26. Advertising and Ethics -- Part 2

University of Botswana

Department of Media Studies

BMS 226 ETHICS FOR MEDIA PROFESSIONALS

HANDOUT 25: ETHICS AND ADVERTISING

The need for ethical standards

Consumers can make informed choices without being exploited.

Advertisers can compete with one another on fair terms.

Self regulation

Self-regulation is a system by which the marketing communication industry voluntarily regulates the content of advertising. The three parts of the industry - the advertisers who pay for the advertising, the advertising agencies responsible for its form and content, and the media which carry it - work together, to agree advertising standards and to set up a system to ensure that advertisements which fail to meet those standards are quickly corrected or removed.

Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa

The Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa (also known as the ASA) is an independent body set up and paid for by the marketing communication industry to ensure that its system of self-regulation works in the public interest. The ASA has a president independent from the industry.

The Code of Advertising Practice is the guiding document of the ASA. The Code is based upon the International Code of Advertising Practice, prepared by the International Chamber of Commerce. This is internationally accepted as the basis for domestic systems of self-regulation. It forms the foundation of this Code in which the basic principles laid down in the International Code are related to the particular circumstances of advertising in South Africa. The Code is drawn up by the ASA with the participation of representatives of the marketing communication industry, and is amended from time to time to meet the changing needs both of the industry and of our society.

Advertising should be distinct

In television advertising is separate from the programmes. They should not intrude into the content and timing. In many countries there are restrictions on how much advertising can be shown in any one hour and on how frequently programmes can be interpreted for advertisements. This is NOT the case in all countries. In some the amount of advertising that can be shown is only dependent on the amount of advertising the television channel can sell.

Advertorials

Advertisements should not imitate the style of the programmes or the editorial (in the case of newspapers and magazines) that surround them. This is most obviously the case with newspaper ‘advertorials’ (advertising written in the style of news reports). This type of advertising is allowed but it needs to be made clear to readers that it is paid-for material. The best way to make the distinction is to put a clear heading saying ‘advertorial’ above the advertisement and to use a type face for the advertisement that is different from the type face used for news stories.

The Johannesburg Star has a code of ethics for advertorials and part of it reads:

• Editorial content of The Star's surveys and advertising features should observe the same standards of good writing expected in the rest of the newspaper, namely accuracy, fairness, clarity, conciseness and good taste.
• Readers should be left in no doubt about the source of copy. If material has been provided by advertisers or other sources outside The Star, this should be clearly stated. Claims by advertisers and other companies must be attributed to them and not presented as statements of fact.

Taste and decency

Advertisements should not be offensive to public feeling or prejudice respect for human dignity. Advertisements should not offend against good taste and decency exploit a living person’s dignity.

The problem here is the definition of ‘taste’. What one person finds ‘distasteful’, another person does not.

For example, in March 2005, The ASA ruled on a complaint from a viewer about a Hyundai television advertisement shown on SABC.

It features a man and a woman sitting in a Hyundai Getz car, apparently about to go on a date. The woman suggests that they skip dinner and the movie and “…just get on with it.” The words “Good things happen to Hyundai drivers” appear on-screen. The complainant submitted that this commercial creates the impression that it is acceptable for young consenting adults to engage in sex outside of marriage. This impression is reinforced by the fact that the couple in the car appear to be no more than 17 or 18 years of age. This is an irresponsible message to send out, especially in a country facing a crisis over HIV/Aids. The complainant also submitted signatures of 62 other people who have the same sentiments.

The complaint was upheld and the advertisement was removed.

In another complaint, a television advertisement for Yogi Sip features a young man sitting in the library who sees an attractive woman or librarian walking into the section where he is seated. The woman climbs up a ladder or step ladder to place a book on the higher shelves. The young man looks at her and then at another librarian or library user who is much older. The television screen reads, “Temptation. Sometimes you can resist it. Sometimes you can’t.” These words are repeated in a voice-over as they appear on-screen. In the next scene, the young man is seen drinking his Yogi Sip. This suggests that he preferred the temptation of a Yogi Sip over the temptation created by the beautiful woman climbing up the step ladder, wearing a skirt revealing an appreciable amount of her legs and thighs.

A complaint was made that the advertisement stereotypes the woman in the advertisement as a sexual object and exploits her body and sexuality to sell a product.

The company said that the advertisement falls far short of stereotyping or portraying the woman in a negative way, such as where a woman is portrayed as stupid, ridiculous, or a sex object. The commercial also does not demean, objectify, or portray women in a stereotypical manner.

The ASA ruled that it is impossible in the context of this commercial to suggest that the young man’s conduct constituted unwanted or unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature.

The complaint was dismissed.

Health and safety

Advertisements should not encourage behaviour prejudicial to health and safety (e.g. in many countries there are bans on tobacco, betting and gaming, guns, pornography).

Alcohol

Alcohol advertising should not be linked to physical performance, driving, social or sexual success.

Advertisements should not encourage under-age drinking or drinking to excess.

Advertisements should not set out to encourage a general increase in the consumption of alcohol.

Advertisements should not claim that alcohol has curative qualities, nor offer it expressly as a stimulant, sedative or tranquiliser.

Advertisements must be mindful of sensitivities relating to culture, gender, race and religion and must not employ religion or religious themes.

Children

Advertisements should not include misleading images and should not make exhortations to buy by exploiting inexperience. There should not be images of dangerous behaviour.

The ASA considered complaints against a television commercial for the Hyundai Tucson motor vehicle. The commercial features a model opening a beer twist-off bottle with her eye socket. The words, “Pretty but tough” appear across the screen, after which the Hyundai Tucson is pictured.

Viewers complained that the commercial is irresponsible in light of the fact that children could attempt to emulate this behaviour, which could lead to serious injuries to their eyes and damage to their sight.

The company said that what is shown in the commercial is no more than a stunt or actions such as those that are watched by children on many other programs including children’s television programmes.

The ASA said that the commercial is not addressed specifically to children. The product advertised is a car, which is not a product children buy; and the scene in question involves a beer bottle, which is not a product children usually consume. It said the commercial is clearly hyperbolic. It is not likely to be understood as making a literal claim to the effect that human beings are capable of opening beer tops with their eye socket. The act of opening a bottle with one’s eye is not portrayed in a manner that appears natural. It should be apparent to the reasonable child that it is unrealistic and potentially dangerous. A child who did try to emulate the action would find that it was in fact impossible before reaching the point of damaging an eye.

FURTHER READING

Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa (recent adjudications on complaints) http://www.asasa.org.za/RecentRulings.aspx