advertising ethics assignment

ADVERTISING ETHICS: A REVIEW

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7 Ethics in Advertising | It’s Importance and Effectiveness

Last updated on: August 28, 2024

In today’s consumer-driven world, advertising plays a significant role in shaping our perceptions, influencing our choices, and driving economic growth. However, with great power comes great responsibility. Ethical considerations in advertising have gained prominence as businesses strive to strike the right balance between persuasive marketing and responsible messaging. This article delves into the realm of ethics in advertising, exploring its importance, key principles, and real-world implications.

Table of Contents

What are Ethics in Advertising?

Ethics in advertising refer to the moral principles and standards that govern the conduct of advertisers and their communication with consumers. It involves ensuring that advertising messages are truthful, respectful, fair, and responsible, with a focus on protecting consumers’ interests and promoting societal well-being.

The Importance of Ethics in Advertising

Ethics in advertising hold immense significance for several reasons. Firstly, it fosters trust between advertisers and consumers. When advertisements are perceived as truthful, transparent, and respectful, consumers are more likely to develop positive attitudes towards brands and make informed purchasing decisions.

Secondly, ethical advertising contributes to the overall reputation of a company or industry. Advertisers who prioritize ethical practices not only attract loyal customers but also gain credibility and goodwill from the public. In contrast, unethical advertising can damage a brand’s image and lead to long-term negative consequences.

7 Key Ethics of Advertising Every Advertiser Should Know

1. transparency and honesty in advertising.

Transparency and honesty are fundamental principles of ethical advertising. Advertisers should ensure that their claims are substantiated, avoiding false or misleading statements. Clear disclosures regarding product features, limitations, and potential risks must be provided to consumers. By maintaining transparency, advertisers establish credibility and build long-term relationships with their audience.

2. Avoiding Stereotypes and Offensive Content

Ethical advertising refrains from perpetuating stereotypes or using offensive content that may demean or marginalize individuals or communities. Advertisers should strive for inclusivity, embracing diversity in their campaigns and promoting positive social values. By avoiding stereotypes and offensive content, advertisers create an environment that celebrates and respects the diversity of their audience.

3. Respecting Consumer Privacy

Respecting consumer privacy is another vital aspect of ethical advertising. Advertisers must obtain consent when collecting personal information and ensure the secure handling of data. Transparency about data usage and providing opt-out mechanisms empower consumers to control their personal information, fostering trust and maintaining ethical standards.

4. Social Responsibility in Advertising

Ethical advertising encompasses social responsibility, where advertisers consider the broader impact of their messages on society. Advertisements should not encourage harmful behaviors, exploit vulnerabilities, or promote products that are detrimental to individuals or the environment. By embracing social responsibility, advertisers contribute positively to the well-being of communities and advocate for sustainable practices.

5. Balancing Creativity and Truthfulness

Ethical advertising strikes a delicate balance between creativity and truthfulness. While advertisements aim to capture attention and engage audiences, they should never sacrifice accuracy or misrepresent information. Advertisers can employ innovative and imaginative approaches while ensuring that the core message remains honest and authentic.

6. The Role of Regulatory Bodies

Regulatory bodies play a crucial role in upholding ethical standards in advertising. They establish guidelines and regulations that advertisers must adhere to, ensuring fairness, honesty, and transparency. These bodies monitor and investigate complaints, enforce penalties for violations, and protect consumers from misleading or deceptive advertising practices.

The Impact of Unethical Advertising

Unethical advertising can have far-reaching consequences. It erodes consumer trust, damages brand reputation, and undermines the integrity of the entire advertising industry. Moreover, misleading or manipulative advertisements can harm individuals by promoting unrealistic expectations, fostering insecurities, or exploiting vulnerabilities. Society as a whole suffers when unethical advertising practices prevail.

Case Studies: Ethical Advertising Campaigns

Numerous examples showcase the power of ethical advertising campaigns. The Dove “Real Beauty” campaign challenged traditional beauty standards, promoting self-acceptance and diversity. Patagonia’s “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign encouraged conscious consumption by urging consumers to consider the environmental impact of their purchases. These campaigns not only achieved commercial success but also made a positive impact on societal perceptions and behaviors.

Ethical Advertising: Challenges and Opportunities

Ethical advertising faces various challenges in today’s complex landscape. Advertisers must navigate the digital realm, where issues like ad fraud, data privacy, and invasive targeting pose ethical dilemmas. Additionally, the pressure to maximize profits and compete for consumers’ attention can tempt advertisers to employ questionable tactics. However, these challenges also present opportunities for advertisers to differentiate themselves by prioritizing ethics and establishing meaningful connections with their audience.

Educating Consumers about Ethical Advertising

Educating consumers about ethical advertising is vital for fostering a more discerning and informed audience. By increasing awareness about deceptive practices, promoting media literacy, and encouraging critical thinking, consumers can make more conscious choices and hold advertisers accountable for their ethical conduct. Collaboration between industry stakeholders, educational institutions, and advocacy groups can help empower consumers with the knowledge they need.

Measuring the Effectiveness of Ethical Advertising

Measuring the effectiveness of ethical advertising involves assessing its impact on consumer behavior, brand perception, and social attitudes. Metrics such as consumer trust, brand loyalty, purchase intent, and societal response can provide insights into the success of ethical advertising campaigns. By analyzing data and feedback, advertisers can refine their strategies and demonstrate the tangible benefits of ethical practices.

Ethical Advertising in the Digital Age

The digital age has revolutionized advertising, presenting both opportunities and challenges for ethical practices. Advertisers must navigate issues such as ad transparency, data privacy, and algorithmic bias. It is crucial to embrace responsible data collection, provide meaningful user experiences, and ensure that algorithms are unbiased and transparent. Adapting ethical principles to the digital landscape is essential for maintaining trust and relevance in the evolving advertising ecosystem.

In conclusion, ethics in advertising play a vital role in shaping the advertising landscape and maintaining a healthy relationship between advertisers and consumers. By adhering to ethical principles, advertisers can build trust, promote transparency, and foster positive societal values. The importance of honesty, transparency, respect, and social responsibility cannot be overstated in the world of advertising.

Ethical advertising not only benefits consumers by providing them with accurate information and empowering them to make informed decisions, but it also benefits advertisers themselves. Advertisers who prioritize ethics can establish a positive brand image, gain customer loyalty, and contribute to the overall reputation of their industry.

