Advertising and Transparency

Madeleine Myer 

mm293318@ohio.edu

The Codes of Ethics

   PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) and IAE (The Institute of Advertising Ethics) present clear ethical codes that professionals should follow. PRSA places a high value on honesty. In their code they state, “We adhere to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in advancing the interests of those we represent and in communicating with the public”. IAE is similar to PRSA by placing honesty as one of their priorities as well. Along with honesty, IAE advises advertisers to not mislead the consumers they interact with, especially children. In their code, they state, "Advertisers should always practice the highest ethics when advertising to children".

Advertisements Surround us Everyday

    In the current age of the internet and social media, we are constantly surrounded by advertisements. Ads are placed throughout videos we watch on many varying platforms as well as throughout our social media feeds. According to marketing charts, "Information that appears on social media feeds is one of the least trusted forms of information".

    There are also pop-up ads which are defined as "ads that open in a new window during an online browsing session. They can live either on a webpage upon loading or between pages when they load". It is impossible for a person to avoid advertisements, especially when they can just appear by going on a website. 

Example of a pop-up advertisement on a web browser.

Are the Ethics Codes in Place Doing Enough?

    Although there are ethics codes in place for advertisers and public relations professionals that does not mean the codes are always being followed. Marketing charts took a survey of more than 36,000 respondents from 28 countries that revealed that 21% of respondents say they will never believe the information in advertising is true if it’s the only place they see it. People's trust in advertisements is going down and I can't help but wonder if the frequency with which people are forced to consume ads plays a role in it.