Unethical Advertisement

Dannella Laury

dl783619@ohio.edu

Marketing and advertising are one of the main ways to communicate and engage with consumers to promote their products and services. This is one of the most effective marketing methods to attract consumers; with the help of social media, companies can more easily market their brands through multiple platforms.

It is much easier for companies to promote their brands and better reach customers online; it is very important for these companies to follow and maintain ethical standards when promoting and marketing their products.

Unethical advertising is not uncommon. The major problem with marketing and advertising is the promotion of misleading claims about products.

One of the most annoying things is watching advertisements, whether on the Internet, in magazines, or on TV and decide to buy the product and or service, only to find out you did not get what you thought you paid for.

False and/or misleading advertisement has always been a problem, but unethical digital advertisements’ popularity has risen over the years because of the internet.

Picture source: Web Code Buddy

What is a false advertisement?

 

“False Advertising is defined as promotional marketing or advertising that misrepresents the actual information so that the consumers are misguided about the qualities, characteristics or geographic origin of the related product or services.”

A common advertisement that is often misleading is weight-loss products. Companies usually promise that if you use their products, you will lose weight. One strategy used by marketing companies is to show photos that are usually paid endorsement actors or social media influencers claiming that they have used the product to lose weight. However, these companies do not tell you that you must diet and exercise to get these results, so they are misleading advertisements.

In 2014, the marketers for Sensa Products, LLC, which promoted a “weight-loss powder sprinkled on food” product was required to pay a “$26.5 million” settlement to the Federal Trade Commission because the company promoted unproven weight-loss claims and used misleading advertisement.

Consumer protection

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is a federal agency which purpose is to “protect consumers by stopping unfair, deceptive practices in the marketplace.” If the FTC's complaint is valid and the company violates the law, the FTC can initiate a civil lawsuit on behalf of the consumer. In addition, consumers can sue advertisers under state consumer protection laws.

These laws are crucial because they require advertisers to follow strict guidelines, as they may be sued for marketing and promoting misleading advertisements.

 Final thought 

Advertisers should avoid distorting the truth about their products to consumers, because it is important that they adhere to and abide by current values and ethical standards.