However, ethical advertising does face challenges in the digital age, such as data privacy concerns, algorithmic bias, and the need to adapt to evolving technologies. Advertisers must stay vigilant, embrace responsible practices, and adapt ethical principles to the digital landscape.

Educating consumers about ethical advertising is equally important. By raising awareness and promoting media literacy, consumers can become more discerning and make choices aligned with their values. Collaboration between industry stakeholders, educational institutions, and advocacy groups is key to empowering consumers with the knowledge they need.

Measuring the effectiveness of ethical advertising is crucial to demonstrate its impact and refine strategies. Metrics such as consumer trust, brand loyalty, and societal response provide valuable insights into the success of ethical advertising campaigns.

Ultimately, ethics in advertising contribute to a healthier and more sustainable advertising industry. By striking the right balance between persuasion and responsibility, advertisers can build lasting relationships, foster positive change, and create a trustworthy advertising environment.

FAQs Related to Ethics in Advertising

1. can ethics in advertising really make a difference.

Absolutely. Ethics in advertising have the power to shape consumer perceptions, build trust, and foster positive societal change. By adhering to ethical principles, advertisers can create meaningful connections with their audience and contribute to a healthier advertising industry.

2. How can consumers support ethical advertising?

Consumers can support ethical advertising by being aware of deceptive practices, promoting media literacy, and making conscious choices. By supporting brands that prioritize ethical advertising, consumers can influence the industry and encourage responsible practices.

3. What are the consequences of unethical advertising?

Unethical advertising can erode consumer trust, damage brand reputation, and harm individuals by promoting unrealistic expectations or exploiting vulnerabilities. It also undermines the integrity of the advertising industry as a whole.

4. How can regulatory bodies contribute to ethical advertising?

Regulatory bodies play a crucial role in upholding ethical standards in advertising. They establish guidelines, investigate complaints, and enforce penalties for violations, ensuring fairness, honesty, and transparency in advertising practices.

5. What role does social responsibility play in ethical advertising?

Social responsibility is a key aspect of ethical advertising. Advertisers should consider the broader impact of their messages on society, avoid promoting harmful behaviors, and advocate for sustainability and positive social values.

6. How important is ethics in advertising?

Ethics in advertising play a crucial role as they ensure transparency, trust, and credibility in the industry. Adhering to ethical principles helps build positive brand image, fosters long-term customer relationships, and avoids potential legal issues. Ultimately, ethics in advertising are vital for sustaining a reputable and responsible business.

7. What is the ethical side of advertising?

The ethical side of advertising involves promoting products or services while adhering to moral standards and societal norms. It emphasizes honesty, fairness, and respect for consumers’ rights. Ethical advertising avoids deceptive tactics, respects privacy, and provides accurate information, giving consumers the freedom to make informed choices.

8. What is an example of ethics in advertising?

An example of ethics in advertising is ensuring truthfulness in claims. When an advertisement accurately represents a product or service, it maintains ethical standards. For instance, a cosmetics company promoting the anti-aging effects of its product must provide reliable scientific evidence to support their claims. By doing so, they uphold ethical practices and avoid misleading consumers.

9. How do I know if an advertisement is ethical?

To determine if an advertisement is ethical, consider a few factors. First, check for transparency and honesty in the claims made. Look for evidence supporting the advertised benefits or features. Additionally, assess whether the advertisement respects consumers’ privacy and doesn’t engage in intrusive or manipulative tactics. Pay attention to any potential conflicts of interest, such as undisclosed sponsorships. By evaluating these aspects, you can gauge the ethical integrity of an advertisement.

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Refreshing read! It’s inspiring to see the center of attention on moral marketing practices. Integrity in reality units manufacturers aside in the modern-day market.

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• Advertising
• Ethics in Advertising

Ethics means a set of moral principles which govern a person’s behavior or how the activity is conducted. And advertising means a mode of communication between a seller and a buyer.

Thus ethics in advertising means a set of well defined principles which govern the ways of communication taking place between the seller and the buyer . Ethics is the most important feature of the advertising industry. Though there are many benefits of advertising but then there are some points which don’t match the ethical norms of advertising.

An ethical ad is the one which doesn’t lie, doesn’t make fake or false claims and is in the limit of decency .

Nowadays, ads are more exaggerated and a lot of puffing is used. It seems like the advertisers lack knowledge of ethical norms and principles. They just don’t understand and are unable to decide what is correct and what is wrong.

The main area of interest for advertisers is to increase their sales, gain more and more customers , and increase the demand for the product by presenting a well decorated, puffed and colorful ad. They claim that their product is the best, having unique qualities than the competitors, more cost effective, and more beneficial. But most of these ads are found to be false, misleading customers and unethical.

The best example of these types of ads is the one which shows evening snacks for the kids, they use coloring and gluing to make the product look glossy and attractive to the consumers who are watching the ads on television and convince them to buy the product without giving a second thought.

Ethics in Advertising is directly related to the purpose of advertising and the nature of advertising . Sometimes exaggerating the ad becomes necessary to prove the benefit of the product.

Ethics also depends on what we believe . If the advertisers make the ads on the belief that the customers will understand, persuade them to think, and then act on their ads, then this will lead to positive results and the ad may not be called unethical. But at the same time, if advertisers believe that they can fool their customers by showing any impractical things like just clicking fingers will make your home or office fully furnished or just buying a lottery ticket will make you a millionaire, then this is not going to work out for them and will be called as unethical.

Recently, the Vetican issued an article which says ads should follow three moral principles - Truthfulness, Social Responsibility and Upholding Human Dignity.

Generally, big companies never lie as they have to prove their points to various ad regulating bodies. Truth is always said but not completely. Sometimes its better not to reveal the whole truth in the ad but at times truth has to be shown for betterment.

Looking at all these above mentioned points, advertisers should start taking responsibility of self regulating their ads by:

When all the above points are implemented, they will result in:

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• Values and Ethics
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Authorship/Referencing - About the Author(s)

The article is Written and Reviewed by Management Study Guide Content Team . MSG Content Team comprises experienced Faculty Member, Professionals and Subject Matter Experts. We are a ISO 2001:2015 Certified Education Provider . To Know more, click on About Us . The use of this material is free for learning and education purpose. Please reference authorship of content used, including link(s) to ManagementStudyGuide.com and the content page url.

