The Consequences of Unethical Advertising

Haley Bender
hb476416@ohio.edu

Advertising has had a negative stereotype for being unethical for almost as long as it has existed. TV shows like Mad Men showcase the ins and outs of the deception that advertisers used before the creation of the FTC and laws to regulate advertisers and its truthfulness.

Even today with thousands of laws and regulations, advertisers still create false and/or unethical campaigns. The different between false or unethical advertising now and many years ago is that the FTC has the power give punishments to the people behind these advertisements.

Photo from: https://www.vox.com/2019/1/25/18194953/vape-juul-e-cigarette-marketing

Juul

In the past few years, Juul has been a hot topic in the news. Founded in 2015 Juul Labs, Inc. began selling an e-cigarette with nicotine pods that were flavored like desserts and fruits. The company grew rapidly and now owns 70% of the market share. The rise and popularity of the Juul created a rise in vaping among teenagers, who many thought would have never started smoking if it were not for Juul and its appealing flavors.

While Juul claims that their product is meant for adult smokers who are trying to stop smoking cigarettes, the company has been under heat for the past year for marketing to young people. Many of their ads, especially when the company first began, featured young people having fun with bright colors. A team of researchers with the Stanford Research into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising found that the ads were very similar to tobacco ads. Additionally, Juul used social media for much of their advertising, where their audience is mostly comprised of people under 18.

To attempt to comply with federal regulators, Juul announced in 2018 that it would stop selling flavored pods, except mint and tobacco, in retail stores. They also removed their Facebook and Instagram accounts and removed many of the older ads from the internet that contained young people. The company did decide to keep their Twitter account.

Flash forward to today, Juul has recently announced that they will completely suspend all broadcast, print and digital advertising in the U.S. This will most likely affect their sales and will, many people hope, reverse the trend of teenage vaping. The company will still advertise in Canada and other countries around the world.

Many say that the damage is already done, however. The previous social media advertisements and campaigns have already affected teenagers and young adults. The teenagers who have already started Juuling are addicted and will continue to influence their peers and people below them. Will Juul's moves to make the public and regulators happy be effective? We will have to wait and see.

Juul is a great example of a company who is paying the price for its unethical advertising. Juul's reputation has been completely damaged among most audiences because they advertised and marketing their products to young people, causing an epidemic and a public health concern. If strategic communication professionals and students learn anything from Juul, it is to not be like them. Advertising to minors is always tricky, especially when your product is addictive and not legally sold to people under 18 (or 21 in some states).