MarketingProfs' Members Register for B2B Forum 2010 for just $695! (good until 11/30) »

Ask your question ... sign up today! It's FREE!
Student Questions     
 
This question has been closed, and points have been awarded.
Moral Considerations In Advertising?
Posted By: ginelevey* on 6/29/2005 9:45 AM (CST) 250 Points
who should regulate advertising and why? is there a place for moral(as opposed to legal) considerations in advertising?

Posted by: jmueller* Member Response
6/29/2005 2:26 PM (CST)
I think I should regulate advertising, as I am the smartest guy ever. Everybody thinks that. everybody.

If you ask anyone in Michigan who is the smartest person ever and they will say me. Otherwise they are stupid.
 
Posted by: Puru Gupta Member Response
6/30/2005 10:13 AM (CST)
Genelevey,
I am not sure about the other countries, but being from India, I can talk about the way it is followed here. Again, being one of the 3 countries considered to be the most promising in Advertising, I presume the same protocols are used in other countries as well - with of course, specific modifications.

For Regulation of the Advertising per se, there is no Single body - but there are different authorities for different media in Advertising.

For Instance, there is a Censor Board that regulates the advertising in Television and Movies - it screens each and every release and omits the controversial parts.
Similarly, For the Print Media - you have the Associations of different Media Houses.

Overall, the government keeps a check on the releases and the promotions being made in the country.

Next thing is, Why?
The Reason for this is that there are several factors that need to be taken into consideration, and should not be disturbed.
From a Moral perspective, one needs to look at
- Impact on Minors
- Impact on National Sentiments
- Impact on Social Figures
- No political implications
- No Slander is intended
- No Prenticious Claims

These are some of the points that justify the Regulation of Advertisements.

Hope this helps!
Regards,
Puru
 
Posted by: ASVP/ChrisB Accepted Answer
7/1/2005 7:07 PM (CST)
The problem with morals is that there is no one clear standard or reference.

Is it moral to show adverts for fatty or sugary snacks when kids are watching TV? Or does that increase childhood obesity and lead to lifelong struggles with weight, diabetes, heart disease and cancer?

Is it moral to show adverts to tell girls where to go for help if they are single, pregnant and frightened? Or is that likely to increase abortion amongst that group?

Is it moral to tell people to use condoms to prevent the spread of STDs like HIV/AIDS? Or does that encourage younger people to engage in pre-marital sex?

Is it moral to show semi-naked bodies in advertising when the sensibilities of some cultures may be deeply offended?

It's a core marketing principle that you need to understand your target audience well so you do not cause offence to them (because that might lose you sales). But that is a business principle, not a guiding moral one. It's predicated on the assumption the business is there to make money and grow...

And where precisely is the boundary between ethics and morals? It may be unethical to advertise cigarettes to children, but is it moral to sell them to anyone at all?

Tough question, I think one way to answer it is to itemise some contentious issues and analyse each of them from the viewpoint of contrary extremes, and see if there is an acceptable middle ground.

The lack of a set of agreed reference points means there are really no universally applicable right or wrong answers here. What may be considered legal, ethical and even morally acceptable in London, New York, Amsterdam, Paris or Melbourne may be deemed immoral, unethical or even downright illegal in Riyadh, New Delhi, Jerusalem, Teheran, Lagos or Pyongyang.

Good luck with the assignment.

ChrisB
 
Posted by: SRyan ;] Member Response
7/8/2005 1:41 PM (CST)
Carrie, if this student abandons her homework here, give all the points to Chris!
 
Posted by: girish.bakhru Member Response
7/13/2005 4:15 PM (CST)
Ginelevey

Regulation in advertising is nothing but a part of CSR..Corporate Social Responsibilty.
Any measure adopted by Corporate to increase sales or achieve targets should keep in mind the influence it will have on the society on a large scale especially when the product is consumed by masses or is likely to influence large segment of population.
I concur with Chris that ethics has a thin line of discretion..what might be ethical to me, might not be for others but that shouldnt allow gruesome display of products which are unhealthy to the society on a whole.

Perse Regulation of advertising is brought under broadcasting and communication. Advertisements like beauty queens are awarded depending on the content and the way of advert.
Characterisitics of healthy advertisement would be:

Meets the goal to advertise the requisite product.
Is healthy in terms of display of content and message.
Is not targetted at a particular group on the basis of their caste, race or religion, or anyother factor that may incite discrimination.

hope this helped
Girish
 
Posted by: mholmes* Member Response
7/14/2005 6:03 PM (CST)
Sociaty regulates morality. Let's keep the government out, completely.
 
Posted by: carrie77 Moderator Response
7/21/2005 8:16 AM (CST)
Hello all. I am closing this question since it's more than 2 weeks old. We do this to reward the contributions of participants in a timely manner + to give increased visibility to the newer questions.

Thanks for participating!
Carrie (Production Editor)
 


Get more answers ... ReTweet this!

Would you like to post a response?
Welcome to Know-How Exchange!
This is a collaborative community. We welcome everyone's participation.
All you need to do is login. Enter your account info in the box above (top right).
Not a member? Not a problem. Register here (it's FREE and EASY).




Know-How Exchange powered by MarketingProfs


Sponsored Links

Buy a Link Now

Just Released ... Download Today!
Just Released ... Download Today!
Look inside
Included with Premium Membership
User Name:
Password:
Remember Me
Forgot your password?

Top 25 KHE Experts
(Student Questions)
W.M.M.A. (28840)
Carl Crawford (22363)
wnelson (20398)
Puru Gupta (19298)
Peter (henna gaijin) (18747)
mgoodman (15744)
Jay Hamilton-Roth (13995)
thinkmor (10987)
ASVP/ChrisB (10031)
Gary Bloomer (9758)
mbarber (9061)
Pepper Blue (8859)
SRyan ;] (8165)
Sanjeev Kumar Vyas (7310)
stevea (6301)
jose04 (5994)
NoStressXpress (5284)
bennydunreallycare (5043)
michael (5010)
bobhogg (4824)
MANSING (4819)
Michele (4712)
SteveByrneBranding (4652)
sham (4488)
telemoxie (4315)
Recently Posted Marketing Jobs
Director of Marketing and Communications
Demand Generation Manager
Marketing/Advertising Faculty
Director of Marketing
Market Analyst
Sr. Field Marketing Manager - Business Intell.
Associate Vice President of Marketing and Corporat
Marketing Manager
[more jobs]

Join over 355,000 members ... SIGN UP!

My email address is and I'd like my password to be .

Already a member? Sign In!

My email address is , and my password is .


HACKER SAFE certified sites prevent over 99.9% of hacker crime.