Ethics and Manipulation in Advertising - Term Paper Example

A conceptual essay that analyzes, critiques or responds to general issues in business ethics There are a number of ethical issues which surround the advertising concerns. This is because advertising allows the masses to choose for their own selves the different products and services that are offered by the organizations. Now it is up to these organizations how well they enact measures and campaigns to sell their products and services to the end customers. It would be incorrect to state that all advertising is unethical, yet there are more chances that advertising will fox the people rather than being forthright in its dealings. This is because in the competitive world of today, it is important for the brands to make their cut, and this can only be done if there are whole-hearted efforts put in by the organizations to coin strategies and campaigns which will bring about the advertising for such products and services. The ethical debates are significant to understand because these will present forward the strengths that exist within the advertising circles and the grey areas which need to be plugged in essence. However, for the sake of discussion here, there is a fine line between the morally correct domains and the inadvertently wrong ideologies that are being propagated by the organizations as they aim to sell their respective goods across the board, either to the masses or to a selected audience. What remains most essential here is to gain an insight as to how this advertising is coming about – either in an ethical format or the complete lack thereof. This paper shall study the basis of business ethics within the realms of advertising and how certain target groups are more susceptible to advertising than others. The ethical issues that surround advertising include the fact that there are certain target audiences which are not apt and in line with the advertising that is being propagated today. This means that these people will take the opposite view which is not sent towards them, or is misunderstood on some occasions. What remains to be understood is how these people shall be targeted if the same methodology is not proving successful. The answer to this question lies in the dictum that advertising should be such that will cater to a select target audience while not relying on the other(s). This is true in the case of cigarette advertising where the smokers are properly advertised the message of the cigarette manufacturing company while the aspiring ones do not fall within the same limits of advertising (Phillips, 1997). Such issues also fall under the aegis of advertising which is done for the sake of the children. If they get the message wrongly, their impressionable minds get a message which is not intended for them in the first place. Thus what is required here is a vision to set things right and that too within the corrective realms of being ethical all the way. If these aspects are not adhered to, then there would be significant issues in the wake of properly reaching out to the relevant target groups, and there would be a lot of wastage within the advertising quarters. The ethical dilemmas in advertising arise when one set of audience is geared to receive the benefits of advertising while the other does not get into the details at all. These could be possible within the same society as well, which is all the more understandable considering there are many factions, groups and segments within a target audience spanning a country or a region for that matter. The ethical dilemmas within the advertising realms is simply getting to the people without even letting the other group know what kind of advertising the former is getting. This is a contrasting instance but then again, proper planning and foresight need to be in line with achieving the results that one can think of the advertising circles in this day and age. The manner in which these ethical dilemmas in advertising are resolved is something that makes it all the more significant. If these ethical problems are not understood properly by the advertising circles, this could mean serious problems for all and sundry and the organizations which are carrying out the advertising in the first place are the worst sufferers. Hence an understanding of how to cope with the ever increasing pressure within the realms of advertising is important to comprehend because it will discuss the basis of drawing a line between the ethically sound and the not-so-ethically-appropriate within the same ranks. The advertising quarters deserve a better understanding than these are reached upon in this day and age. The aspects of morality and normative ethics are discussed at length by Beauchamp in his book. This is in line with the ethical realms playing their significant roles within the advertising domains. What is important to understand is the fact that advertising can be sometimes very difficult to cope up with if the ethical understandings are not being carried out properly. There are certain brands (and organizations) which want to mince the customer money and thus lose track of how their basis could have been ethical in the first place. The need is to remain head-on with the ethical debates so that the advertising which is being done does not go astray. There would be immense problems if both profits and ethical considerations are being given the proper weight, which is hardly the case in this day and age. However, proper concentration and attention could always be paid to resolve the matters that come about within the advertising realms, and which could be easily supported by the distinctive