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What's
Wrong with Advertising?
In the past, distrust of advertising has been widespread,
but unfocused. So many people have criticized ads for so many different
reasons that this confusing babble sometimes gives more attention
to trivial concerns and minor problems than to serious
issues and major problems.
People need to identify their own opinions
and feelings, to sort out these perceived "harms" by kind
(direct or indirect, immediate or delayed, possible or
probable) and degree (from minor annoyances to major
danger), to recognize overlaps and omissions, and borderline cases.
Critics of advertising are basically concerned with the harmful
consequences, the disadvantages, the unwanted "side-effects."
In the future, advertising -- and its problems
and its critics -- will still be with us. Sorting out some of these
criticisms may help everyone avoid the extremes: on one
hand, of blaming or scapegoating advertisers; on the other
hand, of ignoring genuine, serious problems which need attention
and reasonable response. Diagnosis of "what's wrong" may
help a prognosis of "what to do." Advertising has so
many critics, for so many different reasons, and the arguments
get so complicated, that it helps if we first sort
out and identify the obvious
most common complaints :
Intrusion ("too many
ads...")
Deception (ads lie, mislead,
deceive)
Nutrition (ads for unhealthy
"junk foods" promote a national obesity crisis)
Offensive (ads offend
women, minorities. ethnic groups, religion)
Personal Problems (ads
contribute to debt cycle, family stress, poor self-image)
Other critics deal with the
indirect and less obvious "hidden
harms" of ads, such as:
psychological harm to the individual and the family; or long-term,
cumulative harms related to materialism, waste, environmental destruction,
and social injustice.
Materialism (religious and
secular critiques)
Environmental Problems (consumption,
waste)
Social Justice (Issues
relating to affluence and poverty; "Haves" and "Have-Nots")
See also:
What's Right With Advertising? |
Download:
Yankelovitch Poll (April, 2004) American Attitudes Toward Advertising
(PDF)
However, advertising cannot be exempt from criticism simply because
"it keeps our whole economy running." If the economy
relies upon millions of people being deep in debt, yet still buying
more unnecessary items, perhaps there are flaws in the whole system.
Gary Ruskin , Executive Director of Commercial Alert (a non-profit
consumer watchdog organization) summarized much of the criticism
in his brief article, directed
to advertisers, in their trade journal, Advertising Age
(April 26, 2004). In commenting on the direct and obvious intrusiveness
of ads, he wrote: "The industry's implicit message is a
total lack of respect for our time, our privacy, our attention,
our peace of mind, and not least for our concerns about our kids."
However, his focus on the indirect and less obvious harms of
advertising included not only the public health concerns
(junk foods, obesity), but also the corruption of civic institutions.
Nearly every university and business college has a Department
of Advertising to train the future persuaders in the techniques
of their trade, but few schools have any courses
at all in preparing young citizens, the persuadees, in analyzing
such persuasion. Nationwide, most of the academics interested
in advertising, the professors of psychology and of rhetoric,
are "consultants" to the advertising industry as "rented
rhetoricians" and shrinks
for sale!
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