services offered by HDFC bank

Published on June 2016 | Categories: Documents | Downloads: 36 | Comments: 0 | Views: 365
of x
Download PDF   Embed   Report

Comments

Content

A STUDY ON
ETHICS IN ADVERTISING

A PROJECT REPORT
SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF
THE DEGREE OF

BACHELOR OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

SUBMITTED TO
DON BOSCO COLLEGE, KURLA

SUBMITTED BY
NIGEL D’SOUZA
[University Roll No.

]

PROJECT GUIDE
PROF. PUNIT D’SOUZA

SUBMITTED TO
UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI
ACADEMIC YEAR 2014-15

A STUDY ON
ETHICS IN ADVERTISING

A PROJECT REPORT
SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF
THE DEGREE OF

BACHELOR OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

SUBMITTED TO
DON BOSCO COLLEGE, KURLA

SUBMITTED BY
NIGEL D’SOUZA
[University Roll No.

]

PROJECT GUIDE
PROF. PUNIT D’SOUZA

SUBMITTED TO
UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI
ACADEMIC YEAR 2014-15

CERTIFICATE
I hereby certify that the work which is being presented in the BMS Project Report entitled “Ethics
in Advertising”, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Bachelor of
Management Studies and submitted to University of Mumbai is an authentic record of my own
work carried out in the academic year 2014-15 under the supervision of Prof. Punit D’Souza,
Department of Management Studies.
The matter presented in this Project Report has not been submitted by me for the award of any
other degree elsewhere.
Signature of Student

Nigel D’Souza (

)

This is to certify that the above statement made by the student is correct to the best of my
knowledge.
Signature of Guide

Signature of External Guide

Name

Name

Date

Date

Signature of HOD

Signature of Principal

Name

Name

Date

Date

SEAL OF COLLEGE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to place on record my deep sense of gratitude to Prof. Mamatha D’Souza, HOD-Dept.
of Management Studies, Don Bosco College, Kurla, India, for her generous guidance, help and
useful suggestions.

I express my sincere gratitude to Guide Prof. Punit D’Souza, Dept. of Management Studies, Don
Bosco College, Kurla, India, for her stimulating guidance, continuous encouragement and
supervision throughout the course of the present work.

I am sincerely grateful to my teachers, my family and friends who have been very supportive with their
encouragement and valuable advice, due to which this Project has seen fruition.

Signature of Student

Nigel D’souza (

)

ABSTRACT
This project is entitled “Ethics in Advertising” and it aims at educating the consumer on
importance of ethical advertising, and at the same time creating an awareness of the harmful
effects of unethical advertising.
In the Introductory chapter the researcher highlights the high levels of consumerism prevalent in
our society today. These high levels of consumerism have been sparked off by the Advertisement
and Publicity Media. Through advertisements, Buyers are enticed to buy products which may not
be needed. Unethical advertisements woo gullible customers. On the one hand, advertising makes
the buyer aware of the products available in the market and on the other, it can turn ugly due to its
unethicalness. This chapter goes on to explains in detail the Meaning of Advertising, Importance
of Ethics in Advertising, Guidelines for ethical advertising, Types of Unethical Advertising and
Ethical Advertising vis-à-vis Unethical Advertising. The role of the Advertising Standards Council
of India and the code of ethics laid down by the ASCI are explained in detail.
The Researcher has done Literature review of three articles dealing with unethical issues in
advertising, how advertisements exploit women & Subliminal advertising. These articles are
explained in an interesting manner through the use of examples.
Four interesting case studies of reputed companies highlight issues such as use of unethical
advertising slogan, brand wars and use of comparative advertising.
A Survey was conducted on the basis of a Questionnaire, to find out various opinions on the
ethicalness of advertisements. Based on this survey, analysis and conclusions were drawn.
The wide research via the internet and the survey has made the Researcher wiser and he hopes that
this article will be a source of wisdom and knowledge to the consumers on the unethicalness
followed by Advertisers. Buyer Beware is the watchword !!!!

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapte

Title

Page No.

r No.
CERTIFICATE

i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

ii

ABSTRACT

iii

1.0

INTRODUCTION

1

1.1

ASCI and its role

2

1.2

Unethical Advertising and its types

3

1.3

Code of Ethics in Advertising

5

1.4

Precautions against the indiscriminate use of Advertising

8

1.5

Ethical Advertising V/s. Unethical Advertising

9

1.6

Guidelines for Ethical Advertising

11

1.7

Importance of Ethics in Advertising

12

2.0

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1

“Advertising Ethics : A Review”

14

2.2

“How Advertisements exploit women”

18

2.3

“Subliminal Advertising – An Indian Perspective”

20

3.0

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1

Objectives of the Study

23

3.2

Limitations of the Study

23

3.3

Sample Location

23

3.4

Sample Size

23

3.5

Data Collection Method

23

3.6

Research Instrument

23

4.0

CASE STUDIES

4.1

Unethical Advertising Slogan : Reebok Shoes

24

4.2

Brand War : Pepsodent V/s. Colgate

25

4.3

The Battle : Rin V/s. Tide

26

4.4

Ariel V/s. Surf Excel

27

5.0

DATA INTERPRETATION & ANALYSIS

28

6.0

OBSERVATIONS & CONCLUSIONS

40

7.0

BIBLIOGRAPHY

41

8.0

APPENDIX

42

9.0

UNETHICAL ADVERTISEMENT PICTURES

45

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
We are living in an age of Consumerism. Consumerism is a social and economic order and
ideology that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-greater amounts. Man’s

wants are unlimited. He is unhappy with what he has and wants to acquire more and more. He
wants to compete with his fellow human beings, to stay ahead in the race for acquisition of
material goods.
It is here that the Seller takes advantage of the Buyer’s weakness and entices him into buying
expensive products. Advertising steps in here and plays a very important role in promoting a
product. Advertising is done to promote goods, services, ideas and / or events.