• Advertising Management - Introduction
• Classification of Advertising
• Print Advertising
• Broadcast Advertising
• Outdoor Advertising
• Covert & Public Serving Advertising
• Objectives & Importance of Advertising
• Marketing Communications
• Consumer Communication
• Consumer Behaviour
• Media Strategy in Advertising
• Advertising Agencies
• Social & Economic Aspects of Advertising
• Steps in Advertising Process
• Advertising Techniques
• Advertising Budget
• Advertising Campaigns
• Models of Advertising Scheduling
• Future of Advertising
• News Based Advertising: Ethical or Not!
• Ad Spending: A Primer
• The Rise of Digital Lynch Mobs and What They Mean for Businesses in Our 24/7 World

Advertising Ethics

• First Online: 29 August 2023

Cite this chapter

• Ronald Jeurissen 3  

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Advertising aims at persuading consumers to buy products and services. The more persuasive advertising is, the more effective, but also the closer it comes to the limits of moral acceptability. In this chapter, we discuss one such a limit, namely, when advertising moves from information to manipulation, through deception and seduction, and thereby becomes harmful to consumers. The potentially manipulative features of social media advertising are explored. Stereotypical advertising can be harmful when it belittles certain groups, and it can thereby become a cause of discrimination and social inequality. When advertising leads to over-consumption, it can be detrimental to consumer health, and it can be harmful to the environment. This may give cause to more regulation and restrictions on advertising in the future.

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Jeurissen, R. (2023). Advertising Ethics. In: Dubbink, W., Deijl, W.v.d. (eds) Business Ethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37932-1_13

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Persuasive Techniques in Advertising

• Resources & Preparation
• Instructional Plan
• Related Resources

Students will learn persuasive techniques used in advertising, specifically, pathos or emotion, logos or logic, and ethos or credibility/character. They will use this knowledge to analyze advertising in a variety of sources: print, television, and Web-based advertising. Students will also explore the concepts of demographics and marketing for a specific audience. The lesson will culminate in the production of an advertisement in one of several various forms of media, intended for a specific demographic.

Featured Resources

The Art of Rhetoric: Persuasive Techniques in Advertising : This online video describes how advertisers use pathos or emotion, logos or logic, and ethos or credibility/character in order to persuade consumers.

Persuasive Techniques in Advertising Video Transcription : A transcript of the video provided by Chelsea Majors

From Theory to Practice

Students encounter advertising at every turn of their lives: on public billboards, during nearly every television show, on the Internet, on their cell phones, and even in schools.  They are undoubtedly aware that these ads have a specific purpose: to sell something to them.  Rarely, however, do teenagers think precisely about how the text, sounds, and images in these advertisements have been carefully crafted to persuade them to purchase a product or service-and that these techniques are not far from those they have already used in their own persuasive writing. We emphasize the need to make our students more literate, and this lesson aims to improve their critical media literacy.  By reducing advertising to its basic rhetorical components, students "can begin to understand how to construct their own messages to convey the meanings they intend and to evoke the responses they desire" (173).  Becoming more media literate allows our youth to "create messages of their own so that they can communicate clearly, effectively, and purposefully" (176). Further Reading

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
• 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
• 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
• 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
• 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
• 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Materials and Technology

• Video of television program, including commercials  
• TV with VCR/DVD player  
• Advertisements from magazines  
• Persuasive Techniques in Advertising online video
• Persuasive Techniques in Advertising Video Transcription  
• Internet-connected computer with speakers and projector  
• Web Resources for Finding Example Advertisements
• Demographics: Who Are You?
• Advertising Advantages: Television vs. Print vs. Online  
• Targeted Commercials  
• Commercial Dig  
• Commercial Dig Reflection Questions  
• Analyzing Ads  
• Planning Your Advertisement  
• Commercial Assessment  
• Persuasive Techniques in Advertising Reflection Questions

Preparation

• Make copies of the necessary handouts.  
• Gather advertisements from magazines-ideally, two per student. Look for ads that lend themselves well to the assignment, with a balance of text and images and with fairly discernable examples of pathos, logos, and ethos. Consider asking your school library media specialist for issues of magazines he or she plans to discard.  
• Record at least part of a television program, including the entirety of one commercial break, for showing in class.  
• If students will be using the Venn Diagram , Comic Creator , or Printing Press , arrange for them to have access during the appropriate sessions.  
• Preview the Persuasive Techniques in Advertising online video and obtain proper technology for projecting it in the classroom or computer lab. Also check out the  Persuasive Techniques in Advertising Video Transcription .  
• Arrange for students to have access to computers for Sessions Three and Four.  
• Bookmark the Web Resources for Finding Example Advertisements and preview the sites before recommending which ones students visit for example advertisements.  
• Familiarize yourself with the technologies discussed in the final session, deciding which you are prepared to ask or require students to use in the production of their own ads. Contact your school library media specialist or technology specialist for assistance.

Student Objectives

Students will

• demonstrate an understanding of three persuasive techniques (pathos, logos, and ethos) and other advertising strategies.  
• analyze advertisements according to their employment of these techniques.  
• demonstrate an understanding of the concept of demographics and specific audience.  
• synthesize this knowledge into advertisements of their own creation.

