Media Ethics: Cases and Moral Reasoning

Twelfth Edition

Home / Students / Part 2: Persuasion in Advertising / Chapter 6: Commercialization of Life

Chapter 6: Commercialization of Life

The advertising industry’s search for recognition as a profession and its desire to maintain credibility with its clients to connect with their audiences has led to a focus on providing a basis for rational decision-making and maintaining authority in their relationships with clients. These are grounded in issues of advertisers’ own professional stature and credibility. Although all advertising agencies have their own values and means of advising their clients, all do so within a professional culture. This is a dynamic reality and due to the rising emphasis on digital advertising, has led to much of the industry morphing into adtech companies, as much defined by their use of digital media tools to surveil and analyze audiences as on their traditional roles in content construction to attract attention. Social practices are now as significant as practical ones.

Chapter 6 – Video Introduction

Transcript

To fulfill its role as an advocacy profession, advertising must serve in the best interest of its client. To fulfill its role as an advocacy profession advertising has a moral duty to contribute to social welfare and conduct its work in a manner consistent with broader social values.

Key questions for the chapter

  1. What is professional culture?
  2. What does viewing advertising through a professional (institutional) lens contribute to our understanding of the ethical dimensions of “doing advertising work”?
  3. In today’s volatile social, technological, and economic environment, how does the advertising profession define the structural boundaries of its work? That is, what does the professional view as its “sphere of influence”?
  4. How do those structural boundaries factor into the moral dimensions of advertising work?

Case 24

Discussion Questions

  1. What key facts and primary ethical issues are perceived by each of the key stakeholder groups in this conflict?
  2. Moving to Quadrant 2 of the Potter Box, what contradictory values are apparent?
  3. It’s clear that key stakeholder groups are subscribing to different ethical principles. What are those principles?
  4. How might the situation have developed differently if Anheuser Busch had subscribed to an ethics of other regarding care?

Weblinks

  1. Announcement of Rockefeller Center Rainbow Room Performance: “Dylan Mulvaney’s Day 365,” https://365daysofgirlhood.com/
  2. Video resource: Dylan Mulvaney’s Tik Tok post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s05_FUAeOKg
  3. Video resource Sky News, Australia tells the Bud Light story: “Desperate Bud Light Launches ‘cringey’ Come Back,” Sky News Australia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdmPp4sXpEM
  4. Article resource: “Record number of anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced this year.” CNN, April 6, 2023. https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/06/politics/anti-lgbtq-plus-state-bill-rights-dg/index.html
  5. Survey results: KFF (formerly known as Kaiser Family Foundation).  “The Washington Post Trans Survey.” March 24. 2023. https://www.kff.org/report-section/kff-the-washington-post-trans-survey-trans-in-america
  6. Press Release (office of Sen. Ted Cruz), “Sens. Cruz, Blackburn Open and Call for Probe of Bud Light Potentially Marketing to Underage Individuals Through Partnership with Dylan Mulvaney.” March 15, 2023. https://www.kff.org/report-section/kff-the-washington-post-trans-survey-trans-in-america/
  7. Video resource (Mulvaney reacts to controversy): “Trans People Like Beer Too,” Tik Tok, June 6, 2023. https://www.tiktok.com/@dylanmulvaney/video/7250155134087449898
  8. Article resource: “Bud Light poured decades of LGBTQ allyship down the drain – and now everyone’s mad,” Fast Company, April 9, 2023 https://www.fastcompany.com/90888756/bud-light-inclusive-marketing-right-wing-outrage
  9. Article resource: “This is the New Bud Light Ad after the Dylan Mulvaney Controversy,” Diario AS: Sports Online Sports Newspaper, Greg Heilman, July 5, 2023. https://en.as.com/latest_news/this-is-the-new-bud-light-ad-after-the-dylan-mulvaney-controversy-n/
  10. Article resource (end of year assessment): “Budlight’s disastrous year,” Bud Light’s Disastrous Year (msn.com)

Articles from the Trade Press

  1. “Doxing due to marketing—personal attacks are a new risk for brand leaders.” Advertising Age, “Doxing https://adage.com/article/marketing-news-strategy/doxing-brand-leaders-personal-attacks-are-new-risk-marketing-execs/2500001
  2. Article resource: “#BrandsGetReal: Championing Change in the Age of Social Media, (nd). https://sproutsocial.com/insights/data/championing-change-in-the-age-of-social-media/
  3. Article resource: “Transgender consumers: how brands can provide meaningful support to transgender consumers in a time of social injustice,” Advertising Age,  May 22, 2023. https://adage.com/article/opinion/transgender-consumers-how-brands-can-provide-meaningful-support-time-social-injustice/2495101
  4. Article resource: “Activist Advertising—How brands and agencies can work for positive change,” January 23, 2023. Advertising Age, January 23, 2023. https://adage.com/results?search_phrase=chris+plating++activist+advertising&field_emphasis_image=&sort_by=search_api_relevance
  5. Article resource: “Why Brands need to stop ‘purpose’ pandering,” Advertising Age, June 26, 2023. https://adage.com/article/fletcher-marketing/why-brands-need-stop-purpose-pandering/2502171
  6. Article resource, “True LGBTQ+ Brand Allies Can’t Run Away,” AdWeek, June 2023.

Case 25

Discussion Questions

  1. The advertising industry’s response to the sustainability crisis assuredly will evolve amid a constellation of new (and disruptive) technologies, relationships, processes, etc. How might these dynamics impact the moral philosophy guiding advertising work? Should the moral baseline change?
  2. What do you view to be the pragmatic and moral considerations taken into account in each of the two approaches discussed in the case?
  3. It is important to recognize that advertising decisions are not made in isolation. That is, in responding to the crisis, advertising professionals must balance economic, social, and environmental considerations as well as immediate short-term and longer-term consequences. Can you think of consequences both intentional and unintentional that might arise as advertising undertakes efforts to stem climate change?  How might (and how should) these considerations factor into ethical decision making in these early days of developing the industry response to this global crisi ?