Advertising

creates an awareness by informing consumers of the products and services available in the market.
Advertising arouses an interest in the consumer about the advertised products or services. This
interest creates demand in the market. The growing demand soon results into higher sales.

The seller is interested in boosting sales and hence will go to any length to sell his products. He
targets children and youth who are vulnerable and easily susceptible. The current trend shows that
advertisements are exaggerated and a lot of puffing is used to promote a product. As a result,
youth and children are mislead and misguided into buying the product. Advertisers are resorting
to unethical advertising such as Deceptive Advertising, Surrogate Advertising, Puffery, Subliminal
Advertising, etc. to woo the gullible customers.
Hence, we see that though Advertising plays a key role in promoting a product and boosting sales,
it can turn ugly due to its unethicalness. It is important that the Advertiser resorts to ethical
advertising so as to win the consumer’s confidence and create in him a brand loyalty. Unethical
advertising is harmful and will create a feeling of mistrust and repulsion in the consumer towards a
product.
BUYER BEWARE !!!!!! Ethical Advertising is the need of the hour !!

Meaning of Ethics

According to the Oxford Dictionary,“Ethics” refers to the moral principles that govern a person’s
behavior or the conducting of an activity.

It is the branch of knowledge concerned with moral

principles.
Advertising means a mode of communication between a seller and a buyer.
Hence “Ethics in Advertising” means a set of well defined principles which govern the ways of
communication taking place between the seller and the buyer.
An ethical advertisement is one which doesn’t lie, doesn’t make false claims and is within decency
limits.

Ethical advertising is legal, honest and truthful.

Ethical advertising is reliable and

trustworthy. It is believed that Good advertising is Ethical advertising.
In short, Advertising ethics refers to what is morally right and wrong, good and bad in Advertising.

1.1 ASCI & its role
Advertising Standards Council of India
ASCI is a voluntary self-regulation council, registered as a not-for-profit company under the
section 25 of the Indian Companies Act. The sponsors of the ASCI, who are its principal
members, are firms of considerable repute within industry in India, nd comprise Advertisers,
Media, Advertising Agencies and other Professional/Ancillary services connected with
advertising practice. The ASCI is not a Government body, nor does it formulate rules for the
public or the relevant industries.

1.2Unethical Advertising and its types

Advertising which fails to conform to an accepted code of behavior is Unethical
Advertising
There are various types of unethical advertising techniques resorted to by present day
Advertisers. A few are explained below :1

Misleading advertisements :
Misleading advertisements / false advertisements refers to use of false statements in
advertising the product and thereby misleading the prospective customers.
Example: Nivea “Bio-slim complex” had claimed that “regular use significantly
reduces body size” which was a false claim. Boost claims to provide "three times more
stamina than sadharan chocolate drink”. Complan Memory claims to contain "memory
chargers" to ensure that your kid is a better ratta-baaz than the next. Horlicks will make
your laadla "taller, stronger, sharper".

2

Surrogate advertising :
Surrogate advertising is a form of advertising which is used to promote banned
products like cigarettes and alcohol, in the disguise of another product. The banned
product(cigarettes or alcohol) may not be projected directly to customers but rather
presented under another product under the same brand name, so that whenever there
is mention of that brand, people start associating it with its main product. Example:
In India , there is large number of companies doing surrogate advertising such
Bagpiper club soda, McDowell’s soda, Kingfisher mineral water, etc.

3

Subliminal advertising :

One of the most controversial ethical issues is regarding subliminal advertisements.
Subliminal Advertising refers to the use, by advertisers, of images and sounds, to
influence consumers' responses without their being consciously aware of it.
Subliminal messages affect the subconscious mind. We're talking visual messages
that can be flashed very quickly in a film or buried within a print image and audio
messages that are masked by other sounds, played below audible levels or recorded
backwards to hide the message.
Inserting subliminal messages in an advertisement is a misleading action. It leads to
manipulating

a

person’s

thinking

without

the

person

even

realizing

it.Example:McDonald's resorts to subliminal advertising tactics to get you to want
their food. And it works.

4

Vulgarity in Advertisements :
Nowadays, there is lot of vulgarity in advertisements. Such vulgarity passes a
wrong message to the society and degrades moral and social values. Example:
Advertisements by Axe Deodorant

5

Use of children in advertisements :
Nowadays, Marketers are using children in advertisements in order to push sales.
As marketers are using children in their advertisements, it influences Indian
children to push their parents for particular products.
Some of the advertisements are very relevant to children such as ads for Horlicks,
Johnson & Johnson, etc. But apart from this, marketers use children even for
products not meant for children, like Flipkart, Super Nirma, etc.

1.3

Code of Ethics in Advertising

To ensure the Truthfulness and Honesty of Representations and Claims made by
Advertisements and to safeguard against misleading Advertisements :
1. Advertisements must be truthful
All descriptions, claims and comparisons which relate to matters of objectively
ascertainable fact should be capable of substantiation. Advertisers and advertising
agencies are required to produce such substantiation as and when called upon to do
so by The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).
2. Where advertising claims are expressly stated to be based on or supported by
independent research or assessment, the source and date of this should be indicated
in the advertisement.
3. Advertisements shall not, without permission from the person, firm or institution
under reference, contain any reference to such person, firm or institution which
confers an unjustified advantage on the product advertised or tends to bring the
person, firm or institution into ridicule or disrepute. If and when required to do so
by the ASCI, the advertiser and the advertising agency shall produce explicit
permission from the person, firm or institution to which reference is made in the
advertisement.

4. Advertisements shall neither distort facts nor mislead the consumer by means of
implications or ommissions. Advertisements shall not contain statements or visual
presentation which directly or by implication or by ommission or by ambiguity or
by exaggeration are likely to mislead the consumer about the product advertised or
the advertiser or about any other product or advertiser.

