Public Relations and Advertising Regulations

Bobby Urse

bobbyurse@gmail.com

The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) ethical codes include values of advocacy, honesty, expertise, independence, loyalty, and fairness. While the American Advertising Federation (AAF) prioritizes the ethical values of truth, substantiation,  comparisons, bait advertising, guarantees and warranties, price claims, testimonials, and taste and decency.

While it is true both of these organizations uphold similar ethical values for their fields, it does not always mean these rules are followed by everyone in the industry. Sometimes ethical values can become muddled or cast aside once a company's bottom line is brought into fruition. 

At least, that seems to be a plausible outlook based on the current public reception of advertising today.

image courtesy of aaf.org

Not only do these industries monitor themselves with their own ethical values, but there is some government regulation around advertising. In Pamela Divinsky's article, How is advertising influenced by ethics? she states, "Today there are a number of jurisdictions that have clearly defined rules and regulations about what can be advertised and to whom. For example, in North America [sic] there are strict rules that determine the shape of advertising to children, while in some jurisdictions advertising to children is illegal." 

Public Relations also has some government oversight, as Stephanie Dube Dwilson states in her article, What Laws Affect Public Relations? she discusses how laws concerning privacy, defamation, intellectual property, and deceptive advertising must be considered in public relations.

In conclusion, it is a good thing that there is not only ethical values within these two industries, but that there is some government regulation to help enforce these ideas. Companies must become creative to not only compete with each other but to stay within the guidelines of all of this regulation. As a result of this, perhaps the people consuming this content should be a little more trusting of their messages due to the numerous guidelines they must work within.

When unethical content does eventually circumvent internal and external regulation, we must remember we are the last line of defense for keeping these companies in check. Articles such as 18 false advertising scandals that cost some brands millions or 10 Most Deceptive PR Campaigns in History are a good start.