Why Ethics are so Important in Advertising and Marketing
The main aim of any business, big or small, is to increase sales, gain more consumers, and to improve its visibility in the market. In a nutshell, the business owners are looking for ways to make money and grow. The startups, on the other hand, have an additional responsibility to benefit their stakeholders.
Business owners want to increase the market share of their products. The first thought that comes to their mind is to advertise the products and services. They want their team to come up with the most creative ways to promote their products to attract customers to them. Every advertiser wants to showcase their product as one of the best with unique qualities that none of the competitors possess.
Advertising is one of the essential tools for success in any business. However, in the fierce battle of brands, advertisers sometimes forget ethics and mislead the customers with false claims. Thus advertisements can be both helpful and harmful. The debate between ethical and unethical advertising begins here, although the line between the two is blurry and ill-defined.
Business owners want to increase the market share of their products. The first thought that comes to their mind is to advertise the products and services. They want their team to come up with the most creative ways to promote their products to attract customers to them. Every advertiser wants to showcase their product as one of the best with unique qualities that none of the competitors possess.
Advertising is one of the essential tools for success in any business. However, in the fierce battle of brands, advertisers sometimes forget ethics and mislead the customers with false claims. Thus advertisements can be both helpful and harmful. The debate between ethical and unethical advertising begins here, although the line between the two is blurry and ill-defined.
What Is Ethical Advertising?
An ethical advertisement is the one which is not deceptive, doesn't lie, backed by evidence, doesn't make false claims, and is fair.
There is always a pressure on the marketers and owners to give an attention-grabbing and catchy message. In this war, there is still a chance of crossing that line between ethical and unethical. Since the ethical codes are generally not written, the marketers may take the liberty to cross that line. Many actions by the advertisers may be legal but not moral.
Can a brand sustain with Ethical Advertising?
It may sound unbelievable, even impossible, but yes, a product and brand can grow without resorting to false or unethical advertising. The need of the hour is to effectively advertise your products and services without having to tell any lies. The new generation is well informed and understands what is ethical and what is not. According to a survey majority of Millenials are more likely to purchase products advertised by ethical companies.
When you are adopting ethical advertising, your intentions are clear. You would communicate the truth and do not need the subliminal messages to inform the reality. Since you do not have any hidden agendas, you would also not try to mislead by giving false information. You will communicate directly with your consumers. Conversely, in unethical advertising, you will find misrepresentation and distorted messages to fool the consumers.
Why Ethical Advertising
With ethical advertising, you ensure that you are not hurting the sentiments of the society.
The advertiser should maintain a code of conduct while presenting ads
Ethical advertising means the marketer is avoiding, misrepresentation and adhering with social norms. Ethics in advertising also helps in image building of the brand and organizations
Puffery ads are the ones where the advertisers are seen, making positive claims of a particular product. It is difficult to prove or disprove many positive general claims because they are a matter of opinion. Hence such ads are legal in many countries.
Many misleading ads may not be giving you false information, but the presentation of the product is in such a manner that the consumers make incorrect inferences.
The ad is ethical when the marketer has made it with the belief that the customers will understand what the ad is trying to say. The ad, without any false claims when, convinces the consumers to think and lead to positive results, may not be called unethical. In contrast, when the advertisers start fooling their customers by showing any unpractical things, then this and will be called as wrong or unethical.
Unlike ethical advertising, unethical ads have no respect for the environment, planet, culture, and the people's true lifestyle.
The reason why we see a lot of puffery, false and misleading ads is because it is considered more of a moral issue than a crime. However, it doesn't mean the advertisers are free to show anything as per their whims and fancies. If the advertiser willfully deceives the audience into buying the product by going extreme, then he is liable to be prosecuted or fined.
Dabur Chyawanprash ad, which claimed that it could boost the immunity of the children three times more and help them fight diseases, was slammed by the ASCI for the unsubstantiated claims.
Arnica hair oil ad claims, "Prevents hair fall and increases hair growth" and "It gives cooling to the brain and better sleep", were misleading and unsubstantiated according to ASCI.
HUL for its lever Ayush soap claimed 'based on 5,000-year-old Ayurved scriptures with 15 ayurvedic herbs'. The Customer Complaints Council (CCC) found that these claims besides other claims were inadequately substantiated and are misleading.
"The visual of the celebrity (Akshay Kumar) when seen in conjunction with the claims are likely to mislead consumers regarding the product efficacy and contravened ASCI's guidelines for celebrities in advertising," ASCI said.