5. Advertisement should not be so framed as to abuse the trust of consumers or exploit
their lack of experience or knowledge. No advertisement shall be permitted to

contain any claim so exaggerated as to lead to grave or widespread disappointment
in the minds of consumers.

For example :(a) Products shall not be described as ‘free’ where there is any direct cost to the
consumer other than the actual cost of any delivery, freight, or postage. Where such
costs are payable by the consumer, a clear statement that this is the case shall be
made in the advertisement.
(b) Where a claim is made that if one product is purchased another product will be
provided ‘free’, the advertiser is required to show, as and when called upon by the
The Advertising Standards Council of India, that the price paid by the consumer for
the product which is offered for purchase with the advertised incentive is no more
than the prevelant price of the product without the advertised incentive.
(c) Claims which use expressions such as “Upto five years gurantee” or of the
consumer being mislead either as to the extent of the availibility or as to the
applicability of the benefits offered.
(d) Special care and restraint has to be exercised in advertisements addressed to those
suffering from weakness, any real or perceived inadequacy of any physical
attributes such as height or bust development, obesity, illness, impotence, infertility,
baldness and the like, to ensure that claims or representations directly or by
implication, do not exceed what is considered prudent by generally accepted
standards of medical practice and the actual efficacy of the product.
(e) Advertisements inviting the public to invest money shall not contain statements
which may mislead the consumer in respect of the security offered, rates of return or
terms of amortization, where any of the foregoing elements are contingent upon the
continuance of our change in existing conditions, or any other assumptions, such
conditions or assumptions must be clearly indicated in the advertisement.
(f) Advertisements inviting the public to take part in lotteries or prize competitions
permitted under law or which hold out the prospect of gifts shall state clearly all
material conditions as to enable the consumer to obtain a true and fair view of their

prospects in such activities.

Further, such advertisers shall make adequate

provisions for the judging of such competitions, announcement of the results and
the fair distribution of prizes or gifts according to the advertised terms and
conditions within a reasonable period of time. With regard to the announcement of
results, it is clarified that the advertiser’s responsibility under this section of the
Code is discharged adequately if the advertiser publicices the main results in the
media used to announce the competition as far as practicable, and advises the
individual winners by post.
6. Obvious untruths or exaggerations intended to amuse or to catch the eye of the
consumer are permissible provided that they are clearly to be seen as humorous or
hyperbolic and not likely to be understood as making literal or misleading claims
for the advertised product.
7. In mass manufacturing and distribution of goods and services it is possible that
there may be an occasional, unintentional lapse in the fulfillment of an advertised
promise or claim. Such occasional, unintentional lapses may not invalidate the
advertisement in terms of this Code.
In judging such issues, due regard shall be given to the following :
(a) Whether the claim or promise is capable of fullfilment by a typical specimen of the
product advertised.
(b) Whether the proportion of product failures is within generally acceptable limits.
(c) Whether the advertise has taken prompt action to make good the deficiency to the
consumer.
The Code applies to advertisers, advertising agencies and media.

1.4

Precautions against the indiscriminate use of advertising

To safeguard against the indiscriminate use of Advertising in situations or of the Promotion
of Product which are regarded as Hazardous or Harmful to society or to individuals,
particularly minors, to a degree or of a type which is unacceptable to society at large.
1. No advertisement shall be permitted which :
(a) Tends to incite people to crime or to promote disorder and violence or intolerance.
(b) Derides any race, caste, colour, creed or nationality.
(c) Presents criminality as desirable or directly or indirectly encouragespeople –
particularly minors – to emulate it or conveys the modus operandi of any crime.
(d) Adversely affects friendly relations with a foreign State.
2. Advertisements addressed to minors shall not contain anything, whether in
illustration or otherwise, which might result in their physical, mental or moral harm
or which exploits theirvulnerability.
3. Advertisements shall not without, without justifiablereason, show or refer to
dangerous practices or manifest a disregard for safety or encourage negligence.

4. Advertisements should not contain nothing which is in breach of the law nor omit
anything which the law requires.
5. Advertisements shall not propogate products, the use of whch is banned under the
law.

6. Advertisements for products whose advertising is prohibited or restricted by law or
by this code must not circumvent such restrictions by purporting to be
advertisements for other products the advertising of which is not prohibited or
restricted by the law or by this code. In judging whether or no any particular
advertisement is an indirect advertisement for product whose advertising is
restricted or prohibited, due attention shall be paid to the following:

7. Visual content of the advertisement must depict only the product being advertised
and not the prohibited or restricted product in any form or manner :
(a) The advertisement must not make any direct or indirect reference to the
prohibited or restricted products.
(b) The advertisement must not create any nuances or phases promoting
prohibited products.
(c) The advertisement must not use particular colours and layout or
presentations associated with prohibited or restricted products.

(d) The advertisement must not use situations typical for promotion of
prohibited or restricted products when advertising the other products.

1.5

Ethical Advertising V/s. Unethical Advertising
Advertising plays a major role in promoting sales of a product and consequent increase in
sales turnover.

However advertising could be harmful or gainful, depending on various

factors. So what differentiates Ethical Advertising from Unethical Advertising ?

The

following are key distinctions.

1. Honesty :
Honesty has a key role to play in Advertising. Advertising which is truthful and
honest about its product is ethical advertising.
capabilities, or hides its defects.

It never distorts the product’s

Ethical advertising is also clear about its

intentions, refraining from concealed messages or hidden agendas. Generally, big
companies never lie as they have to prove their points to various ad regulating

bodies. Truth is always said but not completely. On the other hand, Unethical
advertising often distorts or misrepresents its product and seeks secretive means of
influencing its target audience.

