Abstract
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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Notes
- 1.
For information on the Dutch Advertising Code Commission, see https://www.reclamecode.nl/english/
- 2.
See Advertising Code Commission ruling: reizen-en-toerisme-2015-01195/149059/
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- 9.
Watchers of movies are typically not aware of the fact that the movie also serves an advertisement goal, so the product placement is slightly at odds with the above-mentioned criterion that advertising should be based on an understanding of the situation.
- 10.
European Parliament (2008). Resolution of 3 September 2008 on how marketing and advertising affect equality between women and men (2008/2038(INI)). P6_TA(2008)0401.
- 11.
International Chamber of Commerce, Advertising and Marketing Communications Code, 2018 Edition, International Chamber of Commerce, Paris, 2018. https://iccwbo.org/content/uploads/sites/3/2018/09/icc-advertising-and-marketing-communications-code-int.pdf
- 12.
The judgement of the ARPP’s Jury of Advertising Code, including the visual, can be accessed here: https://www.jdp-pub.org/actualite/publicite-chauffage-du-nord-avis-du-jury-de-deontologie-publicitaire/
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Source: food and drink
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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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