Advertisement – Ethics

For peace of mind, I’ve decided it necessary to pin down my moral standpoint on advertising.

As the module requirements for “Advertising Design Processes & Development” was delivered, I felt dread wash over me, as I knew nothing about advertisement from business or academic perspectives. Looking back, that was OK, and that was good. Most pre-conceived notions I had were flimsy at best, and were easily altered, strengthened, or discarded though research. I’m in education to learn after all, so what does it matter if I had no prior knowledge of a topic if I have the eagerness to learn?

Researching agencies and marketing techniques, I found the majority of advertisements are made to sell products and services. There are a lot of advertisements out there to promote things that I disagree with; wether it be the promotion of a corporation I understand utilises unethical practices, or an entire industry that personally I feel is unscrupulous, such as gambling. There are methods of advertisement that I dislike the practice of; in spite of the fact that some of those practises work very effectively.

I became apprehensive over the idea that I could create advertisements for what I interpret as unsavoury products and services. I was left feeling disconcerted at the realisation that I could promote unsustainable, unethical products, or bad practices. Though it’s important to remember that morality isn’t clear-cut; it’s unhealthy for an adult to hold a black-and-white worldview, and I admit that sometimes my worldview does become too ridged.

In reality, any advertisement is forbidden to lie. So legal dishonesty is ruled out. Yet manipulating emotions to sell a service or product is standard. Though looking at it from a different, positive angle, advertisements can have a beneficial effect on a person’s behaviour; such as an awareness campaign on energy consumption that may change the target audience to be more conscious of the amount of electricity that they use, and in turn become less wasteful.

A PAPYRUS print ad for the prevention of young suicide, by the agency TBWA/Manchester

Bearing in mind that there are countless campaigns that intend to do good by educating audiences, in attempt to change their actions for the benefit of themselves or others, there are also campaigns that attempt to reach out to those who are in need of help themselves; such as victims of domestic abuse, or suicidal youths who need someone to talk to. Good causes.

I’m also a consumer. In moderation, I like to spend my hard-earned cash on items that bring me joy. As a child I was exposed to very toyetic media, and yet upon the realisation that such media exists only to sell toys (as extended and glorified toy commercials) I rarely feel negativity towards such media.

I acknowledge and understand that, despite what I may feel, I need to be prepared for the chance that I may be asked to work on commercials that I have little to no interest in, or the service or product itself is something that greatly disagree on. To continue, I have to put aside feelings when they impede on my progress and learning. Still, it doesn’t mean that I won’t have the opportunity to create work for good causes.