Limitations of Advertising
Limitations of Advertising
Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma
July 21, 2010
Limitations of Advertising: Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma
Marketing practices in the contemporary western society have been a hotbed of ethical debate for a long time. The ethical analysis required for this case revolves around the issue of marketing, and more specifically relates to advertising. The overall ethical dilemma is whether or not I should, in the role of a senior marketing manager of a soft drink company, approve a sexually suggestive advertising campaign for non-alcoholic beer targeted to a teenage consumer market. As with other ethical dilemmas, there is no obvious correct solution to this predicament. However, in my opinion, I would reject the advertisement (“ad”) based on a comprehensive ethical analysis that supports the solution suggested by the Teleological theory of ethics. The analysis is conducted using the “Three-Step Process to Solving Ethical Dilemmas” (Stumpf, Lecture 5) and focuses mainly on the four main ethical theories of Consequentialism, Rights-Based Approach, Deontology, and Teleology to arrive upon a solution.
Step 1: Diagnosis – What is the problem?
The overall ethical dilemma stated earlier can be broken down into two main ethical issues. Firstly, one problem lies in the fact that the proposed ad appears to promote sexual lewdness to teenagers. For example, the depiction of scantily clad teenage boys and girls eyeing each other on a beach is clear evidence of that implicit promotion. This portrayal appears to indicate that this is a case of “manipulative advertising” as it tries to “favourably alter consumers’ perceptions of the advertised product by appealing to factors other than the product’s physical attributes and functional performance” (Tittle, 95), such as sex appeal and peer acceptance.
Secondly, the other problem is that the ad also contains digital photographic manipulation that is clearly a misleading portrayal
Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma
July 21, 2010
Limitations of Advertising: Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma
Marketing practices in the contemporary western society have been a hotbed of ethical debate for a long time. The ethical analysis required for this case revolves around the issue of marketing, and more specifically relates to advertising. The overall ethical dilemma is whether or not I should, in the role of a senior marketing manager of a soft drink company, approve a sexually suggestive advertising campaign for non-alcoholic beer targeted to a teenage consumer market. As with other ethical dilemmas, there is no obvious correct solution to this predicament. However, in my opinion, I would reject the advertisement (“ad”) based on a comprehensive ethical analysis that supports the solution suggested by the Teleological theory of ethics. The analysis is conducted using the “Three-Step Process to Solving Ethical Dilemmas” (Stumpf, Lecture 5) and focuses mainly on the four main ethical theories of Consequentialism, Rights-Based Approach, Deontology, and Teleology to arrive upon a solution.
Step 1: Diagnosis – What is the problem?
The overall ethical dilemma stated earlier can be broken down into two main ethical issues. Firstly, one problem lies in the fact that the proposed ad appears to promote sexual lewdness to teenagers. For example, the depiction of scantily clad teenage boys and girls eyeing each other on a beach is clear evidence of that implicit promotion. This portrayal appears to indicate that this is a case of “manipulative advertising” as it tries to “favourably alter consumers’ perceptions of the advertised product by appealing to factors other than the product’s physical attributes and functional performance” (Tittle, 95), such as sex appeal and peer acceptance.
Secondly, the other problem is that the ad also contains digital photographic manipulation that is clearly a misleading portrayal