UNIVERSTIY OF MARYLAND U.C.
Child Advertising
Final Project – Phase 2
Professor Daniel Powroznik
Jason G. Ritchie
Abstract
The topic of Business Ethics covers a wide range of topics. The author through a few citations
a(empted to cover brief areas which drive the business ethics on situational basis. The
variations are nothing but business demands and the corporate social responsibility and how
much each one could be accommodated at one given time. In author’s view, Ethics is the
analysis and utilizing the concepts such as right and wrong, good and evil, and responsibility.
Author also described separation fallacy, integration thesis (I and II), relativism, ethnocentrism,
principals and Universal values
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Advertising to children has ethical implications associated with the imprint that is
instilled upon a child’s impressionable and still developing psychology. However, this
ethical consideration is o2en not present in many business standards or decisions. For example,
within our society, the fast food industry has become synonymous with the high obesity rate of
Americans and it can be argued that within this implication, the fast food industry had implored
an unethical marketing strategy that is specifically designed to target children. The strategy
it utilizes tantalizing enticements by providing toys related to current pop-culture themes
with each kid’s meals. This in turn lures kids to obesity with the popular toy acting as a vehicle
to stimulate that end result. Furthermore, children have an unlimited amount of access to a
plethora of social outlets, each outlet bombarded by social media and advertisements that
solicit these concepts without ethical remorse and as a results, negligence of the direct link
between childhood obesity and the fast food marketing strategy is overlooked, “Kids are
inundated with advertising in a way never before… (Marketing) entices kids not because of the
food but because of the toys and the message of happiness that is part of their
advertising” (Marketing to Children).
In contrast to the unethical market strategy of the fast food industry’s decision to market
to children, it is within this same regard that it is the ethical responsibility of the parent to
negate any impression garnered by any fast food advertisement that may have marred the
impressionable mind of children. McDonald’s CEO, Jim Skinner asserted that it is, “the
company’s right to advertise freely, to o<er its menu and lifestyle selections, and leave to
parent’s the right to choose what their children eat, saying it is up to personal responsibility”
(Marketing to Children). This is a valid response, however, the point engages in the business
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critical thinking realm of ad hominem fallacy or, “Instead of presenting a counterargument, we
a(ack the character of the person who made the argument” (Boss, J. A. (2012). Indeed, it is
ultimately the parent’s responsibility to assume for the care of their child by any ethical
standard regarding any facet of their child’s life, however, McDonald’s CEO simply shi2ed blame
without taking into account or responsibility the direct link associated with fast food marketing
and childhood obesity. Due to this fact, there is no situation that can be ethically permissible in
its justi5cation for targeting children in advertising, especially when the advertising results in
unethical or harmful rami5cations such as obesity.
A2er working in retail and marketing for several years I know that marketing ethics is an
area that deals with the moral principles behind marketing. Ethics in marketing applies to
di<erent scopes such as in advertising, promotion, pricing. The ethics of advertisements will be