In India, we have Advertising sector watchdog, Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), that investigates complaints against false and misleading advertisements
Established in 1985, ASCI is a voluntary self-regulatory organization of the advertising industry in India. The non-Government body is, committed to the cause of self- regulation in advertising, ensuring the protection of the interest of consumers.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (Department of Consumer Affairs) has launched a portal called "Grievance Against Misleading Advertisements (GAMA)". It is dealing with complaints relating to misleading advertisements. Under an MoU, the Department has assigned the task of processing the complaints received through the GAMA portal to the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) as per its code. ASCI evaluates any complaint regarding misleading or unethical ad received at GAMA. If the claim is true, ASCI asks the advertisers to modify or withdraw the misleading advertisements. In case of non-compliance, ASCI forwards such complaints to the Regulators concerned to take necessary action.
The advertiser should maintain a code of conduct while presenting ads
Ethical advertising means the marketer is avoiding, misrepresentation and adhering with social norms. Ethics in advertising also helps in image building of the brand and organizations
Unethical Advertising
It is the exact opposite of ethical advertising. Unethical ads include false and untrue Advertising, puffery, and misleading ads. Using obscene or vulgarly imaginary to grab the attention of the consumers may also fall into the wrong category.Puffery ads are the ones where the advertisers are seen, making positive claims of a particular product. It is difficult to prove or disprove many positive general claims because they are a matter of opinion. Hence such ads are legal in many countries.
Many misleading ads may not be giving you false information, but the presentation of the product is in such a manner that the consumers make incorrect inferences.
The ad is ethical when the marketer has made it with the belief that the customers will understand what the ad is trying to say. The ad, without any false claims when, convinces the consumers to think and lead to positive results, may not be called unethical. In contrast, when the advertisers start fooling their customers by showing any unpractical things, then this and will be called as wrong or unethical.
Unlike ethical advertising, unethical ads have no respect for the environment, planet, culture, and the people's true lifestyle.
The reason why we see a lot of puffery, false and misleading ads is because it is considered more of a moral issue than a crime. However, it doesn't mean the advertisers are free to show anything as per their whims and fancies. If the advertiser willfully deceives the audience into buying the product by going extreme, then he is liable to be prosecuted or fined.
Few Examples of Unethical or Misleading Advertisements
Zomato received a backlash when they used Hindi expletives, MC, and BC in bold and put thousands of hoarding across India to sell Mac-n-Cheese and Butter Chicken.Dabur Chyawanprash ad, which claimed that it could boost the immunity of the children three times more and help them fight diseases, was slammed by the ASCI for the unsubstantiated claims.
Arnica hair oil ad claims, "Prevents hair fall and increases hair growth" and "It gives cooling to the brain and better sleep", were misleading and unsubstantiated according to ASCI.
HUL for its lever Ayush soap claimed 'based on 5,000-year-old Ayurved scriptures with 15 ayurvedic herbs'. The Customer Complaints Council (CCC) found that these claims besides other claims were inadequately substantiated and are misleading.
"The visual of the celebrity (Akshay Kumar) when seen in conjunction with the claims are likely to mislead consumers regarding the product efficacy and contravened ASCI's guidelines for celebrities in advertising," ASCI said.
Rules and Regulations of Advertising
In India, we have Advertising sector watchdog, Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), that investigates complaints against false and misleading advertisements
Established in 1985, ASCI is a voluntary self-regulatory organization of the advertising industry in India. The non-Government body is, committed to the cause of self- regulation in advertising, ensuring the protection of the interest of consumers.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (Department of Consumer Affairs) has launched a portal called "Grievance Against Misleading Advertisements (GAMA)". It is dealing with complaints relating to misleading advertisements. Under an MoU, the Department has assigned the task of processing the complaints received through the GAMA portal to the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) as per its code. ASCI evaluates any complaint regarding misleading or unethical ad received at GAMA. If the claim is true, ASCI asks the advertisers to modify or withdraw the misleading advertisements. In case of non-compliance, ASCI forwards such complaints to the Regulators concerned to take necessary action.
What Should a Marketer Do?
The businesses should avoid grabbing immediate attention by making tall or false claims. It is not going to benefit them in the long run. Besides such fake and misleading claims, it might outrage the public and make the stakeholders very angry. It is ultimately going to affect your bottom line. Above all, there are chances that you may be prosecuted if you are using unethical practices. Your company might also end up paying harsh penalties to the Government.
In the best interest of the organization and the brand, one should strive to promote the truth in advertising. Yes, you have all the rights to project the benefits and strengths of your products in the ads. The only thing that you should keep in mind is, do not lie. Any claim that you make about your product should be substantiated with facts and evidences. Ensure that you have incorporated the strengths and relevant information about your product that the consumers should consider before buying.
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