known abbreviations may be used in advertising. However,

abbreviations not generally known to or understood by the general public should be

avoided.

Environmental behavior

Advertisements should not appear to approve or encourage actions which contravene the

law, self-regulating codes or generally accepted standards of environmentally

responsible behavior.

Responsibility

1. Responsibility for the observance of the rules of conduct laid down in the Code rests

with the advertiser, the advertising practitioner or agency, and the publisher, media

owner or contractor.

2. Advertisers should take the overall responsibility for their advertising.

3. Advertising practitioners or agencies should exercise every care in the preparation of

advertisements and should operate in such a way as to enable advertisers to fulfill

their responsibilities.

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4. Publishers, medium-owners or contractors, who publish, transmit or distribute

advertisements should exercise due care in the acceptance of advertisements and

their presentation to the public.

5. Those employed within a firm, company or institution coming under the above three

categories and who take part in the planning, creation, publishing or transmitting of

an advertisement have a degree of responsibility commensurate with their positions

for ensuring that the rules of the Code are observed and should act accordingly.

Rules apply to entirety of advertisement

The responsibility for observance of the rules of the Code embraces the advertisement in

its entire content and form, including testimonials and statements or visual presentations

originating from other sources. The fact that the content or form originates wholly or in

part from other sources is not an excuse for non-observance of the rules.

Effect of subsequent redress for contravention

While an advertiser's subsequent correction and appropriate redress for a contravention of

the Code are desirable, they cannot excuse the original contravention of the Code.

Alarmist Marketing

An advertiser should not engage in speculation or provide information intended to cause

alarm and force action. Such actions include overstating the legal implications of a non-

defined action.

Substantiation

Descriptions, claims or illustrations relating to verifiable facts should be capable of

substantiation. Advertisers should have such substantiation available so that they can

produce evidence without delay to the self-regulatory bodies responsible for the operation

of the Code.

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ETHICS IN ADVERTISING

1. Puffery :

Puffery as a legal term refers to promotional statements and claims that express

subjective rather than objective views, such that no reasonable person would take

literally. Puffery is especially featured in testimonials. "Puffery" consists of promotional

claims that no one out of diapers takes literally. Your two-year old might believe that

polar bears enjoy sipping Coca-Cola. But you know better. Because two-year-olds make

no spending decisions, advertisers have always been free to enliven their ads with

harmless hyperbole.

Under existing UCC law, the burden of proof rests on plaintiffs asserting that particular

advertising claims are factually misleading rather than mere puffery. If the

Commissioners' proposal becomes law, however, every advertising claim will be

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ETHICS

IN

ADVERTISING

PufferySubliminal Advertising

Advertising to

childrenStereotyping

Controver-sial

advertise-ments

Promoting unhealthy products

presumed to be part of the agreement between the seller and buyer. Buyers will be

presumed to have relied upon even the most obviously absurd advertising exaggerations.

The burden of proof will then be on defendant advertisers to prove that a reasonable

person would not be misled by the challenged advertising claim. Because lawyers will

easily find reasonable-looking plaintiffs to testify that they were misled by this or that

advertisement, advertisers who make any claims beyond dry factual statements risk

severe litigation losses. Advertisers are now liable for harms caused by genuinely

misleading advertising.

For example, Coca-Cola would be liable to consumers for damages caused if it

advertises that Coke cures cancer. Reasonable consumers might be fooled into drinking

more Coke only because of its alleged medicinal properties. But, by definition, puffery

does not mislead reasonable consumers.

Besides, puffery entertains. We all know that Dave doesn't actually cook hamburgers at

Wendy's. We all know that toy rabbit powered by a single Eveready battery will not keep

going, and going, and going. Even if puffery's only function is to entertain, that would be

sufficient reason not to discourage it.

But puffery does far more: it informs consumers as well as promotes product quality.

Before a consumer can buy a product, the consumer must be made aware of the product.

One function of advertising is to create such awareness. In this age of vivid video images

and electronic sounds, sellers must compete hard for consumers' attention. Puffery is one

benign means advertisers use to grab that attention.

Puffery enables an advertiser to grab consumers by their collars and say "Hey, have I got

a great product for you!" If firms are discouraged from placing in their ads all but the

most dry factual claims, consumers will be forced to spend more of their own time and

resources discovering which products are available.

One consequence will be diminished product innovation. Because consumers are more

familiar with established products than with new products, puffery is pivotal to the

marketing of new products. Fewer resources will be devoted to product innovation if

firms encounter greater legal risks in bringing new products to consumers' attention. As

fewer products are introduced onto the market, established products face less intense

competition. Product quality declines.

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Lawyers will be the big winners from any movement away from the existing

uncontroversial legal treatment of puffery. With legal change comes greater legal

uncertainty, and with greater legal uncertainty come more legal disputes. Demands on

already over-burdened courts will grow. Imagine the billing hours lawyers will run up

debating whether or not Chevrolet really is the heartbeat of America. Under the

misleading banner of helping consumers, lawyers will reap big bucks cleaning up a mess

that lawyers themselves are trying to create.

