Blog Post 2: May 27th, 2020

Advertising ethics is a set of specific principles that regulate the methods of communication between the buyer and the seller. With advertising, our company needs to make sure that we follow ethical guidelines that do not tell false claims or dupe customers just because we want to increase our sales. By following ethical guidelines, our company can demonstrate that we can do the right thing for our customers, without compromising on confidence or trust from customers.

One guideline that the company should follow is being transparent. For a customer to make an informed decision about a project, companies should be open about their products. By being honest and frank, you will be able to gain the trust of new customers and hold up a good company reputation. If something is not disclosed, it probably is not ethical or moral. Through transparency, a company can allow consumers to form their own opinions and also get feedback from customers to make advertising more engaging and securing long-term brand loyalty.

One advertisement that clearly follows this guideline is Southwest's 'Transfarency' ad. With this ad, customers know that they are not going to face hidden airline fees, such as baggage fees or extra costs to change a ticket. Southwest's Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Kevin Krone, said: "Being a low-fare airline is at the heart of our brand, and the foundation of our business model so we're not going to nickel and dime our customers." This makes Southwest a trustworthy company since their low fares are unhidden and shows that they are not focusing on profit entirely, but focusing more on the people.

On the other hand, transparency is not always seen. For example, for a car advertisement, the fine print can deceive customers. The actual advertisement may promote a good deal or intricate, luxurious features, however, the fine print is so small and if it is an ad run on television, most, if not all, customers do not have enough time to even attempt to read the fine print. In Canada, thousands of Canadians every year file complaints about companies that advertise one thing and deliver another. In the video, Debi Andrus, a marketing professor, made a good point. She said, "having a disclaimer is not a way to just do away with your ethical, legal, moral, obligations to customer satisfaction—it goes against it." Kia Canada Inc. said they "reserve the right to make changes at any time without notice," which is not being transparent with customers. Customers are not going to be able to easily trust the company after buying that product which can lead to poor customer satisfaction and a poor company reputation. With manipulative language or specific details buried in the fine print, it is very easy for potential customers or even previous customers, to be taken advantage of.

Another guideline the company should follow is to not exhibit offensive or controversial tones or feelings in our advertisements. Being culturally aware is important because messages or symbols can mean different things to various cultures. An advertisement should not shame or degrade a certain group of people. Insensitive and problematic ads can receive backlash from people and cause damage to a brand's reputation. These types of ads may not align with the moral values of a lot of people that will see the advertisements.

One advertisement that helped bring awareness to prejudice and discrimination towards a specific group of people, women. The Autocomplete Truth ad by UN women revealed how there were negative connotations of women and how there is still a long way to go for gender equality. The ad showed how the popular search engine, Google, suggested these appalling search terms after entering different phrases such as "women should," "women shouldn't," and "women need." The negative and offensive sentiments showed on the ads caught worldwide attention and sparked a needed discussion regarding women's rights, empowerment, and gender equality. This is a good example of how UN Women used their platform to spotlight a worldwide problem.

women shouldn't "have rights;" "vote;"
"work;" "box"

women should "stay at home;" "be slaves;"
"be in the kitchen;" "not speak in church"

women need to "be put in their place;" "know their place;"
"be controlled;" "be disciplined"

On the contrary, a Pepsi commercial featuring Kendall Jenner received backlash. The ad was seen as tone-deaf amid the #BlackLivesMatter movement. The ad was using "a white model to appropriate and capitalize on a movement that is defined by race and racial disparity." This was very offensive to those protesting for justice and fighting for what is right. Many black people, like Eric Garner and most recently, George Floyd, were killed by police officers that used unnecessary force. Police have used tear gas and rubber bullets during peaceful protests where people are fighting for those who have been wrongly killed and for those officers that committed the crime to be held responsible. Pepsi released a statement saying "Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace, and understanding." However, they clearly missed the mark and undermined how brutal and violent these protests really are and how a can of soda cannot just suddenly bring peace between protesters and the police. The advertisement insulted and hurt many people and the Pepsi brand suffered.

One last guideline our company should follow is not using false endorsements, especially from celebrities. This is important because celebrities have a big influence on their millions of followers and a lot of companies use celebrity endorsements to reach a larger audience.

One way a company used a valid celebrity endorsement was Weight Watchers and Oprah Winfrey. Oprah openly struggled with her weight for years so her teaming up with Weight Watchers is authentic. She lost over 40 pounds and by being an ambassador for Weight Watchers, she has brought in numerous new customers and boosted sales for the company. Because Oprah was in the public spotlight, people could see that she did lose weight so her endorsement with the company seemed more genuine and legitimate.

Meanwhile, an example of a company using false endorsements in their advertising is Dannon Activia yogurt. The actress Jamie Lee Curtis was in a number of commercials and she talked about the digestive benefits of the Activia yogurt. Dannon promoted the yogurt products as clinically and scientifically proven to regulate digestion and boost immune systems. However, the company was making claims that it had not proven. The ads promised something to customers that ended up being untrue and manipulated customers into paying a premium price for yogurt.

Following ethical guidelines for advertising would ensure that our customers will not be deceived and therefore, we would gain their trust as a company. I do not think it is necessary to be unethical in order to get more customers or make more profit. By doing the right thing, our company will have a good reputation and perhaps even set a good example for other companies to follow along.