Ethics and Social Responsbility in Advertising
Ethics and social responsibility can be seen as the moral obligation of advertisers not to violate our basic economic assumptions even when there is no legal obligation. (2570 words)
Violating our basic economic assumptions happens in advertising everyday and consumers are well aware of it but it doesn’t mean they are not influenced by it. This essay focuses on the reasons why some companies have chosen to improve ethics and social responsibility to further improve its image as a reputable company, and perhaps another way of building brand image to be taken seriously in society and for advertising efforts to be accepted in better regard in such a competitive market.
First we will look at the different kinds of advertising (its intentions). Then we’ll move onto how advertising can be deceptive and manipulative and the effects of advertising on our value system. Which then brings us back to ethical advertising and social responsibility becoming an important factor especially to bigger companies who can invest and benefit from long term advertising/CSR campaigns. We’ll also look at some examples and how CSR can benefit a company in the long run.
Lastly, we’ll look into the similarities between Advertising and CSR, and how both achieve results and can be seen as a tool to help achieve economic goals since both are created and built from society’s (consumers) deep emotional values. Could CSR be yet another ‘form’ of advertising, but just a more ethical one?
Advertising – the power of influence and persuasion
Kyle Bagwell (Economics of Advertising, 2001), divides advertising into two roles, which he calls a constructive role and a combative role. Where the first role is obvious in being constructive by providing information to consumers and the second role what he calls by ‘playing a socially wasteful combative role’. Bagwell carries on with the explanation that from the beginning of time, three views of advertising emerged. The persuasive view where,
Violating our basic economic assumptions happens in advertising everyday and consumers are well aware of it but it doesn’t mean they are not influenced by it. This essay focuses on the reasons why some companies have chosen to improve ethics and social responsibility to further improve its image as a reputable company, and perhaps another way of building brand image to be taken seriously in society and for advertising efforts to be accepted in better regard in such a competitive market.
First we will look at the different kinds of advertising (its intentions). Then we’ll move onto how advertising can be deceptive and manipulative and the effects of advertising on our value system. Which then brings us back to ethical advertising and social responsibility becoming an important factor especially to bigger companies who can invest and benefit from long term advertising/CSR campaigns. We’ll also look at some examples and how CSR can benefit a company in the long run.
Lastly, we’ll look into the similarities between Advertising and CSR, and how both achieve results and can be seen as a tool to help achieve economic goals since both are created and built from society’s (consumers) deep emotional values. Could CSR be yet another ‘form’ of advertising, but just a more ethical one?
Advertising – the power of influence and persuasion
Kyle Bagwell (Economics of Advertising, 2001), divides advertising into two roles, which he calls a constructive role and a combative role. Where the first role is obvious in being constructive by providing information to consumers and the second role what he calls by ‘playing a socially wasteful combative role’. Bagwell carries on with the explanation that from the beginning of time, three views of advertising emerged. The persuasive view where,