There are some examples which shows puffery—

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2. Stereotyping :

The role advertisements play in the development and perpetuation of gender-role

stereotypes. Jones (1991) noted that an analysis of advertisements by Goffman (1976)

found numerous instances of subtle stereotyping including:

1. Functional ranking — the tendency to depict men in executive roles and as more

functional when collaborating with women,

2. Relative size — the tendency to depict men as taller and larger than women, except

when women are clearly superior in social status,

3. Reutilization of subordination — an overabundance of images of women lying on

floors and beds or as objects of men's mock assaults,

4. The feminine touch — the tendency to show women cradling and caressing the surface

of objects with their fingers, and

5. Family — fathers depicted as physically distant from their families or as relating

primarily to sons, and mothers depicted as relating primarily to daughters.

HOW THE MEDIA PORTRAY: 

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Ethnic and Visible Minorities

This section examines the representation of minority groups in the media industry—both

onscreen, in sitcoms and news reporting, and off-screen, in terms of hiring practices. It

also looks at Canadian government policies and broadcasting industry codes that

encourage diversity.

Aboriginal People

This section examines media attitudes to First Nations, Inuit and Native American

peoples - from early films and television to today's coverage and portrayals. The section

looks at the effect on young people's attitudes of seeing Aboriginal people shown

primarily in cartoons or as sports mascots; and it also discusses the development of

Aboriginal broadcasting in Canada.

Girls and Women

This section explores female stereotypes in entertainment and news media, including

onscreen portrayals of women, their effect on cultural ideas of beauty, and how these

stereotypes influence the social development of young women. The section also examines

the economic interests that drive media attitudes towards women.

Men and Masculinity

This section examines common stereotypes of masculinity on TV, in men's magazines,

and in advertising and sports media. It discusses society's definitions of male roles and

attributes, and the effect that media portrayals have on men's (and young people's)

notions of what masculinity means.

Gays and Lesbians

This section offers a brief overview of how gays and lesbians are portrayed in the media:

the evolution of gay portrayals in film, issues related to gays and lesbians in television,

and how advertising and news coverage treat gays and lesbians.

Whiteness and White Privilege

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This section explores the social norms and expectations associated with being white—

including the media's tendency to accord respect and authority to white people, especially

from the middle and upper classes. Onscreen and behind the scenes, white privilege

(along with male privilege, and "straight" privilege) fosters a climate of systemic

discrimination that tends to exclude many diverse views from the media.

Persons with Disabilities

This section examines common stereotypes of persons with disabilities in mass media

and the news. It discusses concerns about media representation of disability, including

lack of participation, as well as looks at solutions to better represent persons with

disabilities.

Children and adolescents as target groups

The children’s market, where resistance to advertising is weakest, is the “pioneer for ad

creep”. “Kids are among the most sophisticated observers of ads. They can sing the

jingles and identify the logos, and they often have strong feelings about products. What

they generally don't understand, however, are the issues that underlie how advertising

works. Mass media are used not only to sell goods but also ideas: how we should behave,

what rules are important, who we should respect and what we should value.”

Youth is increasingly reduced to the role of a consumer. Not only the makers of toys,

sweets, ice cream, breakfast food and sport articles prefer to aim their promotion at

children and adolescents. Advertising for other products preferably uses media with

which they can also reach the next generation of consumers. “Key advertising messages

exploit the emerging independence of young people”. Cigarettes, for example, “are used

as a fashion accessory and appeal to young women. Other influences on young people

include the linking of sporting heroes and smoking through sports sponsorship, the use of

cigarettes by popular characters in television programmes and cigarette promotions.

Research suggests that young people are aware of the most heavily advertised cigarette

brands.”

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“Product placements show up everywhere, and children aren't exempt. Far from it. The

animated film, Food fight, had ‘thousands of products and character icons from the

familiar (items) in a grocery store.’ Children's books also feature branded items and

characters, and millions of them have snack foods as lead characters.

“ Business is interested in children and adolescents because of their buying power and

because of their influence on the shopping habits of their parents. As they are easier to

influence they are especially targeted by the advertising business. “The marketing

industry is facing increased pressure over claimed links between exposure to food

advertising and a range of social problems, especially growing obesity levels.” In 2001,

children’s programming accounted for over 20% of all television watching. The global

market for children’s licensed products was some 132 billion U.S. dollars in 2002.

Advertisers target children because, e. g. in Canada, they “represent three distinct

markets:

1. Primary Purchasers ($2.9 billion annually)

2. Future Consumers (Brand-loyal adults)

3. Purchase Influencers ($20 billion annually)

Kids will carry forward brand expectations, whether positive, negative or indifferent Kids

are already accustomed to being catered to as consumers. The long term prize: Loyalty of

the kid translates into a brand loyal adult customer”

The average child sees 350,000 TV commercials before graduating from high school,

spends nearly as much time watching TV as attending classes. In 1980 the Indian

province banned advertising for children under age 13. “In upholding the constitutional

validity of the Indian Consumer Protection Act restrictions on advertising to children

under age 13 (in the case of a challenge by a toy company) the Court held: ‘...advertising

directed at young children is per se manipulative. Such advertising aims to promote

products by convincing those who will always believe.

