Morals and ethics exist in every sphere of life. The field of advertising is no different. In simple terms, Ethics refers to the ability to differentiate between what is right and what is wrong. Ethical advertising refers to truthful and fair advertising without hiding any fact from the customer that can influence his buying decision. Every entrepreneur wants to increase and grow his business. But this growth should not be achieved by compromising the ethics of business. Every business operates within the society, hence it has certain responsibilities towards society as well. The business can fulfill its responsibilities by practicing ethical behavior.
The line between ethical and unethical advertising is very thin and the company must choose the ethical side. The main part of ethical advertising is FOCUSING ON THE TRUTH. Companies should not indulge in deceptive advertising which misleads the customers with untrue statements. Companies should deliver what they promise and should promise only what they can deliver. We often see advertisements of fairness creams which claim to enhance the color tone within few weeks. Such types of advertisements are deceptive. Deceptive Advertising might bring short term profits for the business, but in the long term, it brings only losses and failures.
Another component of ethical advertising is disclosing important information to the consumer. If an advertisement conceals any fact related to the product or its usage, it is deemed unethical. Many times, companies do not disclose the harmful ingredients present in their product. They only advertise the benefits of the product and in this way, they cheat cheat the customers.
A company should never advertise a product that may have an adverse effect on the society. For instance, Cigarettes and tobacco are never promoted as they cause cancer and other health issues. Moreover, we often see advertisements which appeal us to avoid these bad things. Even during movies as well, there is a statutory warning against these products. The consumption of alcohol is also never promoted through any channel of advertising as it may have an adverse impact, especially on the children.
Not hurting the sentiments of any social group is also a pivotal part of ethical advertising. Any advertisement that targets a particular social group or minority is deemed unethical. Such advertisements can lead to controversies and disputes. Government plays a key role in defining what form of advertisement is ethical and which one is unethical.When the government feels that a company has crossed its limits, it steps in and resolves the problem.
Many advertisements tend to make exaggerated claims. For instance, some weight loss products claim that one can loose 30 kgs in less than a month without exercise. Such type of advertisement is simple misleading. Such advertisements do not have substantial evidence to prove their claims, hence, they falsify evidence by creating fake interviews of people who claim that the product is effective.
Children aged below 15 years spend a lot of time watching television. Since television is one of the main means of advertising, children watch a lot of advertisements between their favorite programs. There are some advertisements which are violent or not appropriate for children. Watching such advertisement can have a negative impact on the minds of children. Many companies promote their edible products through TV and their target audience is mainly children. This affects the consumption patterns of children as they tend to eat a lot of packed food items after watching the advertisements and they are exposed to problems like food poisoning and obesity.
To sum up, companies should not indulge in unethical advertising to increase their profits quickly. Instead, they should deliver value to the customer and try to retain the customers. This would help the company to achieve its long term objectives.