2. Distinction :
International Charter states that ethical advertising seeks to distinguish its product
from those of its competitors. Its logos are unique and easily identifiable, its
products can be easily discerned. On the other hand Unethical advertising seeks to
demolish the distinction between it and other products – capitalizing on the
resulting confusion by selling products to customers who can’t distinguish between
it and an alternate product.
3. Social Consciousness
Ethical advertising refrains from appealing to “base” human emotions such as fear,
greed or lust, according to Carroll College. It remains positive and optimistic and
does not exploit race, gender, etc. On the other hand, Unethical advertising preys
upon the baser emotions of its target audience. For example, it will raise fears for
the audience’s health if they do not purchase the product. Unethical advertising will
also make use of socially reprehensible imagery :

depicting minorities as

incompetent, for example - Women are portrayed as sexual objects.

4. Environmental Consciousness
Ethical advertising operates with due respect to Nature and refrains from causing
undue harm to environment. Also, the means with which the advertising is created
should ahere to environmental standards, for example,

using recyclable

components; or non-polluting creation methods and thus refrain from excessive

waste. On the other hand, Unethical advertisements are created without concern for
the Environment and encourages environmentally destructive behavior.

1.6Guidelines for Ethical Advertising
1. All advertisements should be legal, decent, honest and truthful. It should not
mislead the prospective customers.
2. No advertisement should impair public confidence in advertising.
3. Every advertisement should be prepared with a due sense of social responsibility
and should conform to the principles of fair competition, as generally accepted.
4. Advertisements should not contain statements or visual presentations which offend
prevailing standards of decency. There should be no vulgarity in advertisements.
5. Advertisements should not harm anyone’s religion, culture, caste, creed etc.
6. Advertisements should be not based on any superstition.
7. Advertisements should not promote any unlawful behavior.

1.7

Importance of Ethics in Advertising
Ethics is the most essential feature of the Advertising Agency. Advertising has manifold
benefits, however there are some points which don’t match the ethical norms of advertising.
It is important for the Advertiser to discern what is right and wrong. Advertisers should be
aware of ethical norms to be adopted which will win the confidence of the consumers. In
order to attract a wide range of consumers, advertisements should be honest and truthful.
False and puffed advertisements will make them repulsive.
The current trend shows that advertisements are exaggerated and a lot of puffing is used to
promote a product. Hence consumers are misled and misguided. If the Advertiser uses
wrong techniques to sell a product, he will have to face legal implications.

The main reason that Advertisers do not follow ethical norms is that they are more
interested in increasing sales of their product by targeting a wide range of consumers. This
is done by presenting a well-decorated, puffed and colorful advertisement. They claim that
their product is much better, beneficial, cheaper and having unique qualities in comparison
with their competitor’s products. They are more interested in making the fast buck.

It is important to appeal to the largest audience possible and be politically correct. One
unethical choice could cost advertisers, not only money but their reputation and clientele.
There have been countless cases in which advertisers and the companies in which they
represent have been deemed unethical for their advertisements. It is crucial for advertisers
to take this into account during the creative process. It is also important to ensure that the
general public is not affected negatively.

The greatest benefit of ethical advertising is to build consumer trust and confidence. This
creates a strong relationship between the consumer and the brand, thus leading to brand
loyalty.
Ethics are important to consumers in the following ways :
1. Price : Advertising provides a vehicle for product innovation. Ethics can determine
the price consumers are willing to pay for a product.
2. Boycott of an unethical product : If consumers feel that a product or service goes
against their moral values, or is harmful to society, they will boycott that product
and influence their friends against purchasing that product.
3. Online information : Advertising provides consumers with commercial information
on a product, service or organization in making purchase decisions. People share if

they like or dislike ads, especially with the introduction of the Internet and social
media.
Recently, the Vatican issued an article which says that ads should follow three moral
principles - Truthfulness, Social Responsibility and Upholding Human Dignity.
Hence in order to gain consumer trust, advertisers must create ethical and legal
advertisements. Advertisers must be truthful and non-misleading. It is very important to
understand the target audience and refrain from communicating offensive material.

CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter pertains to review of literature pertaining to unethical issues in advertising.
2.1 Advertising Ethics : A Review
-

By Mohammad Noorizzuddin Nooh, Sr. Lecturer, Islamic Science University of Malaysia
In this article, the author has given an underlying perspective of the present scenario of the
advertising industry. The author has covered various core issues pertaining to ethics in advertising,
ranging from unethical advertising, deceptive advertising, advertisements targeted at children,
subliminal advertising, Sex and gender exploitation, etc.

The author has introduced Advertising as the most fundamental part of a business organization.
Organizations all over the globe spend billions of dollars on advertising in order to market their
products. Since businesses go beyond borders, advertising plays a magnanimous role, which has
consequently led to a soaring expenditure on marketing. To stay ahead in the race, Advertisers
need to be updated with the latest media such as advertising through web sites and cell phones. An
interesting statistics shows that the global advertising market had a value of 90.4 billion dollars in
2011, which was an increase of 28% since 2006 (Datamonitor Plc, Oct 2007).

In olden days, man was self-sufficient, and hence did not depend on others to meet his needs. As
times went by, man’s self-sufficient production showed signs of surplus and this surplus sometimes
could not fulfill other necessities. Hence they had to resort to trading to fulfill their needs and cash
in on their production surplus. They realized that they had to compete with other individuals with
same products, and thus Advertising came into the picture.

It was realised that changes and improvements in advertising do not come without a price. Some
scholars felt that ethical issues concerning advertising could prop up (Drumwright, 1993;
Indrayana, 2004; Tinarbuko, 2002; Kunkel, Wilcox, Cantor, Palmer, Linn & Dowrick, 2004;
Aitchison, 2002; Tanudjaja, 2002).

