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7.2.2010 by Flow    Comments ()        follow me     connect
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Is advertising ethical?

Is advertising ethical?

Nobody likes adverts. That's at least what the founders of 'Adbusters' believe. Their ideology might have provided reasons for what happened in 2007 in Sao Paulo. The city famously introduced the first ban for display advertising in a capitalist country. Now advertisers join in this conversation that seemingly defeats visual pollution.

With 'stop the adness' yet another agency claims to have found the answer. Ogilvy's 'Campaign for Real Beauty' appeals because it DOESN'T look like a traditional advertisement using average-looking people instead of super-slim models. . But will less advertising really help attracting attention to the remaining spaces or will the call for self-regulation increase the anti-marketing resentments?

The most popular voice in this conversation is surely Naomi Klein with her book 'No Logo' attacking globalization and predominantly marketing for its fallout. The sole focus on profit-maximization is to be blamed for exploitation and environmental destruction in third world countries. Her arguments from 2000 sound fairly similar to what we could read since 2008 about the causes of the economic downturn. Amongst others it's mainly bankers' relentless attitude towards risk-taking for profit maximization.

If this is perceived as unethical, hypocritical and self-indulging then I am confused about how some marketers happily proclaim marketing as the new finance. 'They' refer to marketing's relevance to the economy compared to finance but seem to forget that this responsibility is two-sided. With the finance industry's image shattered, marketers often feel like it is in their hands to re-build trust in the financial institutions, making themselves look like saviors of the economy. But wouldn't that trust then be built on a false image rather than on trustworthy and ethical behavior from bankers?

I don't have an answer to how marketers and advertisers should be perceived like and hope for some comments below to join the conversation.


Does Bill Hicks say what the majority is thinking about marketing? I do hope not.


7.2.2010 by Flow

Comments

jan on #

YES