ADVERTISING & ETHICS

The explosion of new media, new technologies, and new opportunities is transforming the marketing and advertising landscape and revolutionizing the way the industry conducts business. The only constant is the need for transparency. Ethics in Advertising is directly related to the purpose of advertising and the nature 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. Ethics in advertising is important, because by acting ethically with their advertising, a company is being responsible towards the needs of the customer.

Ethical advertising evens the playing field for the consumer by giving them the information they need to make an informed decision on what products to buy and how these products will enhance their lives whether they need the product or they just want that 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. Companies must provide their customers with fair knowledge of what they are trying to achieve with their company mission and vision.

By sharing this vision, they are helping people to understand the thought process behind their decision making and how the company feels their products or services will be of benefit to people without using false advertising to entice people into buying the product.

Companies need to show they care about the community and the success of the community around them; it is part of their duty to care about those around them and help support those buying their products. Ethics is the most important feature of the advertising industry.

Companies need to show they have morals when advertising to consumers, because that makes consumers’ feel like the company cares about what they need. This shows that the customer is protected by a company that is behaving in a way that makes a difference to the community they work in.