FILAMER CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

Autonomous Status-Commission on Higher Education

Accredited Level IV-ACSCU-AAI
Roxas Avenue, Roxas City, Capiz, 5800
Tel. No. (036) 6212-317 Fax No. 6213-075

JAN MICHAEL DIAZ PROF. MARLENE A. AGUIRRE

MBA-Student Course Facilitator

MASTER’S IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

CSR WITH GOOD GOVERNANCE – MBA 401

THE MORALITY OF
ADVERTISING
ADVERTISING
Plays a very significant role in marketing goods and services. Without advertising the consumers would not be aware of
the presence of diverse products and services available in the market. Sometimes, even the mere presence of the
advertising can sell a product dur to customer perception that a heavily advertised product is a product of ‘’Good Value’’.

Advertising defines from the famous marketing Guru Philip Kotler

• Any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods, or services by an identified sponsor.

Advertising defines from Burnett and Moriarty

• Paid non-personal communication from an identified sponsor using mass media to persuade or influence an
audience.

Many of the Well-known companies in the world allocate an enormous amount on their budget for advertising. Through
Ads and advertisement from News Paper, Radio, Television and for the new generation it has been used in all social media
flatforms (e.g. Facebook and YouTube etc.)

The primary purpose of the advertising is to inform potential buyers of the availability of a certain product by providing
relevant information on its uses, benefits and how it might serve the needs and wants of individuals, However the use of
advertising today has not been serving its intended purpose since very little information is conveyed to consumers and
more often the information is not even useful. Advertising is part of the selling process and its goal is to persuade
consumers to buy the products being advertise. The economic system is characterized by high degrees of business
competition where every producer would want to have a piece of the consumer’s demand; as a result, advertisements
typically end making misinterpretations or false claims.

From the point of Morality, advertising is not bad or immoral since it helps achieve the goals of both the seller and buyer.
It only becomes immoral when, in the attempt to pursued consumers. The advertisements become deceptive, misleading,
and manipulative. Since the primary function of advertising is to sell goods, its purpose should not be limited to supplying
consumers with appropriate information but it should also educate the public or mold the public’s opinion in choosing
products that they need and not become manipulated in buying what they do not need.

There is only one criterion in evaluating the morality of advertising, and that is, ‘’to tell truth’’. An advertisement that
conveys truthful information is morally permissible. If an advertisement contains false statements and ‘’lies,’’ then it is
said to be immoral.

However, there are also shortcomings to this approach since the truth in advertising can be contrasted with either
falsehood or lying. Lying is immoral while falsehood is not necessarily immoral. Some advertisements contain sentences
and express propositions which are appropriately evaluated in terms of truth and falsity. The ad is said to be immoral
when it makes a false claim, which the advertiser knows to be false for purposes of misleading, misinforming, or deceiving
potential customers. It is considered immoral because the advertiser in the ad is lying and lying is considered immoral.
Using the criterion of truth in advertising.

Advertising is not totally immoral it only becomes unethical when the advertisement becomes

➢ MISLEADING ADVERTISEMENTS
▪ Do not misrepresent. Do not make false claims but it makes claims in such a way that a normal person
looking at it comes up with the wrong conclusion.
➢ DECEPTIVE ADVERTISEMENTS
▪ Makes a false statement or misrepresents the product.
➢ MANIPULATIVE or COERCIVE ADVERTISEMENTS
▪ Uses trickery or by devious or insidious means. Coercive advertisement involves the use of force or threat.
Either physical or psychological.
ISSUES IN ADVERTISING
DECEPTIVE ADVERTISING

▪ Are those which either make false statement and therefore, lie, or which represent the product without
making any statement.
▪ It may not only occur through sentences or propositions but also through pictures, individual words, or
through certain combinations of objects which can be deceive the eye and mind.
▪ Is one where pictures from the products packaging do not look the same as the contents of the products.

EXAGGERATION

▪ Consumers might also mislead though exaggeration

▪ It occurs when advertisements tend to make false claims of the benefits of the goods or services which is
unsupported by valid evidence.

PSYCHOLOGICAL APPEALS

Advertisers play on several different tactics to get people interested in their products. There are some
advertisements that are directed at arousing human emotional needs rather than reason.
This is one area in advertising that presents a serious moral concern.

Richard F. Taflinger
▪ defines psychological appeal as a visual or aural influence on the subconscious mind and emotions. It
influences by implying that doing what is suggested (in the case of advertising, buying the productor
service) will satisfy a subconscious desire. It is not subliminal.
▪ It includes elements in a visual or aural presentation that are not consciously perceived but influence
behavior.
▪ He further states that if a psychological appeal couldn’t be perceived. It would have no effect at all. In
fact, it is blatantly obvious the moment one knows such appeals exist.
▪ It doesn’t aim at intellect, in fact, intellect can often get in the way of the effect of an appeal.
▪ It doesn’t have to make sense, and often shouldn’t have to be effective

Some Advertisers use to motivate people to buy products are Power, prestige, personal enjoyment, masculinity,
femininity, curiosity, imitation, acceptance, approval, self-esteem, self-preservation, altruism, and most pervasive
of all are sexual pitches.