Session One

• Where do you encounter advertising?  (They will likely mention television, billboards, radio, Websites, school hallways, and so on.)  
• Which specific advertisements "stick in your head?"  
• What makes these advertisements memorable?  (They might mention music, catchy slogans, celebrity appearance, the appeal of the product itself, and so forth.)  
• Do you think advertisements have an effect on your personal interests?  
• Explain to students that advertisers very carefully construct their ads to make them memorable and appealing to consumers, and that the ways in which they try to convince them to buy products are similar to the ways they have been taught to write persuasively, using certain techniques and aiming toward a particular audience.  
• Distribute the Persuasive Techniques in Advertising handout and introduce the concepts of pathos, logos, and ethos, defined at the top of the handout.  Students should understand that these rhetorical strategies are similar to those used in a persuasive writing assignment, and that they will use these strategies when creating their own commercial by the end of this unit.  Encourage students to make connections to examples of each of the terms they have used in persuasive writing of their own. Note: This is an appropriate time to clarify that the word logos in this context should not be confused with a brand-specific image or insignia referred to as a logo.  
• After explaining the concepts of pathos, logos, and ethos, have students practice identifying the three techniques by placing a P , L , or E in the blank next to the examples at the bottom of this handout.  Have students share their responses with a partner and check for understanding by conducting a brief discussion of the examples.  
• Although most of these examples were designed to have one clear answer, be sure to emphasize to the students that pathos, logos, and ethos are not always separate entities and may often overlap with one another. For example, "Nine out of ten dentists choose Crest," suggests that the dentists are credible experts (ethos), and also includes a statistic (logos).   
• Deepen students' understanding of the concepts of pathos, logos, and ethos with visual examples by sharing with them the Persuasive Techniques in Advertising online video . You may want to pause and have students explain how the television, print, and online advertisements utilize the three rhetorical strategies.  The narration in the commercial further explains their use in each advertisement. There is also the  Persuasive Techniques in Advertising Video Transcription .  
• Briefly discuss the "Other Advertising Strategies" section of Persuasive Techniques in Advertising handout.  Explain that these are more specific types of strategies that advertisers use and that many overlap with pathos, logos, and ethos.   For example, you may mention that patriotism is a strategy meant to evoke certain emotions, and would therefore constitute a use of pathos.  
• Close the session by explaining to students that in future sessions, they will be examining existing advertisements with their new analytical skill and applying it to creating ads of their own.  
• Encourage students to begin looking at advertisements they encounter in terms of these three techniques.

Session Two

• Begin with a brief review of the concepts of pathos, logos, and ethos from the previous session.  Ask students to demonstrate their growing understanding by providing examples of each of the techniques from advertisements they have recently seen.  
• Now introduce the term demographics to students: the characteristics that make up a human population such as gender, age, and race.  Have students discover which demographic group(s) they fit into by completing the Demographics: Who are you? handout.  When creating their group commercials in a later session, students will need to consider the demographics for their product. Explain to students that this is how advertisers think of consumers: not as individuals, but as members of groups that tend to believe, behave, or purchase in certain patterns. Even when an advertisement is appealing to the idea of individuality (such as Burger King's "Have It Your Way" promotion), advertisers are appealing to the demographic group of "people who like to be thought of as individuals," not to any single consumer.  
• Continue the discussion of demographics by distributing the Targeted Commercials handout, which will further explore the concept of demographics. Ask students to begin applying their understanding of demographics and targeted advertising by showing the first part of a television program of your choice.  Since the purpose of this activity is to show how advertisers cater to a show's intended audience, you may want to make sure you are presenting a show with commercials that very obviously target a specific demographic.   
• Before watching, share with students a brief description of the show they are about to see, including race/gender/class of the main characters, genre of the program, and the time/date/channel on which the program aired.  Have students use these factors (and any other prior knowledge they may have of the show) to determine the probable demographics.  Students should indicate their choices on the handout .  
• While students watch the commercial break(s), have them take brief notes to remind them of the products being advertised.  
• Have students complete the "After the program" response question at the bottom of the Targeted Commercials handout.  Then discuss the degrees to which the advertisements match the demographics of the likely intended audience of the television program.   
• This would be an appropriate time to talk about clear evidence that programming and advertising are marketed to specific groups.  Lifetime: Television for Women, Spike! TV, Logo, and Black Entertainment Television all exist not only to give viewers programming they might like, but also to allow advertisers to target their audiences more specifically.  
• Distribute the Commercial Dig activity, explaining to students that this is a long-term assignment that requires them to keep track of eight commercials viewed during one television program and to explain briefly the purpose of each advertised product. Remind students that the commercials they record on this chart should all come from the same show, as the completed chart will be used to re-emphasize the concepts of demographics and targeted advertising. Inform them that this assignment should be completed by Session Four and ask if there are questions before closing the session.

Session Three

• Remind students what they have learned so far in this lesson: techniques advertisers use to persuade consumers to buy their products and the concept of "targeting" certain audience demographics to make the process of persuasion more efficient and focused.  
• Explain to students that they will have the opportunity to apply this knowledge by looking at some real ads for real products.  Share that the goal of this activity will be to examine how advertisers skillfully use multiple strategies to persuade their audiences.  
• Distribute the Analyzing Ads handout and discuss the expectations and format for response.  Students will analyze six advertisements: two print ads, two television commercials, and two Internet advertisements.  The Internet advertisements should take the form of marketing Websites featuring a particular product, or pop-ups/embedded ads in Websites unrelated to the product.  
• This activity will allow students to practice their recognition of pathos, logos, and ethos in three different modes of advertising, preparing them for the creation of their own commercials.  Students should also record any of the "other strategies" explained on Persuasive Techniques in Advertising handout, also required as part of the final project.  
• Share with students the print ads you already collected as well as the Web Resources for Finding Example Advertisements and have them look for ads. Point out to students that they may wish to access television ads on their own time, including during their work on the Commercial Dig activity. Depending on how efficiently students work through this activity, this part of the lesson will likely extend into the next session.

Session Four

• At an appropriate time in student engagement in the continuation of the analysis activity from the previous session, distribute the Commercial Assessment rubric and explain that you will use it to evaluate the commercials they will produce in an upcoming session. Ask students, in small groups, to review one of the teacher- or student-selected commercials and apply the rubric to the commercial.  Students should determine whether the commercial effectively utilizes pathos, logos, and/or ethos, and note their score on the rubric . Students should also indicate the effectiveness of any of the "other strategies" on the second page of the rubric .  
• When students are ready, check for understanding by several volunteers present one of the advertisements they analyzed, briefly discussing the effective use of persuasive techniques.  
• Wrap up this section of the lesson by using the Advertising Advantages: Television vs. Print vs. Online to engage students in a discussion of the advantages of each mode of advertising, using the examples on the handout as a guide.  This discussion will help students decide which modes of advertising they might use when creating their commercials in the next session.  You may wish to use the Venn Diagram to facilitate this discussion.  
• Remind students that they will need to have their completed Commercial Dig activity ready for discussion in the next session.

Session Five

• Ask students to get out their completed Commercial Dig activity sheets.  Give students the opportunity to solidify their understanding of the concept of demographics by working through the analysis tasks in the Commercial Dig Reflection Questions .  Have students use their completed charts to answer the reflection questions . Students should talk through their responses with a partner before producing a written response.  
• Which advertisements could be viewed as harmful or unfair to a group of people?  
• Can targeting a specific demographic sometimes encourage stereotyping?  
• When do you see stereotyping used in advertisements?
• You may wish to give students access to the online articles Target me with your ads, please and Mixed Messages , which discuss how Websites use technology to target consumers and the use of billboards in impoverished and minority neighborhoods, respectively, as part of this discussion.

