Chapter 21 – Evaluating the Social, Ethical, and Economic Aspects of Advertising and Promotion
21–12
There are numerous arguments that are offered by those individuals or groups opposed to
advertising to children. They argue that children, especially young ones, are vulnerable to
advertising because they lack the necessary experience and knowledge to understand and evaluate
critically the purpose of persuasive advertising appeals. They also argue that many preschool
5. The lead in to the chapter notes that some doctors and competitors claim that the new “toner”
shoes do not work. Others suggest that the mere fact that consumers think they work, and –as a
result—exercise more, is enough t warrant their claims. Discuss these arguments. (LO2)
The argument that the shoe claims provide a benefit because they get people out to exercise is
morally, and probably, legally incorrect. The claims specify what the consumer should expect to
6. Groups such as Commercial Alert are concerned about the intrusion of advertising and other
types of marketing messages into all aspects of consumers’ lives. Discuss some of the reasons
consumer watchdog groups are critical of advertising and other types of marketing practices.
(LO2)
Chapter 21 – Evaluating the Social, Ethical, and Economic Aspects of Advertising and Promotion
Many marketers are obliterating the line between marketing communications and entertainment
by creating and delivering ads and other messages that appear to be part of popular culture.
Critics are concerned over the use these techniques as they view them as stealth messages and
argue that consumers are often unaware of their persuasive intent. Groups such as Commercial
7. Evaluate the Dolce & Gabbana ad shown in Exhibit 21-3. Do you agree with the National
Organization for Women’s position that this ad is offensive to women? (LO3)
NOW has expressed outrage over this provocative Dolce & Gabbana ad as the organization
argues that the scene evokes a gang rape and reeks of violence against women. The president of
NOW notes that “It’s a provocative ad but it is provoking things that we really do not want to
have provoked.” It is very difficult to disagree with NOW’s position on this ad as it is clearly
suggestive of a rape or group sex scenario and is very offensive to women. As noted in the text,
Chapter 21 – Evaluating the Social, Ethical, and Economic Aspects of Advertising and Promotion
21–14
8. A common criticism of advertising is that it stereotypes women. Discuss the ways this might
occur. Do you think the Airwalk ad shown in Exhibit 21-8 is suggestive and symbolizes sexual
submission? (LO3)
Advertising has received a tremendous amount of criticism for stereotyping women. Critics argue
that advertising generally depicts women as being preoccupied with beauty, household duties
and/or motherhood and has failed to acknowledge the changing role of women in society.
Another concern is that many ads portray women as decorative objects or sexually provocative
9. Discuss how attitudes toward the use of sex in advertising differ between men and women. Discuss
the implications of these attitudinal differences for marketers who are developing ads for each sex.
(LO1)
The results of an online survey of 200 men and 200 women conducted by MediaAnalyzer Software &
Research in September 2005 are shown in Figure 21-1. The results concerning general opinions about
sex in advertising revealed that it is a very polarizing issue. While almost half of men indicated that
The results of this survey indicate that men are much more receptive to the use of sexual appeals than
are women. Men are much more likely than women to notice an ad that has a sexual theme and
remember the brand. They also like sexual ads more and are less likely to view them as demeaning to
women. These finding suggest that ads with sexual appeals may be an effective way to get the
Chapter 21 – Evaluating the Social, Ethical, and Economic Aspects of Advertising and Promotion
21–15
10. The chapter discusses how many marketers are struggling with their multicultural marketing efforts
and suggest that one reason may be the lack of diversity in advertising agencies. What are some of
the reasons for the low number of minorities, such as African–Americans, working in advertising?
How can the industry address this problem? (LO2)
As discussed in Diversity Perspective 21-1, there are a number of reasons why the number of
Additional Discussion Questions (not in text)
11. The Campaign for Real Beauty is an integrated marketing communication program that Unilever has
been using for its Dove brand since 2004. Do you view this campaign as movement in a positive
direction with regard to the portrayal of women in advertising or as a creative way for Dove to sell
more beauty products? Defend your position. (LO3)
Unilever has developed an extensive integrated marketing communications programs to support the
Campaign for Real Beauty for its Dove beauty products. The campaign uses a variety of IMC tools
Chapter 21 – Evaluating the Social, Ethical, and Economic Aspects of Advertising and Promotion
21–16
The Campaign for Real Beauty was launched after Unilever’s Dove brand team reviewed the results
of a study indicating that most women feel that the media and advertisers set an unrealistic standard
of beauty that they cannot achieve. The survey also found that only a small percentage of women are
Critics of the campaign argue that it is really just a clever way for Dove to market its beauty and
cosmetic brands and is more about selling these products than making a social statement. They argue
that there is a contradiction in the message of the campaign as it suggests that women still need to use
Dove products to be beautiful. They also argue that Dove markets items such as cellulite cream and
12. Discuss the arguments for and against advertiser influence and/or control over the media. How might
a newspaper or magazine avoid being influenced by advertisers? (LO4)
There are a number of reasons why critics argue that advertisers have influence over the media and
that the advertising and financial side of the publishing business controls or influences the editorial
content of magazines and newspapers. The main factor in support of this position is that the media
are either totally or highly dependent upon advertising revenue. Television and radio networks and
stations receive nearly all their revenue from advertising, while newspapers and magazines receive
Chapter 21 – Evaluating the Social, Ethical, and Economic Aspects of Advertising and Promotion
There are several arguments against advertisers’ ability to control the editorial content of media such
as television stations, magazines and newspapers. First, it is in the best self-interest of the media that
they not be influenced too much by advertisers. To retain public confidence, they must report the
13. Obesity has become the leading heath problem in the United States and health experts point to a
number of factors that are contributing to the problem including marketing and advertising practices
of the food industry. Should government regulate this industry? (LO4)
Food marketers spend approximately $40 billion per year to market their products to children. These
marketing efforts include media advertising, promotions, the use of licensed characters to promote
food products, web sites and online promotions, and many other techniques. Critics argue that the
The food industry recognize that they are under attack and are taking steps to address the problem
such as developing more healthy products and changing their advertising and promotion practices.