ethical theories. Similarly, controversy is an element that is used quite well within the advertising that is being done today. What this means is the fact that controversy does create ripples but has a very significant weakness in resolving issues related with advertising. As controversy means negative publicity and any publicity which happens in entirety is at the end of the day publicity, then advertising could cash on this premise in a very quantifiable way. What is interesting to note is the fact that advertising which creates some sort of controversy is a best-seller, and there are no two opinions about the same. Controversy is undoubtedly negative publicity but it is the real art of selling in these times, however the element of ethics remains at a far away distance under such considerations. Therefore the ethical theory goes for a nosedive as soon as the controversy elements start plugging the advertising which is being carried out for the products and/or services. The most essential aspect of advertising is that the consumers want return on their purchases and this is only possible when they are enticed to be a part of the purchase cycle (Kittross, Gordon, Merrill, Babcock & Dorsher, 2011). This is done through the different realms of advertising and the result is in front of one and all, where advertising has been able to bring together audiences from varied walks of life and make them feel comfortable with the message that is tailor-made for them. These are important considerations when taking into perspective the controversy element hampering the ethical theories yet living up to the promise of advertising in essence. Whether or not advertising should be targeted to a certain audience and not to any other, is one question that remains on the forefront for a number of reasons. These are significant understandings that need to be reached upon in order to derive the maximum value for the intended target audience. If this target group is targeted, it is because the advertiser has done his research well, and then gone about introducing his advertising strategy, in line with the advertising message and the selection of the medium. However, if there are serious problems within the fore of reaching the correct target audiences, then this would mean grave concerns for all and sundry, where even wastage might occur in the advertising realms. What remain quintessential here are the focus that the advertisers have had of the advertising that they are carrying out, and what methodologies they are enacting in order to reap the best possible results (Black & Roberts, 2011). The end results are deemed as important because these are the deciding factors for whether or not advertising should be done towards a select audience or simply dropped because there are expectations that a lot of wastage can occur. According to Beauchamp, advertising that does not entail the element of ethics within its fore is advertising that is being done the wrong way. However what the world of advertising has seen in this day and age, is a totally different perspective altogether. There have been instances where advertising has been able to come about due to immense controversy and unethical manifestations (Beauchamp, Bowie & Arnold, 2008). This is not in line with the ethical theory, which suggests that ethical actions are very significant and these should be incorporated within the advertising that is being carried out for the sake of the masses. The missing element seems to be that the times have changed and the people have properly understood what they would like to be enticed with and how they will be given a clutter-free message within the realms of advertising. Essentially, advertising that is being done the ethical way is much appreciated but it might not bring in the sales which are expected out of it in the long run. Any advertising that does not trigger sales in a forward direction is the advertising that is not being done correctly. In the end, it would be adequately sound to state that advertising has come of age within the ethical debates. The ethical theory is properly made use of when there are understandings which surround the dictum of advertising being a winner within the grasps of the audience that it is meant to be targeted upon. Often times, it has been seen that advertising loses track of its end goal and reaches out to people who are not its intended targets, thus asking for the wastage that is being done within these ranks. What remains significant is the fact that advertising that is not done in a proper way is the advertising that has been wasted (Dulio, Medvic & Nelson, 2002). All said and done, ethical undertakings are a part of the advertising regimes that are being carried out today. Now how this advertising is being deciphered, analyzed and discussed is something that deems a great deal of significance within the relevant scheme of things. The ethical theory however, remains very pivotal towards the comprehension of advertising in meticulous, as has been proven with research and evidence of study. Works Cited Beauchamp, Tom, Bowie, Norman & Arnold, Denis. Ethical Theory and Business (8th Edition). Prentice Hall, 2008 Black, Jay & Roberts, Chris. Doing Ethics in Media: Theories and Practical Applications. Routledge, 2011 Dulio, David, Medvic, Stephen & Nelson, Candice. Shades of Gray: Perspectives on Campaign Ethics. Brookings Institution Press, 2002 Kittross, John, Gordon, David, Merrill, John, Babcock, William & Dorsher, Michael. Controversies in Media Ethics. Routledge, 2011 Phillips, Michael. Ethics and Manipulation in Advertising: Answering a Flawed Indictment. Quorum Books, 1997 Read More