Ethics in Advertising

Ethics in Advertising

Abstract

Ethics in advertising is a subject of great interest and has generated great deal of debate.

The world of advertising is full with the stories of the bad and good, dishonesty and truth. In this paper we would try to emphasize on the truth and deception in advertising. When one claims something about a product which it cannot do in reality it is clearly deception. On the other hand if one says that a certain package is two times bigger than another and if it really is then it is clearly the case of telling the truth. Between deception and truth there exists a large grey area which is considered as misleading by the people? Those ads are considered misleading which are in no way based on the truth or facts. Impression management can be defined as the area where the marketers and advertisers decide what is justified and ethical and what is not. Ethical standards require that the advertising must take into account community standards. Today in most of the countries the tobacco advertising is regulated by federal public organizations and the famous people cannot take part in any advertising that promotes tobacco use. Ethical behavior and honesty are very important in advertising. Unfortunately, in our marketplace there are many products which do not work as they are being promised to work in advertising. Ethics in advertising is very important and it should be promoted.

Introduction

Ethics are the most difficult and most general ruling system of the behavior of human beings. They are always expressed in norms, ideas, habits and acts which always assess the nontraditional balance between good and bad. Although, it is always recommended but it is not obligatory yet it is not forbidden too. On the other hand, Advertising is any paid form of non personal communication about a product, service, or idea by an identified sponsor or an organization. Ethics in advertising has been explained as what is good and right in the conduct of advertising function. Ethics in advertising are very important, therefore, it is the duty of each and every organization to follow the ethical guidelines in their advertisement with letter and spirit. . In this paper we would try to emphasize on the truth and deception in advertising. Furthermore, we would also throw light on the ethical dilemmas of those who are involved in producing advertising. In this paper we would decide using the standards that whether some thing is deceptive or truthful. Moreover, we would also ponder over various ads that have given birth to some ethical questions that whether they are truthful or not.

Discussion

Background

Over the history, some famous people have shown some best and worst behaviors. In the history of America, some presidents are remembered for their unflinching truth and honesty, while there are also some presidents who are known for their lying and corruption (Moore). Abraham Lincoln was given the name of “Honest Abe” while it was famous for George Washington that he does not tell a ...