These issues include women exploitation, advertising to

children, women portral in advertisements, indecent advertising, subliminal advertising, etc. which
would consequently lead to a detriment in the moral values in society (Shabbir & Thwaites, 2007;
Murpy, 1998).
The author has explained the various unethical issues in advertising in detail :

Deceptive Advertising
Deception is defined as a false or misleading claim in Advertising (Hyman M., 1990). There are
three important components of salient deception such as belief, falsity and relevance.

An

advertisement is considered deceptive if it the persons exposed to it would hold false beliefs as a
result of exposure to it (Attas, 1999).
Deception in advertising such as price misleading advertisements will create negativity in the
consumers reaction towards the products.
Russo, Metcalf and Stephens suggested three alternative views such as fraud, falsity and
misleadingness in order to identify deceptive advertising. Misleading or deceptive advertisements
is mostly prominent during festive seasons when retailers offer various bargains and discounts to
entice consumers into buying their products. An interesting example is quoted how the airline
companies compete with each other to offer “cheapest” fares to travellers during the holiday
seasons. In one instance in New Zealand, Qantas was fined NZD 380,000 because customers had
to pay much more than the advertised price since there were many hidden costs not included by the
Airlines in the advertisement (Reed Business Information, 2006). According to Kessler, published
in 1992, a study was done on 109 prescription drugs advertisement published in major medical
journals and the study showed that most of these advertisements contained misleading information.
A study done by Frazer emphasizes that advertising ethics should be instilled in the students. A
reasearch done by Drumwright and Murphy (2004) found that advertising practitioners rarely talk
about ethics, hence they are suffering from “Moral Myopia” This could be a very dangerous

situation since advertising practitioners are the ones who shape and execute the advertising
scenario in society.
Advertising to Children :
Advertisements which depict nutrition and obesity on television and print media have adversely
affected food consumption habits in children (Schmitt, Wagner & Kirch, 2007) Example : Fast
food advertising in Malaysia - The teenagers and youth have developed unhealthy eating habits,
this is mainly because of advertising sponsorship of television programmes for children where
childred became easy soft targets of the Advertisers. Since children watch comparatively more
television than adults, they are exposed to more advertising intended for adults (O’Sullivan, 2005).
A study by Mittal in 1994 on public assessment of TV advertising showed that 90 per cent of
respondents believed that TV advertisements play on the emotions of children and take undue
advantage of children thus leading to children making unreasonable purchase demands on their
parents.
Another issue of concern is the advertising on kid-based websites for parents, since children tend
to make unreasonable demands of their parents.
Children are further exposed to violent actions by commercials sponsoring upcoming programmes
(A study by Violent Commercials in Television Programs for Childrend in 2003).
Subliminal Advertising :
One of the most important areas that interest researchers the most is the area of Subliminal
Advertising.

Some scholars argue that subliminal advertising can come in the forms of product

placement in which the products are seen as being a part of the movie or a TV program without
being referred to.

Sex and Gender Exploitation
This is another area which is of great interest to researchers and scholars. The trend is that women
are being projected as things or sexual objects for promoting sales. However a study by Blair,
Stephenson, Hill & Green in 2006 argues that advertisements can be successful in promoting sales
without portraying women as sexual objects. A study by Henthorne & LaTour in 1995 shows that
the use of erotic content in advertisements has become increasingly frequent.

According to a

study by Kaur in 2007, advertisers failed to portray women as smart and independent as men.

There are advertising codes that goven the issue of tobacco advertising, however 17 percent of the
models used in these ads are under the age of 25 because irrespective of the viewers’ age, the
younger models are considered more attracting and appealing as compared to older models.

The author concludes the article by presenting a fresh look on the issue of advertising ethics
through the theological interpretations. The author believes that the area of theological approaches
to advertising ethics is a new area to venture into and in need of a thorough study.

2.2 “How advertisements exploit women”
-

By Shoma Chatterjee

This article was published by Shoma Chatterjee in December 2005 and it quotes a paper by Deepa
Dhanraj, a Bangalore Based activist and documentary film maker, thus,
“In Indian advertising, women are used as models in sexist ads for diverse products from
tyre to ceiling fans. Women, by contrast, are cast either in auxiliary roles or as feather-headed
clients who have to be convinced at length to purchase X product, in pseudo-scientific
terminology. These images bear no relationship whatsoever to the reality of Indian women or their
on-going struggles to achieve economic and political autonomy.”
The most guilty culprits are the toiletries and the cosmetic ads, as if to sell the idea that the be-all
and end-all of a woman’s existence is the attentive male. It is uncomfortable to note that even
when using the successful woman image, the prized catch remains a man.
A feminist group in Delhi formed by Ritu Menon and Kamla Bhasin called “The Committee of
Portrayal of Women in the Media” rightly claims that it is not only the physical exposure of
women that is derogatory but also the reinforcements of other stereotypes that are more damaging
to the image and the dignity of womanhood. There are television advertisements that falsely boast
about good mothers who feed their children with health drinks and instant noodles and claim that
wives are ideal who take care of their husband’s shirts and cholestrol, advertisements portray
mothers who wash their babies with soap to ensure soft bottoms, some advertisements show little
girls who choose a certain soap to look as beautiful as their mother.
These are damaging, insulting and humiliating to the woman-image The reason is that these ads
are reinforcing a lifestyle, an attitude of sexist bias in housework which confines the woman to
housework and the man to being her master.