Session Six

• Students will use this session to begin to synthesize all they have learned about advertising and begin creating a commercial for a fictional product.  First ask students to form small groups and decide on a product to advertise.  
• Next, students should determine the target audience for their product, remembering previous lessons on demographics.  
• Depending on available time and resources, ask students to create a print, filmed, live, and/or Internet advertisement for their product.  They should take into account their observations from the Advertising Advantages: Television vs. Print vs. Online .  
• Have students use the Planning Your Advertisement sheet to plan for an advertisement that will target the previously determined demographic, and demonstrate pathos, logos, ethos, and three of the "other strategies." This may also be an appropriate time to review the expectations set forth in the Commercial Assessment rubric.  
• Give students access to the Comic Creator and/or the Printing Press to create the print advertisement.  Free software such as iMovie and Windows Movie Maker may be used to edit any filmed commercials.  Web creation sites such as PBWorks and Google Sites may be used to create Internet-based advertisements.

Session Seven (after students have had time to prepare their advertisements)

• Give students time to meet in their groups and plan the presentation of their ads.  
• Have each group present, allowing time for discussion with the class about the effective use of persuasive techniques in each advertisement.  
• After the presentations and discussion are complete, distribute the  Persuasive Techniques in Advertising Reflection Questions and give students time to solidify their learning by responding to the four questions.

Student Assessment / Reflections

• Use the lesson reflection questions to allow students to think about what they have learned about advertising and persuasion.  
• Use the Commercial Assessment rubric to assess student work on their advertisements.
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The Comic Creator invites students to compose their own comic strips for a variety of contexts (prewriting, pre- and postreading activities, response to literature, and so on).

The interactive Printing Press is designed to assist students in creating newspapers, brochures, and flyers.

This interactive tool allows students to create Venn diagrams that contain two or three overlapping circles, enabling them to organize their information logically.

Students analyze rhetorical strategies in online editorials, building knowledge of strategies and awareness of local and national issues. This lesson teaches students connections between subject, writer, and audience and how rhetorical strategies are used in everyday writing.

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Marketing Ethics – Definition, Importance, Role and Examples

March 8, 2023 | By Hitesh Bhasin | Filed Under: Marketing

Marketing ethics is one of the most effective long-term branding , word-of-mouth, and trust-building strategies for optimizing the presence, leads, sales, and conversions of a product or service. Marketing ethics revolves around those principles of ethical marketing and standards that guide acceptable marketing conduct.

Ethical marketing is an integral part of the marketing definition that the American Marketing Association suggests, which is-

Marketing is the activity , set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.

Here, offering value to customers, partners, clients, and society is the core essence of an ethical marketing campaign .

Table of Contents

What is Marketing Ethics?

Marketing ethics are the marketing practices of promoting fairness, social responsibility , empathy , and honesty by following ethical standards . From marketing tactics to marketing decisions and advertising of products and services, all the ethical marketing practices focus not only on how products would benefit users but also on how they fulfill social responsibility and handle different ethical issues.

A few general examples of marketing ethics include

• Honesty is key when it comes to marketing – make sure you don’t deceive your audience with false or overstated claims.
• By providing customers with comprehensive and accurate information, they can make an informed decision that suits their needs.
• Safeguarding customer data and upholding their privacy is of utmost importance.
• Refraining from pressuring consumers into buying something they don’t need or want is essential for a successful business .
• Respecting vulnerable audiences such as minors and those struggling financially by refraining from marketing to them.
• While making marketing communications and strategies, pay heed to environmental and social responsibility and business ethics .

Consumers reap numerous advantages from this philosophy, whether it be environmental or social. It does more than merely provide a strategy ; it is an instrumental part of the company ’s success as well as its consumers.

Through ethical marketing, organizations deliberately apply different sets of moral rights and fairness standards when marketing their products and services, practices, and behavior in the overall structure. These organizations can then develop a competitive advantage over time, thereby satisfying the organization’s needs and customers.

Two Types of Marketing Ethics

The ethical principles of marketing share striking parallels with those of business, yet they can be divided into two distinct categories –

• Positive marketing ethics – When evaluating marketing tactics, positive marketing ethics centers on the notion of “what is” and requires that one vigilantly research any fraudulent or dubious advertising they come across. Keeping a log of all violations must be part of this investigation process to ensure ethical standards are met.
• Normative marketing ethics – Normative marketing ethics is the field of study that evaluates whether moral standards are being properly met when it comes to selling products and services. The same principles used in business ethics, such as duty-based theories as well as virtue ethics, and utilitarianism can help determine if ethical practices are being followed or not. By taking a closer look at how these principles affect marketing decisions and strategies, we can ensure that our approach to promoting businesses remains on firm moral ground.

Why is Marketing Ethics Important?

As per stats, 90+% of millennial consumers prefer buying products from ethical companies. Also, more than 80% of those users think that ethical brands outperform other market players that do follow ethical marketing.

Ethical marketing communications and strategies are essential to the overall growth and development of an organization over time. The applied set of guidelines and rules paves the way for a morally good, organized roadmap for everyone to follow. These sometimes overlap with media ethics since they are closely related in terms of definition and functioning.

The following are the reasons why ethical marketing is an integral part of the life of an organization:

1. Long-term gains

The foundation of a company or organization is not just based on its ability to survive the present, but to plan a bright future.

With the adoption of proper marketing ethics, brands can employ prospects with high credibility, loyalty to customers, significant market share , increased brand value, better sales, and better revenue.

These ethical practices will put their right on their way towards the accomplishment of both short-term and long-term goals with perfection.

2. Customer Loyalty

This is one of the most important factors in ethical marketing .

With the proper adoption of ethics in terms of business and operation, ethical marketing teams can win the loyalty, trust, and confidence of their consumers which can go a long way into the future.

The natural human tendency to go after the genuine brand surely gives them promising gains, both in the present and in the future.

3. Increased credibility

When the organization looks forward to keeping its promises surrounding its services and products on a continuous and consistent basis, it slowly and steadily goes towards the path of carving itself into an authentic and genuine brand in the market and customers’ minds.