The use of sex in advertising is a two-edged sword although it is extremely powerful and effective when aimed at
one gender, it often does so at the social expense of the other since humans live in a social world. Consideration
must be given to the feelings of the people in that world.

ADS DIRECTED AT CHILDREN

Most advertisers have recognized that advertising to children is effective and eventually became a big business
recently. Children are a special group of consumers who do not regard reason.
Billions of adult’s purchases for gifts, clothes and groceries that are influenced by children. Owing to the fact that
more and more venues for advertising for children are now available such as in magazines, websites and television
channels and even nowadays in some multimedia flatforms exclusively for children.
The average child is exposed to more than 40,000 tv commercials a year. According to studies, and ads are
reaching children through new multimedia flatforms and even in schools- with corporate -sponsored educational
materials and product placements in student textbooks and through online classes on the new era.
The aim of advertisers is for the children to pester their parents to buy things for them. Children generally
remember what they see.
Young children are naïve and gullible and are particularly vulnerable to enticements made by advertisers.
One advertising expert said that kids are the most pure consumers in that they lend to interpret ads literally. The
problem with this thinking is that children are not able to draw a line between children’s shows and commercial;
they see commercials as a form of entertainment. Moreover movies, tv and multimedia flatforms shows are being
linked to the selling of toys and other items featured in commercials with characters stamped on various products.
Children are highly susceptible to misleading advertising there is a need to protect them from possible
manipulation that leads to the kind of role advertising must play in society dominated by the media.
PHILIPPINE ACT OF THE PHILIPPINE (R.A 7394)
Article 108 of the Act declares that ‘’The State shall protect the consumer from misleading advertisements and fraudulent
sales promotion practices.’’ The Department of Trade and Industry is responsible for enforcing the provisions of the Act.
With respect to foods, drugs, cosmetics, devices, and hazardous substances. The department of Health is the agency that
oversees these products.

False, Deceptive and Misleading Advertisements

Article 110 states that ‘’It shall be unlawful for any person to disseminate or to cause the dissemination of any false,
deceptive or misleading advertisement by Philippine mail or in commerce by print, radio, television, outdoor
advertisement or other medium for the purpose of inducing or which is likely to induce directly or indirectly the purchase
of consumer products or services.’’

An advertisement shall be considered false, deceptive, or misleading if it is not in conformity with the provisions of the
Act or if it is misleading in a material respect. To determine whether an advertisement is false, deceptive or misleading,
we must consider not only representations made or any combination thereof, but also the extend to which the
advertisement fails to reveal materials facts in the light of such representations, or materials with respect to consequences
which may result from the use or application of consumer products or services to which the advertisement relates under
the conditions prescribed in said advertisement, or under normal or usual conditions.

Special requirements for food, drug, cosmetic, device or hazardous substances.

The following rules must be followed:

a) No claim in advertisement should be made that is not contained in the label or approved by the Department of
Health (DOH).
b) It is unlawful to advertise any food, drug, cosmetic device or hazardous substance that is false, misleading or
deceptive or is likely to create an erroneous impression regarding its character, value, quantity, composition,
merit, or safety.
c) Where a standard has been prescribed for a food, drug, cosmetic, or device, no person shall advertise any article
or substance in a manner that is likely to be mistaken for such product, unless the product actually complies with
the prescribed standard.
d) Advertisements of any food, drug, cosmetic, device, or hazardous substance may not make use of any reference
to any laboratory report of analysis required to be submitted to Department of Health. Unless such laboratory is
duly approved by DOH.
e) No advertisements for any food, drug, cosmetic, device, or hazardous substance may be allowed unless such
product is duly registered and approved by DOH.

PHILIPPINE ASSOCIATION OF NATIONAL ADVERTISERS (PANA)

Formed in 1958, the Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA). Since then, the PANA has been engaged in a
continuing campaign to regulate abuses committed by untruthful advertisers. The PANA issued a code of ethics which
includes the following statement of general principles:

▪ Good advertising recognizes both its economic and social responsibility to help reduce distribution costs and to
serve the public interest.
▪ Good advertising depends for its success on public confidence; Hence, it cannot permit those practices that tend
to impair this confidence.
▪ Good advertising aims to inform the consumer and help him buy intelligently.
▪ Good advertising tells the truth. It is accurate, honest, and trustworthy. It avoids exaggerations, misstatement of
facts, as well as the possible deceptions through implication or omission.
▪ Good advertising conforms not only to the laws but also to the generally accepted standards of good taste and
decency, and to moral and aesthetic sentiments of the country. It avoids any practice or statement which may be
offensive to the public as a whole or to any particular group, class, or race
▪ Good advertising seeks public acceptance on the basis of and constructive statements, made on the merits of the
product or service advertised, rather that by the disparagement of competition.