Social, Ethical and Legal

Aspects of Advertising
Social Aspects
 1. Advertising Educates Consumers
• Advertising Informs Consumers
- Leads to Enhanced lifestyle
- Product search time gets
reduced
- Product search cost gets
reduced
- Awareness about Social
Issues
 Advertising Educates
consumers
• Advertising is Superficial and
Intrusive
- Less Info about product
- Hollow ad-speak
- Info is biased, limited and
deceptive

Advertisers argument:
Consumers- More interested in
emotional or aesthetic aspects.
Functional features is secondary.
 Advertising Educates
Consumers
• Intrusive/Disturbing Aspect
- Advertising has become so
widespread that consumers
have started to revolt them.

- Causes frustration
 2. Advertising Improves
Std of Living
• Advertising lowers the cost of products

- Advertising increases possibility of a new product being

successful.

- Competition increases and thus consumers get improved

products at low prices.

- Diffusion of innovation
 Advertising improves
Std of Living
# No!!!! Advertising wastes resources
Raises Std of living only for some.
- Results in shuffling of demand from

one brand to another.

- Doesn’t stimulate demand
 Advertising affects
Happiness &
general well being
• Addresses a wide variety of basic human needs.

• Maslow’s Hierarchy of need states.

Physiological- Eat at Mc D,

Safety- Tyres

Love & Belonging- D’Damas Engagement ring

Esteem- Automobiles, Home in Ajnara

Self Actualization- Courses for self enhancement.

 Advertising affects
Happiness and general
well being
• Advertising reflects society’s
priorities.
- Diwali in India is a time of
Consumption.
 Advertising affects
Happiness and general
well being
• Advertising Creates Needs!!!

Concept of Tall, Dark and Handsome!!!!

 Advertising affects
Happiness and general
well being
• Advertising promotes
materialism,
status seeking
behavior.
 Advertising :
dishonest
or
Liberating & Artful
• Advertisers are showing much more
sensitivity.
 Advertising :
Deceitful
or
Liberating & Artful
• Source of fulfillment & liberation from foul facets
of life

• It is a democratic art.
- Richest & poorest end up buying the same
things.
 Advertising :
Demeaning & Deceitful
or
Liberating & Artful

• Perpetuates stereotypes
• Often offensive
a) Sources of distaste
b) Shock advertising
Ethical Aspects
Ethics are the moral standards against which behavior is judged

Key areas of debate regarding ethics and advertising are:

– Truth in advertising
– Advertising to children
– Advertising controversial products
 Ethical aspects of advertising
• Truth in Advertising

– Deception is making false or misleading

statements. Illegal!!!!

– Commercial exaggeration is legal.

Ethical aspects of advertising
Advertising to Children—Issues

– Advertising promotes superficiality

and materialism in children.

– Inexperienced and easy prey.

– Persuasion to children creates

child-parent conflicts.
 Ethical aspects of advertising
Advertising Controversial Products

Critics question the “targeting” of

minorities.
• Tobacco, alcohol, gambling and lotteries are
product categories of greatest concern.

• A contraceptive advertisement with a child in it

was banned in America.
Legal Aspects
 Legal aspects of advertising
The government in each country has to
make sure that advertisements appearing
do not flaunt of their rules & regulations.
It should not:-

 show anti-national feelings

 contain misleading information about the
product
 Violate government rules
 Legal aspects of advertising
Some examples of the Advertisements with
legal aspects:-

 Get your car checked for pollution

 Drinks & driving do not mix
 Weight, price, manufacturing date, date of
expiry should be mentioned on the
packing case.