According to health experts the constant promotion of high-calorie food is contributing to

the epidemic of childhood obesity and poor eating habits. This leads to some serious

issues since the consumption of things like ‘Soda’ leads to bone diseases and high rates

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of fracture amongst girls. Since the child perceives the ad of a product in a very different

way, the consumption of the product increases. From the perception of the children it’s a

food item but in reality it is ‘junk food’ with harmful effects, because the mind does not

register the damaging effects of advertising and consumption of unhealthy food products.

Also a general ethical concern is the tendency of ads to promote acquisition as a virtue

since children view advertising from a much less developed frame of mind. The Alcohol

industry is another area of extensive debate since teenagers see an estimated 75,000

alcohol ads before their legal drinking ages. Alcohol advertising seeks to associate

drinking with desirable qualities or pleasurable experiences since it portrays alcohol

consumption as a part of recreational activities and sporting events. Advertising

commercials may send irresponsible drinking messages to children and lead to health

problems and unreasonable behavior.

The impact of Alcohol advertising is so great that ‘the Budweiser Frog campaign

introduced in 1995 during the super bowl was highly recognizable among children. More

children remember the Budweiser frog than they remember Bugs Bunny. (Children

Health and Advertising.2000).This tells us that no matter what one is selling the method

of promotion and the product will have an impact on young minds and they will register

the images and associate themselves with drinking at an earlier or later stage in life.

These are the some examples of stereotyping :

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3. Promoting unhealthy products:

Due to the globalization of the economy the globe is indeed becoming a smaller place,

marketers have to bear in mind national, local and cultural sensitivities. marketers do

have to act with celerity in gaining footholds in emerging markets such as China and

India, care has to be taken in ensuring that the mores, etiquettes of the land are not

encroached upon. The incorporation of newer technologies has meant that a number of

issues such as invasion of privacy and credibility have arisen.

In India, for example, a large multinational corporation ran an ad campaign that depicted

a young woman who because of her dark facial complexion was unable to find jobs. But

as the ad showed, as soon as the woman started using the facial whiteness cream

manufactured by the corporation, she got the job of her choice. Needless to say, there was

a big backlash against it and the ad campaign had to be scrapped. On an ethical

standpoint, marketers have to exercise restraint in exploiting such social paradigms to

their commercial advantage.

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Surrogate Advertisements In India alcohol and cigarette advertisements were banned

outright some years back. However, alcohol and cigarette companies alike are using the

avenue of surrogate advertisements to press forward their case. For the viewer though,

the ‘subtle’ pointer towards the real deal is enough as the surrogate advertisements leave

no ambiguity in their minds.

Promotions of Alcohol, Tobacco-Creating Demand for Vice Cigarettes are one of the

most heavily marketed products in China and other developing nations. An increasing

percentage of those marketing dollars is dedicated to what are probably the most

sophisticated consumer marketing databases in the business world. Tobacco advertising

is no longer just the province of multi-million dollar ad budgets pushing the Marlboro

Man, Joe Camel's phallic face or the women in the Virginia Slims' ads who have ‘come a

long way.’ It is equally the province of direct marketers, pushing free packs to targeted

prospects and mailing slick magazines-published by tobacco companies-to influence the

behaviour and retain the loyalty of tens of millions of smokers And the problem is

pandemic-is is prevalent in both developing as well as developed countries alike. In the

US for example, cigarette smoking is responsible for the deaths of almost half a million

people a year. Tobacco use is responsible for more than one in six deaths in the United

States. Smoking accounts for 30% of all cancer deaths. It is a major cause of heart

disease, and it is associated with conditions ranging from colds and gastric ulcers to

chronic bronchitis, emphysema and vascular disease. Smoking caused an estimated

264,087 male and 178, 311 female deaths in the United States each year from 1995 to

1999. The U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment estimates the cost of

smoking (direct and indirect) to the economy at $150 billion a year. Each day more than

3,000 teenagers in the U.S. become addicted to cigarettes. The tobacco industry argues

that its advertising is not aimed at recruiting these young new smokers. Its representatives

say, disingenuously, that advertising by individual tobacco companies’ targets adults only

and serve only to encourage regular smokers to switch brands or to retain brand loyalty.

However it has been seen that perception of cigarette brand advertising actually is higher

among young smokers and that changes in market share resulting from advertising occur

mainly in this segment. Cigarette advertising thus undoubtedly encourages youth to

smoke. In a survey conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association, it was

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stated that the success of the tobacco industry is dependent on recruiting people who

don't believe that tobacco kills-thus enticing children, developing nations populations,

and disadvantaged members of society to smoke is the only way for tobacco companies

to make up for the number of smokers who quit or die

Tobacco advertisements are another ethical concern as far as advertising is concerned

since a large number of cigarette advertisements tend to appeal to the teenagers by

emphasizing youthful vigor and independence. A large number of tobacco advertisements

it is believed are directed towards the younger population and this is a luring technique

which encourages the teenagers to start smoking at an early age. Companies spend

billions of pounds on tobacco advertisements. Tobacco company since they directed their

advertisements to children as young as 14 years old.

As this 14-24 age group matures, they will account for a key share of the total cigarette

volume for at least the next 25 years…Thus our strategy becomes clear for our

established brands: direct advertising appeal to younger smokers.’

So this makes it clear that tobacco advertising is another ethical problem at a massive

scale and effects children as young as 12-14 years old. Another problem with advertising

is that of the food items as children are very valuable to the food industry and this

constitutes to unhealthy eating habits in children as young as7-12 year old. The food

advertisements that children see are normally of foods that are high in sugar and fat

contents and this leads to obesity among children.

