Advertising & Consumer Sovereignty
Advertising & Consumer Sovereignty
Advertising in the modern day has developed alongside the advent of business ethics as a scholarly and academic practice. As the ethical environment of business has seen a surge in study and discipline, advertising has undergone even more intense scrutiny and discussion. Though advertising and criticism is no new marriage as it has been under the microscope since its takeoff in the 1930s, developments in both approach by advertisers and its critiques has lead to an even heavier discussion than before. The focal point of this critique revolves around the notion of consumer sovereignty and how it theoretically has been altered by the ad. The aim of this paper is to address this very subject and propose that consumer sovereignty remains relatively untarnished by advertising. This paper will broach the subject by introducing the definition of advertising in the contemporary context, the general issues and criticisms of it, the more focused discussion concerning consumer sovereignty, as well as several mini case studies. Such arguments become critical in today’s market as advertising seeks even more complex and clever ways to gain attention of the consumer, furthering the arguments against it. The mention of said consumer also warrants a disclaimer for purposes of these arguments. It should be noted that here, the “consumer” is understood to be somewhat intellectual, rational, logical, and most importantly is able to exercise both the mental capacity and social freedom to make choices in the market. Without this understanding of the basic “consumer,” outliers in the consumer population will sway arguments to the extreme and discredit both sides. It is the understanding that the whole ethical framework of human life is our awareness that people ordinarily can choose. Advertising is understood to be a form of communication to persuade a consumer. It stems from the need for a supplier/sender to call attention to their
Advertising in the modern day has developed alongside the advent of business ethics as a scholarly and academic practice. As the ethical environment of business has seen a surge in study and discipline, advertising has undergone even more intense scrutiny and discussion. Though advertising and criticism is no new marriage as it has been under the microscope since its takeoff in the 1930s, developments in both approach by advertisers and its critiques has lead to an even heavier discussion than before. The focal point of this critique revolves around the notion of consumer sovereignty and how it theoretically has been altered by the ad. The aim of this paper is to address this very subject and propose that consumer sovereignty remains relatively untarnished by advertising. This paper will broach the subject by introducing the definition of advertising in the contemporary context, the general issues and criticisms of it, the more focused discussion concerning consumer sovereignty, as well as several mini case studies. Such arguments become critical in today’s market as advertising seeks even more complex and clever ways to gain attention of the consumer, furthering the arguments against it. The mention of said consumer also warrants a disclaimer for purposes of these arguments. It should be noted that here, the “consumer” is understood to be somewhat intellectual, rational, logical, and most importantly is able to exercise both the mental capacity and social freedom to make choices in the market. Without this understanding of the basic “consumer,” outliers in the consumer population will sway arguments to the extreme and discredit both sides. It is the understanding that the whole ethical framework of human life is our awareness that people ordinarily can choose. Advertising is understood to be a form of communication to persuade a consumer. It stems from the need for a supplier/sender to call attention to their
Cited: Beckery, Gary, and Kevin Murphy, “A Simle Theory of Advertising as Good or Bad,” Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press: 944 Machan, Tibor R., and James E. Chesher, A Primer On Business Ethics. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002. Philips, Michael J., Ethics and Manipulation in Advertising: Answering a Flawed Indictment. Westport, CT: Quorum Books, 1997. Richards, JW, “The Tobacco Industry’s Code of Advertising in the United States: Myth and Reality,” MedLine 4, no. 4 (1996): 295-311.