This is not just limited to these two, and a good process can even build good respect in front of investors, peers, competitors, stakeholders , etc.

4. Increased Leadership qualities

When a company follows ethical practices of ethics for an extended period, it gradually stations itself as a leader, one who can benchmark its policies and strategies that surround the company’s structure and functioning.

This eventually gives rise to numerous benefits like increased share in the market, higher sales, inspiration for others, respect, mutual benefits, etc.

5. The satisfaction of basic human wants and needs

Once an organization is on course for the proper marketing ethics, it solves the basic needs and wants of its consumers in the form of integrity, trust, and honesty.

When this is displayed for a long time, various other benefits follow.

6. Display of a rich culture

Not only does such a structure give a positive outlook when seen from the outside, but it also paves the way for a good structure and environment within the hierarchy internally.

This gives rise to higher production owing to a confident and highly motivated staff.

7. The attraction of the right talent at the right place

Once the company can create brand value in the market, it becomes a beacon for prominent individuals for the association.

Various people like prospective employees , consultants, vendors, etc. look forward to associating and working with ethical brands that boost them exponentially. This further helps them in achieving their goals in a short period successfully.

8. Reaching financial goals

To function smoothly for more extended periods, the company has to have good financial partners who can help them grow and make significant strides in the market.

Once the brand follows a proper set of rules and ethical guidelines, it helps them earn the moral ground necessary to attract such people.

9. Enhancement of brand value in the market

Once a proper code concerning ethical marketing is followed by the organization, the public in the form of customers, competitors, stakeholders, etc. look up to such organizations. They follow such brands with religious dedication, giving them a sufficient boost to mark the market.

Here is a video by Marketing91 on Marketing Ethics.

Principles of Ethical Marketing

When it comes to ethical marketing, the rules may vary depending on a business’s values and overall objectives. Here are some of the most common ethical marketing principles you should be aware of –

Honesty is paramount in ethical marketing, and it is the responsibility of company leaders and marketers to ensure they are being forthright when communicating about their products or services. As one of the core ethical principles, it protects consumers by safeguarding their health, well-being, and rights.

2) Transparency

Transparency is an integral part of marketing ethics, especially the notion of disclosing the elements behind company activities and practices. Furthermore, it necessitates maintaining frank conversations about ethical behavior.

3) Health and Safety

Consumer safety is paramount for any ethical marketing team . As marketers, we must take it upon ourselves to not only educate and inform customers about their rights and privacy but also demonstrate respect towards them to uphold this principle.

4) Legality

Adhering to environmental regulations, industry standards, and governmental laws is an integral part of ethical marketing; it shows customers that a company is committed to cultivating the highest quality products and services.

5) Conscious practices

Companies can choose to make conscious decisions that benefit both the surrounding community and the environment. Popular initiatives include fair wages, as well as eco-friendly production processes.

6) Personal behavior

Each member of a marketing team must adhere to strong moral principles. Although these may be somewhat subjective, companies must establish stringent guidelines mandating respect for the rights and autonomy of others. Such standards represent an integral part of ethical marketing practices.

Role of Ethics in Marketing

With time, our economic system has become sufficient for providing the wants and needs of the public.

This has shifted the main focus of the market with an inclination towards ethical values while serving the needs of customers. This is primarily due to two reasons:

When there is ethical behavior from the organization’s side, there is a more significant positive public attitude to the variety of services and goods they offer. They have to adhere to specific marketing standards to render their efforts valid to the general public.

In addition to this, ethical bodies and organizations tend to pressurize and hold organizations and companies accountable for their actions. There is a lot of questioning and sets of guidelines, which have to be strictly followed.

Ethics in marketing plays a key role in ethical decision making crucial for the optimized presence of a product or service in their target niche.

An ethical marketing strategy is responsible for paying heed to different factors such as

• Organizational factors such as culture , norms, values, and opportunity
• Individual factors such as moral philosophies and values
• Stakeholder interests and concerns
• The intensity of ethical issues in marketing and organization setup
• Ethical decision making
• Evaluation of ethical outcomes

Ethical Marketing Examples

Over the years, companies have been adopting different marketing practices that ethically and morally appeal to the general public. These are a few examples of the same:

1. Dr. Bronner’s Activist Soap

Dr. Bronner’s marketing strategy is sort of activist marketing, as they are involved in ethical marketing campaigns associated with income equality, regenerative organic agriculture, drug policy reform, and animal advocacy.

2. People Tree’s ‘Our Blue Planet’ Collection

People Tree’s ‘Our Blue Planet’ collection is one of the best examples of ethical marketing campaigns in which two companies collaborated for an ethical cause. People Tree collaborated with BBC Earth for emphasizing the importance of our oceans and marine conservation.

3. Lucy & Yak’s Transparent Supply Chain

As a bespoke fashion company, Lucy & Yak’s Transparent Supply Chain is fully dedicated to fighting the ethical issues caused by fast fashion. They let users see their whole production process which makes them fully transparent with their product or service.

Issues in Marketing Ethics

There are some disagreements and conflicts that give rise to ethical issues in many companies concerning marketing.

There is a fixed set of expectations regarding the business and its transactions and how they have to be carried out. The following domains have ethical issues concerning their functioning:

1. Market Research

It revolves around the collection and analysis of information about consumers as well as competitors and the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. Ethical issues that might arise during the process are an invasion of privacy and stereotyping.

2. Market Audience

Excluding potential market sectors like LGBTs, ethnic minorities, etc. are some of the ethical marketing issues associated with the market audience. Also targeting vulnerable audiences with a marketing campaign is also an ethical marketing issue.

3.  Advertising and Promotion

Shaming rivals’ products or services are considered unethical in advertising and promotion. Other ethical issues in advertising and marketing campaigns may be the mistreatment of women or any human being, misleading advertising, issues related to trust, honesty, violence, profanity, sex, taste, and controversy that may lead to the ethical decline of society.

4. Pricing Ethics

Different unethical pricing strategies that are considered issues in ethical marketing campaigns are-

• Bid rigging
• Dumping (pricing policy)
• Predatory pricing
• Price gouging
• Price fixing
• Supra competitive pricing
• Price discrimination
• Price skimming
• Variable pricing

On a concluding note, we can define marketing ethics as an area of applied ethics that is associated with moral principles behind the operation and regulation of marketing that ethical companies use to differentiate between right and wrong marketing decisions and their implementations.