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.

4. Controversial advertisements:

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The caption says “If you got crushed in the clinch with your soft pack, try our hard pack.” The play on the words “hard” and “soft” is difficult to overlook; the ad seems to be promising virility and potency to the prospective male purchaser of Benson & Hedges.

The picture portrays a young man and woman embracing each other. If you just glanced at the expression on the man’s face for a moment or two, you would probably assume that he is smug, as though he were thinking “If you smoked Benson &Hedges you too would have beautiful women chasing after you.” If you study the expression on his face, however, you will discover that it is somewhat ambiguous. He could be smug, but he also could be a bit nervous. It is possible that the aggressive advances of the lovely young woman are making him uncomfortable.

Advertising creates an environment

where it abuses certain values and

interests that are not universally agreed

upon. For example in 2001 Yves Saint

Laurent launched a fragrance called

‘Opium which featured a naked model.

This stirred controversy and people

found it offensive and sex was being

used openly to promote a perfume. For a

fashion magazine the advertisement was

fine but for billboards it was inappropriate

and some social groups found it morally

and ethically wrong. Some times

advertising draws mixed response from

the public, while sometimes it becomes

controversial.

5. Subliminal Advertising:

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The advertising industry, a prominent and powerful industry, engages in deceptive

subliminal advertising which most us are unaware of. By bypassing our unconscious

mind using subliminal techniques, advertisers tap into the vulnerabilities surrounding our

unconscious mind, manipulating and controlling us in many ways. Since the 1940's

subliminal advertising blossomed until now, when you can find subliminal in every major

advertisement and magazine cover. Legislation against the advertisers has had no effect

in curbing the use of subliminal. In this Information Age, it seems people are no longer in

control of the people. It is obvious that by tapping into the consumer's unconscious mind

without their knowledge, the advertisers are engaging in deceptive practices. It is also an

invasion of privacy. But, is this legal? The answer is no. There are numerous legislation

that prohibit advertisers from using subliminal messages in their ads. Subliminal are

inherently deceptive because the consumer does not perceive them at a normal level of

awareness, and thus is given no choice whether to accept or reject the message, as is the

case with normal advertising.

6. Advertising to children:

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One of the controversies surrounding the existence of subliminal perception is its

definition. Subliminal means "belowthreshold."

Advertising to children is the act of marketing or advertising products or services to

young people. In 2000, children under 13 years old impacted the spending of over $600

billion in the United States alone. This has created a large incentive to advertise to

children which has led to the development to a multimillion dollar industry. The

increasing controversy over the ethics of continued advertising to children has even led to

its banning in some European countries. Children are easily persuaded and have a large

pull on today's markets, as is known by all advertisers, even ones who do not intend for

their products to be consumed by children. In creating an audience at such a young age,

producers are aiming to have a loyal audience of grown adults. The creation of loyal

consumers can be both positive and negative. The issue of advertising to children has

raised much controversy since the 1970s.Children form the major chunks of the target

group for advertisers. Many advertisements aimed towards children are a sole proof of

this fact. The prime motive of any advertisement is to convince the viewer about the

quality of the product and instill that urge in him/her to purchase the same. Today,

advertising plays an important role in the society, as it tends to influence young minds in

particular.

The first prime motive of advertising is to attract attention. With children, the messages

need to be conveyed in a different manner. Goods are particularly packaged in order to

appeal to the younger generation. Children today, are more specific about their needs and

wants. Children are therefore reckoned to be a major ‘buying force’ by advertisers.

However, advertising can also have a negative influence over young minds if parents are

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Children are easily persuaded and have a large pull on today's markets, as is known by all advertisers, even ones who do not intend for their products to be consumed by children. In creating an audience at such a young age, producers are aiming to have a loyal audience of grown adult.

not really careful and do not teach their children about the importance of money. In many

cases, children tend to misinterpret the messages conveyed through the advertisement.

For example, a child may prefer only a specific pair of branded jeans as compared to

other clothing available in stores. He/she may want to live the life that is projected in the

advertisements. The child may dictate to his/her parents about personal preferences in

clothing, food, toys etc.

Criticism of advertising

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Hyper-commercialism and the commercial tidal wave

Criticism of advertising is closely linked with

criticism of media and often interchangeable. They

can refer to its audio-visual aspects (e. g. cluttering of public spaces and airwaves),

environmental aspects (e. g. pollution, oversize packaging, increasing consumption),

political aspects (e. g. media dependency, free speech, censorship), financial aspects

(costs), ethical/moral/social aspects (e. g. sub-conscious influencing, invasion of privacy,

increasing consumption and waste, target groups, certain products, honesty) and, of

course, a mix thereof. Some aspects can be subdivided further and some can cover more

than one category.

As advertising has become increasingly prevalent in modern Western societies, it is also

increasingly being criticized. A person can hardly move in the public sphere or use a

medium without being subject to advertising. Advertising occupies public space and

more and more invades the private sphere of people, many of which consider it a

nuisance.

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“It is becoming harder to escape

from advertising and the media.

Public space is increasingly

turning into a gigantic billboard

for products of all kind. The

aesthetical and political

consequences cannot yet be

foreseen.”