Companies such as Kraft Foods have stopped advertising popular snack-food items to children under
the age of 12 while Coca-Cola updated its guidelines to eliminate advertising and sampling to kids
under 12 and not show young children consuming soft drinks unless they are accompanied by an
adult. The industry recognizes that they need to be proactive in addressing the problem or face the
Chapter 21 – Evaluating the Social, Ethical, and Economic Aspects of Advertising and Promotion
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14. Discuss the two major perspectives of the economic impact of advertising: “advertising = market
power” and “advertising = information.” (LO4)
The Advertising = Market Power perspective reflects traditional economic thinking and views
advertising as a way of changing consumers’ tastes, lowering their sensitivity to price, and building
brand loyalty among buyers of advertised brands. This results in higher profits and market power for
large advertisers, reduces competition in the market, and leads to higher prices and fewer choice
alternatives for consumers. High prices and excessive profits give advertisers even more incentive to
15. Discuss the role of ethics in advertising and promotion. How do ethical considerations differ from
legal considerations in developing an integrated marketing communications program? (LO1)
While many laws and regulations determine what advertisers can and cannot do, not every issue is
covered by a rule or guideline. Ethics involve the use of moral principles and values in evaluating a
decision or action. Ethical considerations are very important in advertising as the use of a particular
16. What is your opinion of Benetton’s shock advertising campaign that featured portraits of death-row
inmates such as the one shown in Exhibit 21-4? Do you agree with Benetton’s position that it was
trying to raise social consciousness of controversial issues such as the death penalty or do you feel
that the campaign was used to generate publicity for the company?(LO2)
Chapter 21 – Evaluating the Social, Ethical, and Economic Aspects of Advertising and Promotion
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Benetton has always been known for its controversial advertising, which the company has defended
by arguing that it is trying to raise people’s awareness and consciousness regarding various social
issues. However, the “Death Row” campaign is probably the most controversial of all the shock
advertising used by company. Benetton argues that it was running the global campaign solely to
spark debate on capital punishment. However, the ads outraged many people including victims’
advocates who accused Benetton of glamorizing murders while ignoring their crimes. Benetton
17 With which position do you agree? “Advertising determines American consumers’ tastes and values
and is responsible for creating a materialistic society.” “Advertising is a reflection of society and
mirrors it tastes and values”(LO2)
This question presents the classic dilemma of whether advertising is responsible for creating
materialistic values in consumers or whether it merely reflects or mirrors the values of society rather
than molding or shaping them. Those who agree with the first position argue that advertising
18. Discuss how advertising can affect product costs and the prices consumers pay for products and
services. (LO4)
Chapter 21 – Evaluating the Social, Ethical, and Economic Aspects of Advertising and Promotion
21–20
Arguments that advertising increases the costs of products and services include the fact that the large
sums of money spent on advertising constitute a business expense that must be covered and thus is
passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices. Advertising can also result in higher prices by
increasing product differentiation and adding to the perceived value of the product in the mind of the
Some critics argue that advertising has a negative impact on consumer choice, as large advertisers use
their power to limit consumers’ options to a few heavily advertised brands. They argue that
advertising is used to achieve differentiation and brand loyalty, which occurs at the expense of
IMC Exercise
Have students find several ads that they feel are examples of negative social consequences of advertising
discussed in the text such as the following:
• Ads that are offensive or in poor taste because of the product or service they advertise, the type of
appeal they or the manner of presentation used.
• Ads that use one of the shock-vertising techniques discussed in the chapter.
Chapter 21 – Evaluating the Social, Ethical, and Economic Aspects of Advertising and Promotion
AdForum Exercise: Examining the Social and Ethical Aspects of Advertising”
(See Advertising and Promotion Playlist, Chapter 21)
The playlist for Chapter 21 contains a number of ads, half of which are from the U.S. and half from other
countries. Each reflects a social and/or ethical issue discussed in the chapter. Review each of these
commercials and answer the following:
1. What objective is each ad trying to accomplish? Do you think they will achieve this
objective?