Many companies that use unethical marketing strategies do not care what is right and wrong on ethical grounds, and ultimately lose the trust of their audiences. Therefore, opting for unethical practices is never suggested by market leaders .

How would you differentiate ethical and unethical marketing practices?

What kind of marketing strategies would you prefer in your ethical marketing campaign?

Liked this post? Check out the complete series on Marketing

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• Importance of Marketing Ethics
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• Ethics in Retail: Importance and Ethical Practice towards consumers
• What are Advertising Ethics? Definition, Principles & Tips
• Channel Flows in Marketing – Definition, Types, Role and Examples
• Incentives – Definition, Types, Role, Examples and Advantages
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• What is a Marketing Agency? Role of a Marketing Agency

About Hitesh Bhasin

Hitesh Bhasin is the CEO of Marketing91 and has over a decade of experience in the marketing field. He is an accomplished author of thousands of insightful articles, including in-depth analyses of brands and companies. Holding an MBA in Marketing, Hitesh manages several offline ventures, where he applies all the concepts of Marketing that he writes about.

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Advertising Ethics: A Review

The purpose of this article is to give an underlying perspective on the current scenario in the advertising industry. It covers the core issue of ethics in advertising ranging from the issue of unethical advertising, deceptions, advertisements targeting children, the exploitation of sex and gender, and also the issues of subliminal advertising. At the end of this article, the author presented a fresh look on the issue of advertising ethics through the theological interpretation.

Related Papers

Purpose-This paper aims to study the effect of Unethical advertising, misleading information or deception and stereotyping advertising impact on Customer purchase intention with mediating effect of word-of-mouth (WOM) in Pakistan. Based on variables, the authors tried to identify the effects of each variable to customer satisfaction. Data were collected through field research (questionnaire) among 600 Respondent who have their own different levels and fields like, Employee, students, and common people from twin city Islamabad & Rawalpindi. The results shows that unethical Advertising or misleading information and stereotyping advertising Negatively linked with customer buying behaviour or purchase intention, while word of mouth is also negatively associated with customer satisfaction. Limitations relate to the use of a non-probability sample and the restricted geographical area of the field research. There had a time constraint which could restrict many aspects of research for further elaboration.

Advertising Research: The Internet, Consumer Behavior, and Strategy

Michael R Hyman

Indus Foundation International Journals UGC Approved

Advertising is the paid form of communication by an identified sponsor who disseminates the information to the public about its goods and services in order to persuade them so that they can purchase their product and avail services. It's an impersonal and one-way marketing communication technique. When a marketer is ready with its offerings he uses a powerful tool " Advertising " to inform, educate and promote its offerings in the form of goods and services with the main purpose of persuading the consumers to purchase its products and avail services. 1991 reforms, increased the competition thereby making the marketers to promote their products and to serve that purpose adverting was used extensively, as it largely shapes the attitudes and behavior and in a highly competitive environment advertisers sometimes follow the unethical practices to sustain and survive the competition. It can be analyzed with the help of examples the different unethical practices adopted by advertisers in advertisements in India in the context of ethics. The rationale of this paper is to study the ethical issues that arise in advertising and evaluate the unethical advertisement in India with reference to ASCI principles.

Mohammad Nooh

Advertising is one of the most important aspects in the business world. It can be a breaking point to determine the profitability of the company. This industry has a very significant impact not only on individual companies but also on the GDP of a country due to the aggregate amount of revenue generated yearly. most of current researches focus on the issue of unethical advertising and their impacts on the society. Rarely can bee seen researches which focus from a theological perspective of advertising. This article provides a thorough insight on a Quranic persepctive on advertising.

Muhammad Ashraf

Advertising is a form of communication with your audience and telling them about your product and its features. Advertisements have great effect on the consumers as they get to know about the products firstly from these. The unpleasant behavior of people towards these advertisements, towards the controversial products, their perception and opinions should be kept in mind. But some companies don't consider their ethical responsibility and go against the market ethics by making and airing unethical advertisement. An attempt should be measured to make religiously and ethically approved advertisements and the society should be kept safe from the harmful effects of advertisements. There should be a legal outline or rules and regulations set and implemented which the companies should follow during the advertising so that if there is any problem it can be solved according to law.

Ageing and Society

Professor Marylyn Carrigan

The purpose of advertising is to make sure that people know about the range of products and services that are available on the market. It is the interest of the manufacturers and retailers to make as many consumers as possible aware of their products or services. But, it is important to ensure that ads meet certain standards, particularly relating legal and ethical requirements, because consumers do not always have sufficient knowledge to decipher the messages in advertising, to detect the exaggerations or the possible frauds. They, therefore, need to be protected from the incorrect or misleading ads. Advertising can encourage the people to over - consume, which is bad for the consumers’ wallet, for the environment and for the sustainable development. But, if the deceptive and subliminal advertising may harm the security of the children, it means that urgent measures must be taken to protect this special social class

Journal of Media Ethics

Cornelia Brantner , Kati Förster

The use of humor in advertisements has been the subject of numerous studies, most of which have emphasized humor's effectiveness while neglecting the ethical issues that it often poses when used in advertising. In response, in the present study we look at the extent to which humor masks the ethical concerns inherent in offensive advertising. We examine advertisements brought before the Austrian Advertising Council, as well as the case-specific decisions made by councilors. With our analysis, we contribute to advertising ethics by turning attention to an important organization in the practice of critiquing advertisements.

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Business Ethics

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Case Studies

• Whistleblowing

A selection of case studies discussing marketing ethics.  The majority of these cases were developed for the APPE Ethics Bowl . 

• Roach Baiting A case study discussing an instance of guerrilla marketing tactics. Case study developed for the 2010 APPE Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl.
• Shock Marketing An instance of shock marketing used by a clothing company raises some controversy. Case study developed for the 2009 Regional APPE Intercollegiate Ethics Bowls.
• Prescription Drug Advertising Case looks at the ethics of direct-to-consumer advertising. Case from the 2008 Regional APPE Ethics Bowls.
• Redux Beverages Case of a beverage company naming an energy drink "Cocaine" to help boost sales. Case study developed for the 2008 Regional APPE Intercollegiate Ethics Bowls.

Marketing Codes of Ethics

Professional Codes of Ethics dealing with marketing practices.