“It is becoming harder to escape

from advertising and the media.

Public space is increasingly

turning into a gigantic billboard

for products of all kind. The

aesthetical and political

consequences cannot yet be

foreseen.”

Ad creep: There are ads in schools, airport lounges, doctors offices, movie theaters,

hospitals, gas stations, elevators, convenience stores, on the Internet, on fruit, on ATMs,

on garbage cans and countless other places. There are ads on beach sand and restroom

walls.” “One of the ironies of advertising in our times is that as commercialism increases,

it makes it that much more difficult for any particular advertiser to succeed, hence

pushing the advertiser to even greater efforts.” [21] Within a decade advertising in radios

climbed to nearly 18 or 19 minutes per hour; on prime-time television the standard until

1982 was no more than 9.5 minutes of advertising per hour, today it’s between 14 and 17

minutes. With the introduction of the shorter 15-second-spot the total amount of ads

increased even more dramatically.

Other growing markets are ‘’product placements’’ in entertainment programming and in

movies where it has become standard practice and ‘’virtual advertising’’ where products

get placed retroactively into rerun shows. Product billboards are virtually inserted into

Major League Baseball broadcasts and in the same manner, virtual street banners or logos

are projected on an entry canopy or sidewalks, for example during the arrival of

celebrities at the 2001 Grammy Awards. Advertising precedes the showing of films at

cinemas including lavish ‘film shorts’ produced by companies such as Microsoft or

DaimlerChrysler. “The largest advertising agencies have begun working aggressively to

co-produce programming in conjunction with the largest media firms” [22] creating

Infomercials resembling entertainment programming.

It’s standard business management knowledge that advertising is a pillar, if not “the”

pillar of the growth-orientated free capitalist economy. “Advertising is part of the bone

marrow of corporate capitalism.”“Contemporary capitalism could not function and global

production networks could not exist as they do without advertising.”

Advertising and constitutional rights

Advertising is equated with constitutionally guaranteed freedom of opinion and speech.

Therefore criticizing advertising or any attempt to restrict or ban advertising is almost

always considered to be an attack on fundamental rights and meets the combined and

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concentrated resistance of the business and especially the advertising community.

“Currently or in the near future, any number of cases are and will be working their way

through the court system that would seek to prohibit any government regulation of ...

commercial speech (e. g. advertising or food labeling) on the grounds that such regulation

would violate citizens’ and corporations’ First Amendment rights to free speech or free

press.”

Not only the business community resists

restrictions of advertising. Advertising as a

means of free expression has firmly established

itself in western society. Surveys e. g. reveal

that advertising is generally seen as a welcome

information and seldom as a nuisance. At worst

it is seen as a necessary evil to be endured and

most often its entertaining value is pointed out. Hardly any by-law restricting advertising

fails to appease possible critics by pointing out the positive effects and the necessity of

advertising in its foreword. The government deserves constant vigilance when it comes to

such regulations, but that it is certainly not “the only antidemocratic force in our society.

Corporations and the wealthy enjoy a power every bit as immense as that enjoyed by the

lords and royalty of feudal times” and “markets are not value-free or neutral; they not

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An example for this debate is advertising for tobacco or alcohol but

also advertising by mail or fliers (clogged mail boxes), advertising on

the phone, in the internet and advertising for children. Various legal

restrictions concerning spamming, advertising on mobile phones,

addressing children, tobacco, alcohol have been introduced by the US, the

EU and various other countries.

An example for this debate is advertising for tobacco or alcohol but

also advertising by mail or fliers (clogged mail boxes), advertising on

the phone, in the internet and advertising for children. Various legal

restrictions concerning spamming, advertising on mobile phones,

addressing children, tobacco, alcohol have been introduced by the US, the

EU and various other countries.

only tend to work to the advantage of those with the most money, but they also by their

very nature emphasize profit over all else. Hence, today the debate is over whether

advertising or food labelling, or campaign contributions are speech...if the rights to be

protected by the First Amendment can only be effectively employed by a fraction of the

citizenry, and their exercise of these rights gives them undue political power and

undermines the ability of the balance of the citizenry to exercise the same rights and/or

constitutional rights, then it is not necessarily legitimately protected by the First

Amendment.” In addition, “those with the capacity to engage in free press are in a

position to determine who can speak to the great mass of citizens and who cannot”.

Critics in turn argue, that advertising invades privacy which is a constitutional right. For,

on the one hand, advertising physically invades privacy, on the other, it increasingly uses

relevant, information-based communication with private data assembled without the

knowledge or consent of consumers or target groups.

Dependency of the media and corporate censorship

Almost all mass media are advertising media and many of them are exclusively

advertising media and, with the exception of public service broadcasting are privately

owned. Their income is predominantly generated through advertising; in the case of

newspapers and magazines from 50 to 80%. Public service broadcasting in some

countries can also heavily depend on advertising as a source of income (up to 40%).In the

view of critics no media that spreads advertisements can be independent and the higher

the proportion of advertising, the higher the dependency. This dependency has “distinct

implications for the nature of media content. In the business press, the media are often

referred to in exactly the way they present themselves in their candid moments: as a

branch of the advertising industry.”