On the exploitation of women in advertisemens, the author, Shoma Chatterji has this to say, “by
presenting only the more extreme stereotypes, ads tend to underscore and reinforce the already
negative feelings many women have about themselves, thanks to the male-centric society we live
and work in. Exaggerations only add to the guilt, confusion and shame these women might be
trying to overcome. By institutionalising one-dimensional images of women through the media,
ads make it harder for women to break out of sexist modes that cage them. In fact, women models
in advertisements are unwittingly lending themselves to become both the seller and the sold. By
pitching in for particular products that mainly exploit their being pretty and attractive, passive and
docile, women may be selling their own goods and services that, in turn, perpetuate an image and a
lifestyle oppressive to other women. Stretching the same logic a bit further, one might also deduce
that the woman-model could actually be selling a culture which, in its glossy perfection, is an
unattainable fantasy and would lead to greater frustration to an already-disadvantaged segment.
By pitting women against women, the advertising world has succeeded in making a woman more
an enemy of her own creed than she was before advertising began to use her the way it has.”
Shoma Chatterji has also presented findings of a study of 21 womens’s magazines which tried to
find out how women linked their weight to the gendered messages on magazine covers. This study
was conducted by Amy R Malkin and states that
i.

Popular magazines for men focus on offering entertainment and suggestions on Improving
one’s life by expanding knowledge, hobbies and activities.

ii.

Women’s magazines seem to focus on improving one’s life by changing one’s appearance,
especially by losing weight.

iii.

Women’s magazines constantly imply, both through visuals and text that being thin means
being happier, sexier and more lovable.

iv.

The consequences of striving for these unrealistic ideals results in a large number of
women taking to aggressive means to control and reduce their weights.

2.3 “Subliminal Advertising : An Indian Perspective”

-

By Dr. S. M. Mariyam Fatima, Asst. Professor, Graphic Era Universit, Dehradun & Puneet Kumar,
Asst. Professor, Institute of Management Studies, Dehradun
Subliminal messages are hidden messages that are made to act on your subconscious mind. They
are an attempt to make you think or want something without you even realizing it. These hidden
messages can be transmitted by images flashing very fast on a screen, in themes or in slogans.
This article talks of the impact of the subliminal messages on the buying behavior of the consumer
and the use of these messages to increase sales of products.
The above article quotes a paper by Demsetz, 1974, p 67, thus,
“The charge that advertising attempts to persuade buyers is surely true”.
One of the works of advertiser is to get a consumer to recognize an ad and motivate consumers to
buy products being advertised. This can be achieved by creating distinct advertisements, or “ads
that pose a change or contrast due to their color, size, intensity, contrast, position, movement, or
isolation.” (Andrews, Akhter, Durvasula & Muehling, 1992). If a consumer easily recognizes a
product, he will be more inclined to recall past experiences with the product and buy the product
again and again (Telser, 1974, p.31). It has been proved that not only subliminal messaging exists,
but it works on consumers.
In a study conducted in London by Beatty and Hawkins study (1989), participants were given
cards that said, “COKE,” “DRINK COKE,” or nothing. Study found that those with messages
telling them to “DRINK COKE,” or just said “COKE” were thirstier than those whose cards said
nothing.
Another experiment was done in 1957 where a researcher named James Vicary flashed messages,
“Drink Coca Cola” and “Hungry? Eat Popcorn” on screen at a movie theatre. This resulted in an
increase of sales of both items. Though messages may not always work, “researchers have shown
that if conditions are right, subliminal advertising to promote a brand can be made to work.”
(Motluk, 2006, p.16)

University College London has found research that shows that subliminal messages actually do
cause stimulation in brain. This does not show a direct correlation between subliminal advertising
and sales, but it does show that subliminal advertising does have an effect on brain activity.
There are varying views on how Subliminal advertising influences consumers. One school of
thought is that this type of advertising gives advertisers no advantage over consumers.

On the

other hand, some people think that subliminal messages can have a great influence on consumers.
Subliminal advertising is used now-a-days by the marketers for a company to advertise their
products compared to their competitors.
The Research Methodology includes filling up of a questionnaire by 100 respondents regarding
various aspects of subliminal advertings and the findings are as follows :
1. The results showed that 50% of the people agree that the marketers are right in actually targeting
their products to the audience using subliminal advertising.
2. 30% think that they are doing ethical advertising by sending such subliminal messages.
3. 10% are of the view that marketers are doing unethical things by sending subliminal messages.
4. 10% have the same perception for all the advertisements.
Another study on subliminal advertising showed that –
1. Out of the 100 people surveyed, 60% felt that subliminal advertisements are highly effective in
communicating their messages.
2. 30% felt that the subliminal messages are having average effect on the minds of the consumers.
3. 10% felt that subliminal advertisements are effective.
In Conclusion, the authors show that all of the information found has showed consistent results and
direct correlations that proves that this type of subliminal advertising works.

This kind of

advertising is currently used as a popular tool by Marketers in promoting sales. People are not
interested in knowing the reason for buying a product, however they are buying a product just
because a company tell them to do so. The future work which the paper suggests is to actually

look at the various opportunities to look whether by using subliminal advertising (through video,
audio, images, visuals) is helping companies to increase the sales of their products.

CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1




Objectives of the study:

To study the meaning and importance of Ethics in Advertising
To understand the consumer on the importance of ethical advertising.
To study the harmful effects of unethical advertising.

3.2

Limitations of study:
Due to time and other constraints, this study is limited in its scope. The sample size of the
study is small due to time constraint. The smaller size of the sample surveyed reduces its
dependability.

3.3

Sample Location
The location of the study sample was conducted only in Mumbai.

3.4


Sample size

 Surveyed a sample class of 40 respondents for the Research.
The sample included students as well as working individuals

3.5

Data Collection Methods :
Primary Sources :
Primary data has been collected directly from sample respondents through a Questionnaire.
Secondary Sources :
Secondary Data has been collected from standard textbooks and various internet articles on
Ethical issues in Advertising.

3.6

Research Instrument :
Research instrument used for the primary data collection is Questionnaire
CHAPTER 4

CASE STUDIES
4.1

UNETHICAL ADVERTISING SLOGAN - REEBOK SHOES
The popular Shoe company Reebok printed the following slogan for used by an affiliated
gym in Germany, which went viral on the web :
“CHEAT ON YOUR GIRLFRIEND, NOT ON YOUR WORKOUT!”

