Advertising Ethics

Advertisements for highly regarded, trustworthy companies almost never lie. They have to prove what they say to their own corporate counsel and the lawyers of the advertising agency. They will also need to prove it to the network's approval committee and to any number of regulatory bodies. With at least five different government agencies keeping an eye on advertising agencies, the cost of being caught cheating or lying is simply too high and not worth it.

Therefore, advertising agencies tell the truth, but not the whole truth. They portray their clients in their (the clients') best light. Advertisements seek to create a good first impression and are not seeking to aggravate the public. However, different people react to advertisements in different ways.

Advertising is a type of commercial speech and one has to be very conscious of the products and/or services you are advertising. Materials must not be misleading; and they must not advertise an illegal product. It is therefore important to know your advertising ethics before hand to save one the possibility of a lot of future problems and trouble.

Companies try all kinds of strategies to get the consumer's attention and money. Sometimes these are illegal or underhanded tactics. One of the problems is that these underhanded techniques work "too well" because they are based on deception, misdirection, and other highly sophisticated but acutely unethical techniques.

The advertising industry is constantly being bombarded by criticism. It has been accused of encouraging materialism and consumption; of stereotyping; of causing consumers to purchase items which they do not need; of taking advantage of children; of manipulating consumers' behavior; using sex to sell; and generally contributing to the downfall of society's social system.