“Journalists have long faced pressure to shape stories to suit advertisers and owners. The

vast majority of TV station executives found their news departments ‘cooperative’ in

shaping the news to assist in ‘non-traditional revenue development.” Negative and

undesired reporting can be prevented or influenced when advertisers threaten to cancel

orders or simply when there is a danger of such a cancellation. Media dependency and

such a threat becomes very real when there is only one dominant or very few large

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advertisers. The influence of advertisers is not only in regard to news or information on

their own products or services but expands to articles or shows not directly linked to

them. In order to secure their advertising revenues the media has to create the best

possible ‘advertising environment’. Another problem considered censorship by critics is

the refusal of media to accept advertisements that are not in their interest.

Because of these dependencies a widespread and fundamental public debate about

advertising and its influence on information and freedom of speech is difficult to obtain,

at least through the usual media channels; otherwise these would saw off the branch they

are sitting on. “The notion that the

commercial basis of media, journalism,

and communication could have

troubling implications for democracy

is excluded from the range of

legitimate debate” just as “capitalism is

off-limits as a topic of legitimate

debate.”

The commercialization of culture

and sports

Corporations promote renowned

artists, therefore getting exclusive

rights in global advertising campaigns.

Broadway shows, like ‘La Bohemia’

featured commercial props in its set.

Advertising itself is extensively

considered to be a contribution to

culture. Advertising is integrated into fashion. On many pieces of clothing the company

logo is the only design or is an important part of it. There is only little room left outside

the consumption economy, in which culture and art can develop independently and where

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Performances, exhibitions, shows, concerts, conventions and most other events can hardly take

place without sponsoring. The increasing lack of public funding or support makes the arts and cultural events dependant on private business. Thus, arts and culture are put into the service of sales promotion. Wherever

sponsors finance publicly born arts and culture they buy the service of attraction. Artists are graded and paid

according to their art’s value for commercial purposes.

Performances, exhibitions, shows, concerts, conventions and most other events can hardly take

place without sponsoring. The increasing lack of public funding or support makes the arts and cultural events dependant on private business. Thus, arts and culture are put into the service of sales promotion. Wherever

sponsors finance publicly born arts and culture they buy the service of attraction. Artists are graded and paid

according to their art’s value for commercial purposes.

alternative values can be expressed. A last important sphere, the universities, is under

strong pressure to open up for business and its interests

Competitive sports have become unthinkable without sponsoring and there is a mutual

dependency. High income with advertising is only possible with a comparable number of

spectators or viewers. On the other hand, the poor performance of a team or a sportsman

results in less advertising revenues.

Occupation and commercialization of public space

Digital technologies are used on buildings to sport ‘urban wall displays’. In urban areas

commercial content is placed in our sight and into our consciousness every moment we

are in public space. Through long-

term commercial saturation, it has

become implicitly understood by

the public that advertising has the

right to own, occupy and control

every inch of available space. The

steady normalization of invasive

advertising dulls the public’s

perception of their surroundings,

re-enforcing a general attitude of

powerlessness toward creativity

and change, thus a cycle develops

enabling advertisers to slowly and

consistently increase the saturation

of advertising with little or no

public outcry.”

The massive optical orientation

toward advertising changes the

function of public spaces which

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Every visually perceptible place has potential for advertising. Especially urban areas with their structures but

also landscapes in sight of through fares are more and more turning into media for advertisements. Signs, posters, billboards, flags have become decisive factors in the urban

appearance and their numbers are still on the increase. “Outdoor advertising has become unavoidable. Traditional

billboards and transit shelters have cleared the way for more pervasive methods such as wrapped vehicles, sides

of buildings, electronic signs, kiosks, taxis, posters, sides of buses, and more.

Every visually perceptible place has potential for advertising. Especially urban areas with their structures but

also landscapes in sight of through fares are more and more turning into media for advertisements. Signs, posters, billboards, flags have become decisive factors in the urban

appearance and their numbers are still on the increase. “Outdoor advertising has become unavoidable. Traditional

billboards and transit shelters have cleared the way for more pervasive methods such as wrapped vehicles, sides

of buildings, electronic signs, kiosks, taxis, posters, sides of buses, and more.

are utilized by brands. Urban landmarks are turned into trademarks. The highest pressure

is exerted on renowned and highly frequented

public spaces which are also important for the

identity of a city (e. g. Piccadilly Circus, Times

Square, Alexanderplatz). Urban spaces are

public commodities and in this capacity they are

subject to “aesthetical environment protection”,

mainly through building regulations, heritage

protection and landscape protection. “It is in this

capacity that these spaces are now being

privatized. They are peppered with billboards

and signs, they are remodeled into media for

advertising.”

Children and adolescents as target groups

Mass media are used not only to sell goods but also ideas: how we should behave, what

rules are important, who we should respect and what we should value.” Youth is

increasingly reduced to the role of a consumer. Not only the makers of toys, sweets, ice

cream, breakfast food and sport articles prefer to aim their promotion at children and

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The children’s market, where resistance to advertising is weakest, is

the “pioneer for ad creep”.” Kids are among the most sophisticated

observers of ads. They can sing the jingles and identify the logos, and they

often have strong feelings about products. What they generally don't understand, however, are the issues that underlie how advertising works.