This advertising slogan by Reebok was considered unethical for the following reasons :
 It is disrespectful of women.
 It advocates betrayal, dishonesty, disloyalty, infidelity, promiscuity and cheating.


It designates a higher priority to narcissistic self-maintenance over love, commitment, and
stable relationships.

 It represents an athletic equipment company giving the stamp of approval to cheating.

4.2

BRAND WAR : PEPSODENT V/S COLGATE
August 2013 saw the beginning of a brand war in the toothpaste market. Pepsodent, the popular
brand of HUL directly attacked the market leader Colgate

with a high profile comparative

advertisement. The ads directly compared Pepsodent Germicheck with Colgate Strong Teeth with
claim that Pepsodent Germicheck is 130% better in fighting germs than Colgate Strong Teeth. This
is an example of Comparative Advertising

It is interesting to note that Pepsodent Germicheck chose to attack Colgate Strong Teeth
rather than Colgate Total. Colgate Strong Teeth is the largest brand in the Colgate portfolio
but this brand is not claiming any germ killing attribute. Colgate Total is the brand which
claims the germ killing attribute. So rather than fighting the Colgate Total, Pepsodent
Germicheck decided to launch the attack on Colgate Strong Teeth.
In India, brands do engage in such direct attacks. Law does allow certain level of
comparative advertising provided it does not disparage the other brands

4.3

The Battle of Rin V/s. Tide
In India a recent advertisement on TV openly comparing between rival detergent brands
caused an uproar. HUL’s Rin directly compared with P&G’s Tide.
The voice over “Tide se kahin behtar safedi de Rin” (Rin washes much whiter than
Tide) leaves nothing to imagination. It’s war, open and direct.

4.3

Ariel V/s Surf Excel

Detergent giants Ariel and Surf Excel have been at loggerheads since the beginning of
brand wars. The two have never spared an opportunity to pick on each other. Both the
brands' USP is removing the toughest of stains from clothes, hence the constant war. The
TV commercials of Ariel and Surf Excel had the two derogating the other, which got so
nasty that the two are infamous for encouraging brand wars.

.

CHAPTER 5
DATA INTERPRETATION & ANALYSIS
TABLE 5.1
Respondent’s classification according to age

Age (in years)

No. of respondents

Percentage

11-20

22

44

21-40

25

50

41-60

3

6

Total

50

100

No. of Respondents

11-20
21-40
41-60

Table 5.1 shows that 44% of the respondents are in the age group of 11-20, 50% are in
the age group of 21-40 and 6% are in the age group of 41-60

TABLE 5.2
Respondent’s classification according to sex

Sex
Male
Female
Total

No. of Respondents
30
20
50

Percentage
60
40
100

No. of Respondents

Male
Female

Table 5.2 shows that 60% of the respondents were male and 40% were female.

TABLE 5.3
Respondent’s classification according to educational qualification
Qualification
High School
Graduate
Post-Graduate
Total

No. of Respondents
6
28
16
50

Percentage
12
56
32
100

No. of Respondents

High School
Graduate
Post-Graduate

Table 5.3 shows that 12% of the Respondents are matriculate, 56% are graduates and 32%
are post-graduates.

Table 5.4
Advertising shows an accurate view of reality

Advertising shows accurate view of reality
Strongly Agree
Agree
No opinion
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Total

No. of Respondents
0
0
0
10
40
50

Percentage
0
0
0
20
80
100

No. of Respondents
Strongly Agree
Agree
No opinion
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

Table 5.4 shows that a majority of the respondents (80%) strongly disagree that advertising
shows an accurate view of reality.

Table 5.5
Advertising helps to shape society’s views of the world and itself

Advertising shapes society's views of the world
Strongly Agree
Agree
No opinion
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Total

No. of Respondents
0
5
10
26
9
50

Percentage
0
10
20
52
18
100

No. of Respondents
Strongly Agree
Agree
No opinion
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

Table 5.5 shows that a majority of the respondents disagree that Advertising shapes society’s
views of the world

Table 5.6
Advertisements are treating advertising audiences fairly.

Treating advertising audiences fairly
Strongly Agree
Agree
No opinion
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Total

No. of Respondents
0
5
4
12
29
50

Percentage
0
10
8
24
58
100

No. of Respondents
Strongly Agree
Agree
No opinion
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

Table 5.6 shows that 58% of the respondents strongly disagree that advertisements are
treating audiences fairly

Table 5.7
How do you view the level of ethics in general advertising ?

Level of Ethics in General
Advertising
Very High
High
Average
Low
Very Low
Total

No. of
Respondents
0
5
11
15
19
50

Percenta
ge
0
10
22
30
38
100

No. of Respondents
Very High
High
Average
Low
Very Low

Table 5.7 shows that not a single respondent feels that level of ethics in advertising is very
high and 38% of the respondents feel that it is very low.

Table 5.8
Advertisers are creating honest, non-misleading, socially desirable
advertisements.

Advertisers are creating honest and nonmisleading ads

No. of Respondents

Percentage

Strongly Agree
Agree
No opinion
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Total

2
3
0
10
35
50

4
6
0
20
70
100

No. of Respondents
Strongly Agree
Agree
No opinion
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

Table 5.8 shows that a majority of the respondents disagree that Advertisers are creating
honest, non-misleading and socially desirable ads.

Table 5.9
Advertisements represent healthy, useful and ethical products, services and / or ideas.

Advertisements represent healthy, ethical
products, services & ideas
Strongly Agree
Agree
No opinion
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Total

No. of Respondents

Percentage

3
8
6
15
18
50

6
16
12
30
36
100

No. of Respondents
Strongly Agree
Agree
No opinion
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

Table 5.9 shows that majority of the respondents strongly disagree that advertisements
represent healthy, useful and ethical products, services and / or ideas.

