Advertising is our Biggest Friend and our Enemy

Nick A. Ursini
nu778414@ohio.edu

Advertisements are almost as unavoidable as stopping at a red light when you are driving. Ads provide the chance for companies to showcase their products, but those advertisements are ever-changing and the use of technology has changed consumer's opinions on advertisements. Marketing is a big part of a company, but with the ethical decision making being more about making money other than building your brand and gaining customer loyalty. So where did it all change?

{Photo by:www.bravegirlswant.com}

Ethical Decision-Making:
It is never easy telling the truth. In certain situations bending the truth or telling lies seems to be the better option. However when trying to sell your product or show your customers how well your product is, why lie when the after effect can be costly? In the end what it comes down to is your morals and ethics. And what do you prefer, money or loyalty?"Let's start with truth in advertising. But any philosophy major can tell you, there's Truth... and then there's Truth" (Ogilvy and Mather CEO, Pg.1). I'm not saying it is easy to do sometimes, but it is the right thing to do. Your consumers need to know the truth.

Now and Their Effects:
Technological advances have carried the advertising business for years now. Television ads that cost millions of dollars, ads in newspapers, magazines, a website you name it they are everywhere. But, can they be trusted as pure and true? Truthfully, the reason so little has been done is because it costs money to try and find the frauds. 

Manipulation and Exposure to false ads are two of the biggest reasons why false advertising has not been stopped. We have heard the expression, "You can't believe everything you read or see on the internet." But just how many viewers actually believe the advertisements they see?

Statistics:
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the biggest organization protecting American viewers. " When the FTC finds a case of fraud perpetrated on consumers the agency files actions in federal district court for immediate and permanent orders to stop scams; prevent fraudsters from perpetrates scams in the future; freeze their assets and get compensation for victims" (FTC News and Events, Pg.1).

• The leading consumer complaint as of 2015 was debt collection at 29 percent, followed by Identity theft and 16 percent and imposter scams at 11 percent.
• Health Care and Pharmaceutical led the enforcement by action with 26 percent.
• 844, 036 consumers received redress totaling over $22.3 million dollars.

{All statistics from: www.ftc.gov/node}

Takeaways:
So after seeing the statistics and the numerous cases of fraudulent advertising, manipulation, and overexposure, what are your thoughts on advertising? Don't get me wrong, I think marketing and advertising are what makes a company a great company. They can showcase their products to try and branch out to get new customers, but also maintain their level of commitment to current customers. But somewhere recently the goal of advertising has changed. The ads can be manipulated to show their product is better than it really is, it can say things about it that are partially true, but not completely. As consumers, we thought we could trust these companies. The real questions to be asking while looking at a product. Do companies try and earn our trust with their products, or are they just trying to line their pockets? Whatever it may be, advertising is in a big hole.