The children’s market, where resistance to advertising is weakest, is

the “pioneer for ad creep”.” Kids are among the most sophisticated

observers of ads. They can sing the jingles and identify the logos, and they

often have strong feelings about products. What they generally don't understand, however, are the issues that underlie how advertising works.

adolescents. Advertising for other products preferably uses media with which they can

also reach the next generation of consumers. “Key advertising messages exploit the

emerging independence of young people”. Cigarettes, for example, “are used as a fashion

accessory and appeal to young women. Other influences on young people include the

linking of sporting heroes and smoking through sports sponsorship, the use of cigarettes

by popular characters in television programmes and cigarette promotions. Research

suggests that young people are aware of the most heavily advertised cigarette brands.”

“Product placements show up everywhere, and children aren't exempt. Far from it. The

animated film, Food fight, had ‘thousands of products and character icons from the

familiar (items) in a grocery store.’ Children's books also feature branded items and

characters, and millions of them have snack foods as lead characters.“ Business is

interested in children and adolescents because of their buying power and because of their

influence on the shopping habits of their parents. As they are easier to influence they are

especially targeted by the advertising business. “The marketing industry is facing

increased pressure over claimed links between exposure to food advertising and a range

of social problems, especially growing obesity levels.”

Opposition and campaigns against advertising

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“The greatest damage done by advertising is precisely that it incessantly demonstrates the

prostitution of men and women who lend their intellects, their voices, their artistic skills

to purposes in which they themselves do not believe, and that it helps to shatter and

ultimately destroy our most precious non-material possessions: the confidence in the

existence of meaningful purposes of human activity and respect for the integrity of man.”

“The struggle against advertising is therefore essential if we are to overcome the

pervasive alienation from all genuine human

needs that currently plays such a corrosive role

in our society. But in resisting this type of

hyper-commercialism we should not be under

any illusions. Advertising may seem at times to

be an almost trivial of omnipresent aspect of

our economic system. Yet, as economist A. C.

Pigou pointed out, it could only be ‘removed

altogether’ if ‘conditions of monopolistic

competition’ inherent to corporate capitalism

were removed. To resist it is to resist the inner

logic of capitalism itself, of which it is the pure

expression.”

Taxation as revenue and control

Public interest groups suggest that “access to

the mental space targeted by advertisers should be taxed, in that at the present moment

that space is being freely taken advantage of by advertisers with no compensation paid to

the members of the public who are thus being intruded upon. This kind of tax would be a

Pigovian tax in that it would act to reduce what is now increasingly seen as a public

nuisance. Efforts to that end are gathering more momentum, with Arkansas and Maine

considering bills to implement such a taxation. Florida enacted such a tax in 1987 but was

forced to repeal it after six months, as a result of a concerted effort by national

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According to critics, the total commercialization of all fields of society,

the privatization of public space, the acceleration of consumption and waste of resources including the negative influence on lifestyles and on the environment has not been noticed to the necessary extent.

The “hyper-commercialization of the culture is recognized and roundly detested by the

citizenry, although the topic scarcely receives a whiff of attention in the media or

political culture”.

According to critics, the total commercialization of all fields of society,

the privatization of public space, the acceleration of consumption and waste of resources including the negative influence on lifestyles and on the environment has not been noticed to the necessary extent.

The “hyper-commercialization of the culture is recognized and roundly detested by the

citizenry, although the topic scarcely receives a whiff of attention in the media or

political culture”.

commercial interests, which withdrew planned conventions, causing major losses to the

tourism industry, and cancelled advertising, causing a loss of 12 million dollars to the

broadcast industry alone”.

In the U. S., for example, advertising is tax deductible and suggestions for possible limits

to the advertising tax deduction are met with fierce opposition from the business sector,

not to mention suggestions for a special taxation. In other countries, taxation at least is

taxed in the same manner services are taxed and in some advertising is subject to special

taxation although on a very low level. In many cases the taxation refers especially to

media with advertising (e. g. Austria, Italy, Greece, Netherlands, Turkey, Estonia). Tax

on advertising in European countries:

Belgium: Advertising or billboard tax on public posters depending on size and

kind of paper as well as on neon signs

France: Tax on television commercials based on the cost of the advertising unit

Italy: Municipal tax on acoustic and visual kinds of advertisements within the

municipality and municipal tax on signs, posters and other kinds of

advertisements the tariffs of which are under the jurisdiction of the municipalities

Netherlands: Advertising tax with varying tariffs on certain advertising measures

(excluding ads in newspapers and magazines) which can be levied by

municipalities depending on the kind of advertising (billboards, neon signs etc.)

Austria: Municipal announcement levies on advertising through writing, pictures

or lights in public areas or publicly accessible areas with varying tariffs depending

on the fee, the surface or the duration of the advertising measure as well as

advertising tariffs on paid ads in printed media of usually 10% of the fee.

Sweden: Advertising tax on ads and other kinds of advertising (billboards, film,

television, advertising at fairs and exhibitions, flyers) in the range of 4% for ads in

newspapers and 11% in all other cases. In the case of flyers the tariffs are based

on the production costs, else on the fee

Spain: Municipalities can tax advertising measures in their territory with a rather

unimportant taxes and fees of various kinds.