• American Marketing Association Ethical Norms and Values for Marketers
• Better Business Bureau Code of Advertising Code of ethics developed by the Better Business Bureau, focusing on best practices for advertising for member businesses.
• Data Marketing and Analytics Guidelines for Ethical Business Practice.
• Direct Selling Association Code of Ethics
• Word of Mouth Marketing Association Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct of WOMMA

Other Online Resources

• Ethics Resources -American Marketing Association A collection of online resources on legal and ethical issues in marketing compiled by the American Marketing Association for students and instructors.
• Corporate Responsibility Center of the Direct Marketing Association A collection of resources on corporate responsibility maintained by the Direct Marketing Association.

Rights of and Services for Consumers

• National Do Not Call Registry The National Do Not Call Registry allows consumers to register phone numbers in a national registry that puts them on a list of numbers that telemarketers are not allowed to contact.
• The CAN-SPAM Act A description written by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that describes how businesses can comply with the CAN-SPAM Act that governs how businesses can use email for advertising purposes.
• Better Business Bureau Resources for Consumers compiled by the Better Business Bureau, including the ability to file a complaint against a business.
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• Last Updated: Dec 5, 2023 1:47 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.iit.edu/businessethics

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When Do Ads Become Too Deceptive?

Aid organizations often focus their advertisements on heartbreaking stories and photos depicting a specific person’s plight. That’s demonstrably the most effective way to solicit donations, but it’s also likely to earn the organization a charge of peddling in “poverty porn.” In new research, Yale SOM’s Deborah Small and her co-authors examine how people judge the ethical acceptability of these ads, and find that they are much more bothered by artificiality than objectification or exaggeration—a finding with implications for advertisers of all kinds.

• Deborah Small Adrian C. Israel Professor of Marketing

There’s a reason charity advertisements often revolve around a specific person: an upsetting picture or story is more likely to elicit donations than are statistics or depictions of a group’s collective plight. Psychologists refer to our tendency to open our hearts and wallets wider for specific people than we do for generalized ones as the “identifiable victim effect.”

Yale SOM’s Deborah Small, who studies the areas where consumer choice, moral judgment, and prosocial behavior overlap, has devoted several research projects to exploring the intricacies of the identifiable victim effect. In one study , she tested what happened when potential donors were informed about the biases driven by the identifiable victim effect; she found that rather than trying to balance their giving by being more generous to the unidentified, subjects simply gave less to identifiable ones. In another , she examined how the facial expressions of people portrayed in charitable advertisements impacted donations.

Over the course of these projects, people often raised a separate controversy around the ethics of soliciting aid via graphic depictions of human suffering. Critics have labeled such tactics as harmful “ poverty porn ,” decrying such images as exploitative, objectifying, and deceptive. As Small considered these moral objections, she wondered about their pervasiveness.

“I'm interested not just in how people behave, but also in people's ethical intuitions about what's right and wrong,” Small says. “I was curious as to whether those criticisms were intuitively shared by most laypeople—and if so, why?”

She also wondered where potential donors drew the line when it comes to such advertisements. Does it matter how accurate the disturbing images are? Are emotional manipulation or white lies acceptable if they’re for a good cause?

Small and Shannon Duncan, a PhD candidate at the Wharton School of Business, and Emma Levine of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, who is currently a visiting faculty member at Yale SOM, conducted a series of studies that asked participants to rate the acceptability of various aid organization marketing tactics. Their results were clear and consistent: most people saw little problem with charitable organizations leveraging the “identifiable victim effect” and including real people in their marketing campaigns, with one big exception: “On average, people think this is fine,” Small says, “ except when it involves deception.”

The researchers’ approach enabled them to dig deeper and deeper into the insights their consecutive experiments yielded as they progressed. By the final experiments, the researchers were breaking down the broad concept of “deception” into ever-more-specific definitions, to discern which aspect most bothered observers.

The first step Small and her co-authors undertook was specifying what’s meant when a critic charges an organization of disseminating “poverty porn.” They read as many such critiques as they could find and coded them, upon noticing that the accusations could be sorted into two categories: they either represented a charge of exploitation/objectification (in other words, with a focus on how the subject of the image could be harmed by the depiction) or of manipulation/deception (more concerned with how the potential donor audience is harmed).

With these categories in mind, the researchers created questionnaires asking subjects to evaluate the ethical acceptability of various tactics that could fall under the umbrella of “poverty porn.” In the first set of studies, for example, subjects rated five tactics that could potentially be employed by charities to solicit donations: using an actor to depict someone in need, using a stereotypical image of poverty, using a staged photograph, using a celebrity, or depicting an aid recipient’s worst moments. The subjects rated each strategy on a seven-point scale, from “not acceptable at all” to “completely acceptable.”

In these first studies, it turned out that the tactics involving deception (using an actor or staging a photograph) were judged as less acceptable than those characterized by stereotyping or objectifying (like showing a person’s worst moment or relying on stereotypical images).

“Once we saw that the primary objection was to deception,” Small says, “that led us to really want to understand what about deception was bothering people.”

In the context of charity advertising, the researchers considered an artificial tactic to be one that recreates or imitates reality—for example, hiring a child actor for a photo shoot about a village in need of aid. A misleading tactic would be one that uses photos of a child who does indeed live in the village being served, but cherry-picks the worst-off youngster for the photo shoot. They asked subjects to rate the acceptability of these scenarios, while also varying whether survey respondents were informed that the child in the photo represented the typical situation in that village, or the most-extreme case.

Small was fascinated by what the results suggested: subjects were much more bothered by any whiff of artificiality in the tactics (even if, say, the child actor did represent a close approximation of reality) than they were about misleading strategies (when the photo wasn’t attempting to represent the typical situation).

These findings were sufficiently surprising to Small that she’s now working on new research to delve deeper into ethical judgements of deception in advertising. For this next research project, she’s expanding beyond charity advertising to look at evaluations of standard marketing campaigns. In one survey, participants are asked to evaluate ads for a weight-loss program: Which is more ethically acceptable, an ad showing before-and-after images of the client who's lost the most weight, or an ad featuring someone never used the program? The judgments follow a similar pattern: respondents judge the more artificial ads more harshly. But those who view an ad with a subject who is genuine but atypical have a less accurate view of the product.

“The people who are most misled are those who see the misrepresentative ads,” Small says, “But in their ethical judgements, people still think of that strategy as the more acceptable one.”