Table 5.10
Which of the following issues in general advertising would you consider being
unethical ?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Advertising to children
Alcoholic beverages ads
Cigarette and tobacco ads
Comparative advertising
Surrogate advertising
Disguised advertising
Lack of truth
Puffery (increase value or attributes)
Subliminal advertising

All the respondents were of the opinion that all the issues above were unethical

Table 5.11
Have you ever decided not to buy a product / service due to an advertisement
that you perceived as unethical ?

Decision not to buy a product due to
unethical ad

No. of Respondents

Percentage

Yes
No
Total

42
8
50

84
16
100

No. of Respondents

Yes
No

Table 5.11 shows that majority of the respondents decided not to buy a product due to an
unethical advertisement.

Table 5.12
In the future, would you refrain from buying a product / service because you
perceive its advertisements as unethical ?

Refrain from buying a product in future
due to unethical advertisement

No. of Respondents

Percentage

Yes
No
Total

50
0
50

100
0
100

No. of Respondents

Yes
No

Table 5.12 shows that all the respondents agree to refrain from buying a product due to an
unethical advertisement, in future.

Chapter 6
OBSERVATIONS & CONCLUSION

After completing the Survey I made the following observations :







Majority of the respondents believed that Advertising does not give an accurate view of
reality. Advertisers tend to distort the real image and fool the consumer.



Most of the respondents felt that advertisements do not treat consumers fairly, by being
dishonest.

Greatest number of respondents felt that the level of ethics in advertising is very low.


Majority of the respondents felt that advertisers are not creating honest and socially
desirable advertisements.



All the respondents considered issues such as Advertising to children, comparative
advertising, surrogate advertising, disguised advertising, puffery, subliminal advertising as
unethical.

Most of the respondents decided not to buy a product due to an unethical advertisement


All respondents agreed that they would refrain from buying a product if they perceived its
advertisement as unethical.

On analyzing the data, the following conclusions were drawn :



Advertisers should resort to ethical advertising to win the trust and loyalty of the
consumers.

Honest and non-misleading advertisements will increase demand for products


It is very important to understand the target audience and refrain from communicating
offensive material.



Advertisers should refrain from unethical issues such as comparative advertising and
Surrogate advertising

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Various websites and articles including the following were referred for the project :

http://joc.hcc.edu.pk/articlepdf/joc201300,%2033-44.pdf
http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/3434/6/06_chapter%202.pdf

http://www.tarj.in/images/download/AJMMR/TAJMMR%20OCTOBER
%202012%20%28COMPLETE%29%20PDF/TAJMMR%20OCTOBER
%202012%20%28COMPLETE%29%20PDF/10.1,%20Puneet%20Kumar.pdf

http://ethicsalarms.com/2012/03/22/unethical-advertising-slogan-of-the-month-reebok/

http://marketingpractice.blogspot.in/2013/08/brand-wars-pepsodent-vs-colgate.html

Text Book “Marketing Management) by Yogesh Funde & Poonam Kakkad

APPENDIX
QUESTIONNAIRE

Please answer the following questions by putting an `X’ in the appropriate space :

1.
a)
b)
c)

Which age group do you belong to ?
11 – 20
(____)
21 – 40
(____)
41 – 60
(____)

2. What is your gender ?
a) Male (____)
b) Female (____)

3.
a)
b)
c)

What is your Education Qualification ?
High School (____)
Graduate
(____)
Post-Graduate (____)

4.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

“Advertising shows an accurate view of reality.”
Strongly agree
(____)
Agree
(____)
No opinion
(____)
Disagree
(____)
Strongly Disagree (____)

5.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

“Advertising helps to shape the society’s views of the world and itself.”
Strongly agree
(____)
Agree
(____)
No opinion
(____)
Disagree
(____)
Strongly Disagree (____)

6. “Advertisements are treating advertising audiences fairly.”
a) Strongly agree
(____)
b) Agree
(____)

c) No opinion
(____)
d) Disagree
(____)
e) Strongly Disagree (____)

7.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

How do you view the level of ethics in general advertising ?
Very High (____)
High
(____)
Average (____)
Low
(____)
Very Low (____)

8.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

“Advertisers are creating honest, non-misleading, socially desirable advertisements.”
Strongly agree
(____)
Agree
(____)
No opinion
(____)
Disagree
(____)
Strongly Disagree (____)

a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

9. “Advertisements represent healthy, useful and ethical products, services, and/or
ideas.”
Strongly agree
(____)
Agree
(____)
No opinion
(____)
Disagree
(____)
Strongly Disagree (____)

a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)

10. Which of the following issues in general advertising would you consider being
unethical?
Advertising to children
(____)
Alcoholic beverage advertisements
(____)
Cigarette and tobacco advertisements
(____)
Comparative advertising
(____)
Surrogate advertising
(____)
Disguised advertising
(____)
Lack of truth
(____)
Puffery (increase value or attributes)
(____)
Subliminal advertising
(____)

11. Have you ever decided not to buy a product / service due to an advertisement that you
perceived as unethical ?
a) Yes (___)
b) No
(___)

12. In the future, would you refrain from buying a product / service because you perceive
its advertisements as unethical ?
a) Yes
(____)
b) No
(____)

UNETHICAL ADVERTISEMENT PICTURES

The above are examples of Puffery in Advertisements

The above are examples of Surrogate Advertising

This is an example of Surrogate Advertising

This is an example of Vulgarity in Advertisements

The above are examples of using Children in Advertising

Sponsor Documents

Or use your account on DocShare.tips

Hide

Forgot your password?

Or register your new account on DocShare.tips

Hide

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link to create a new password.

Back to log-in

Close