Handle a controversial advertising

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Thai society is caught in a political and legal conundrum. Amidst the great need to bring

about social harmony and settlement of political conflict, there exist the political issues

and legal technicalities which need to be carefully scrutinized and tackled.

The issues are most delicate as to the pragmatic consideration vis-à-vis the preservation

of the sacrosanct principle, which at times could be self-contradictory and even mutually

exclusive.

The criminal offences, on the other hand, have to be viewed from a different perspective.

Criminal cases can be considered wrong or evil in itself while political offences are

wrong because prohibited save those which are criminally directly liable; and hence the

former may have to be taken with a more rigorous and even rigid approach, while the

latter may be given a more convenient review.

At any rate, even in the case of political offences, there is no guarantee that the lenient

consideration will be agreed upon by all the sides concerned. Adversarial political parties

may be averse to lifting the ban on those party executives who have been barred from

getting involved in politics. At the same time, those young politicians who are upstarts of

the former parties which have been dissolved, may find it distasteful to welcome back

those senior colleagues who would automatically become their competitors, making slim

their chances of being candidates for the House of Representatives and the cabinet. The

former party executives who lost their political rights may face formidable enemies from

within, rather than from outside. This political irony is a non-laughable hilarity, most

notably for those old-timers.

But somehow, some kind of a compromise will hopefully come about. The conundrum

has to be correctly read and the controversy has to be successfully handled. Society has to

return to business as usual. The democratic process has to come back on track. But the

controversial issues are delicate and need to be handled with finesse. The question is

whether the political atmosphere and the public mood are all out for the goal of lessening

political strife, social cleavage and ideological differences. Therein lies the answer of the

future of Thai politics and democracy.

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Future of advertising

Global advertising

Advertising has gone through five major stages of development: domestic, export,

international, multi-national, and global. For global advertisers, there are four, potentially

competing, business objectives that must be balanced when developing worldwide

advertising: building a brand while speaking with one voice, developing economies of

scale in the creative process, maximizing local effectiveness of ads, and increasing the

company’s speed of implementation. Born from the evolutionary stages of global

marketing are the three primary and fundamentally different approaches to the

development of global advertising executions: exporting executions, producing local

executions, and importing ideas that travel.

Advertising research is key to determining the success of an ad in any country or region.

The ability to identify which elements and/or moments of an ad that contributes to its

success is how economies of scale are maximized. Once one knows what works in an ad,

that idea or ideas can be imported by any other market. Market research measures, such

as Flow of Attention, Flow of Emotion and branding moments provide insight into what

is working in an ad in any country or region because the measures are based on the

visual, not verbal, elements of the ad.

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LIMITATION OF STUDY

No doubt this topic is very interesting as it is related to the ads which has a very great

impact on the consumers behavior and we all watches ads many times in a day but as we

all know this is a very wide field to take information about all controversial ads and the

issues related to the same They are seen on the walls, on the back of buses, in play

grounds, on the occasion of sports event, on roadsides, in the stores and even on aero

planes. Advertisements are seen in newspapers, in magazines, on the television, on

internet and are even heard on radio. so the only limitation of the study is its wideness.

Due to this reason im restricted to the television media as its source.

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CONCLUSION

Good Marketing Citizens All in all, it can be seen that ethical issues in marketing in the

context of developing countries is highly sensitive to cultural, social and ethical issues.

The larger issue is thus not merely an occidental versus an oriental one. For the marketing

fraternity to be a good ethical citizen, the onus lie on themselves-for indeed, marketers

have to stop indulging in unethical practices and start respecting local mores and values.

Although today no one can ignore the importance of advertisement. In this globalized

world advertisements play an important role of the success of any organization. These

day a different sector has develop to handle the advertising of the company and a lot of

money spend on that sector as seeing the importance of this.

One the one hand we accepts the importance of advertising but on the other hand we

can’t avoid its bad impact on the society and culture. Due to the high competition today

companies are accepting cheap and unethical equipments for advertising. These ads give

a wrong message to the society and to the new generation who are the future of the

upcoming society. If today new generation gains a wrong moral values and wrong

method of living they will harm their health as well as mental analyzing power. And in

future they will enable to give right message to their traits.

We have to think about this unethical problem and this wrong presentation of business.

So that we can give a good ethics to our youngers.

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Bibliography

(a) Books: The Changing Face of Advertising: by V Partha Sarathy Integrated Marketing Communication: by ICFAI University Press Principles of Advertising & IMC: by Tom Duncan

(b) Magazines : Advertising Express: by ICFAI University Press

Issue 6 –June 2007-(Impact of Surrogate Advertisements on Consumer Buying Behaviour)(A new Realm in Advertising)

Issue 1-Jan 2006-Emo-Rational Appeal in Advertising

(c) References : http://www.icmrindia.org/courseware/Marketing

%20Communications/Marketing%20Communications-DS21.htm

http://nethgr.com/download/rhul/essay/MN345/B.%20Ethical %20Issues%20of%20Advertising.doc

http://www.warc.com/LandingPages/Generic/ Advertising_&_Marketing_Communications/Advertising/Legal_and_ethical_issues/

http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Ethical-Issues-Advertising- Communication/179224

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http://www.aef.com/on_campus/classroom/speaker_pres/data/ 6000

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/ What_are_the_ethical_issues_in_marketing

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