Lucas Rogers
lr826917@ohio.edu
How It Works
With the rise of the internet and social media in the world we currently live in, the inclusion of advertising into the mix was sure to follow suit. These advertisements can exist in many different forms. They may arise as banner ads, pop-up ads and even entire web pages based around the advertisements. It is needless to say that most companies have had no problem transitioning their advertisements into the online world. The question that many may wonder when it comes to these advertisements is, "can they be trusted?" Just like all other forms of advertising, these ads follow a strict code of ethics that they must stick to in order to stay in online circulation.
Credit: Antevenio
The Code Of Ethics
Online advertisers, marketers and public relations specialists all follow the code of ethics of the PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) and the IAE (Institute for Advertising Ethics). These codes go into deep detail on their commitment to ethical practices in the realm of advertising. According to this article, we find that through online advertising, websites are able to collect users' information and use it to create segments of people who can be targeted with these advertisements. In order for this to happen, advertisers must closely follow the ethics listed by PRSA and IAE to ensure that what they are doing is legal. This practice itself is legal in the eyes of the codes of ethics, however, any sort of dishonesty or violation of the viewer's privacy would create some legal trouble for the advertisers at hand.
But Are The Ads Telling The Truth?
Well, that is something that you might just have to find out on your own. While most companies tend to only market the positive aspects of themselves or their products, they mostly tell the whole truth of what their company is all about. However, there are some companies that tend to be quite deceitful with their advertising. This practice is known as unethical advertising and can be considered any form of advertising that identifies as false, exaggerated, obscene and even immoral. This Forbes article states that unethical advertising sends the wrong message out to prospects about the products and services being advertised. One example that comes to mind was an ad from the Mr. Clean brand for Mother's Day. The ad contained a sexist undertone, implying that it was the woman's job to clean the house. While this was not the intention of the Mr. Clean brand, it certainly did not fare well by the audience they were trying to reach. When a brand uses any form of unethical advertising such as this, their consumers are not quick to forget. So for the sake of the brand and the audience, it is best to follow ethical advertising practices as closely as possible.
Credit: Marilina's Chronicles
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