Weblinks

  1. Report resource: IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change], “Climate Change 2022: Mitigating Climate Change,” https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGIII_SPM.pdf
  2. Article resource: “Why the IPCC Shone the spotlight on ad agencies still working with fossil fuel clients, “April 7, 20233. https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2022/04/07/why-the-ipcc-shone-spotlight-ad-agencies-still-working-with-fossil-fuel-clients
  3. United Nations release: “Causes and Effects of Climate Change.” https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/causes-effects-climate-change#
  4. Article resource: “Big Advertisers are discovering their digital-advertising campaigns carry a bit carbon tax,” Business Insider, July 25, 2022. https://www.businessinsider.com/making-net-zero-possible-the-hidden-impact-of-digital-ads-2022-7

Activist websites

  1. Fossil Fuel Media. https://fossilfree.media/
  2. Purpose Disruptors. https://www.purposedisruptors.org/  
  3. Clean Creatives. https://cleancreatives.org/
  4. Video resource (34:03): “The Clean Creatives Toolkit for Agency Activists,” You Tube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_ikIgjqrBQ
  5. Report: “ADNet Zero: all for none,” https://adnetzero.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/AdNetZero_Guide_Digital_2022.pdf
  6. Report: “Global Alliance for Responsible Media” [report can be downloaded at no cost here], World Federation of Advertising, https://wfanet.org/leadership/garm/about-garm
  7. Report: “GARM Sustainability: Action Guide to Reduce Media Greenhouse Gas Emissions,” June 2023. https://wfa_garm+guide+to+sustainable+media.pdf
  8. Report: “The Rise of Sustainable Media,” Dentsu and Microsoft, [report can be downloaded at no cost here]. https://www.dentsu.com/nl/en/reports/rise_of_sustainable_media_report
  9. Video resource (02:08): “How can marketing be part of the solution to a sustainable future? Introduction to WFA and Kantar’s Sustainable Marketing 2030 Initiative.” You Tube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ5O-jdiEqQ.
  10. AdWeek special section: “Adweek State of Sustainability,” https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/state-of-sustainability-2023/
  11. Video resource: “How to Make radical climate action the new normal,” Al Gore TED Talk, October 2021, https://www.ted.com/talks/al_gore_how_to_make_radical_climate_action_the_new_normal?language=en
  12. Video resource: “What the fossil fuel industry doesn’t want you to know.” Al Gore TED talk, July 2023. https://www.ted.com/talks/al_gore_what_the_fossil_fuel_industry_doesn_t_want_you_to_know/transcript?language=en
  13. Article resource: “Most Media Agencies Won’t Admit They’re Pitching Shell,” AdWeek, June 6,2003.
  14. Article resource: “Digital Advertising’s Contribution to Scope 3 Emissions” Media Math, February 2023, https://www.mediamath.com/blog/digital-advertisings-contribution-to-scope-3-emissions/

Additional resources on Greenwashing

  1. Website resource: “The History of Greenwashing and Its Modern Evolution,” The Climate Club. https://www.theclimateclub.co/sustainabilityblog/the-history-of-greenwashing-and-its-modern-evolution
  2. Website resources: “Greenwashing Information Center,” Institute for Advertising Ethics. https://www.iaethics.org/greenwashing?ss_source=sscampaigns&ss_campaign_id=63d92fd9e97b1c05b3f8d925&ss_email_id=63d970102395206628fdb8a7&ss_campaign_name=Looking+Forward+to+2023&ss_campaign_sent_date=2023-01-31T19%3A46%3A42Z
  3. included here:
    • Webinar (56:37) “The IAE Inaugural Greenwashing Symposium” October 19, 2023
    • Webinar (1:04) “Preventing Greenwashing Tools and Frameworks,” December 8, 2023
    • This webinar includes a work-in-progress tool for assessment of the many greenwashing strategies employed today.

Case 26

Discussion Questions

This case suggests new technologies and technological capabilities (some call these “disruptive technologies”) introduce novel ethical challenges and may require new norms.  Invites reflection on how codes of ethics might facilitate ethical decision-making in these situations.

  1. What is the relationship between ethics and legality?
  2. Codes of ethics simultaneously serve institutional and symbolic functions. How might the need to balance these functions factor into ethical decision-making?
  3. How are codes of ethics similar to/dissimilar from codes of conduct? in content? in purpose?
  4. How can a clear, concise, up-to-date code of ethics offer guidance in this situation?
  5. Disney seems to have been working with a solitary focus on the possible economic consequences of a misstep in the company’s decision making. How might Disney have viewed the conflict if the focus of their concern instead had been motivated by care and respect for the audience?

Weblinks

  1. Article resource: “She was denied entry to a Rockettes show—then the facial recognition debate ignited” NPR¸ January 21, 2023. https://www.npr.org/2023/01/21/1150289272/facial-recognition-technology-madison-square-garden-law-new-york
  2. Article resource: “Controversy illuminates rise of facial recognition in private sector,” ABC News, January 7, 2023. https://abcnews.go.com/Business/controversy-illuminates-rise-facial-recognition-private-sector/story?id=96116545
  3. Article resource: “How face recognition role ins the US got stuck in political gridlock,” MIT Technology Review, July 24 2023. https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/07/24/1076668/how-face-recognition-rules-in-the-us-got-stuck-in-political-gridlock/
  4. Video resource:”Lead with Your Soul, with Wally Snyder,” American Advertising Federation, https://vimeo.com/412471186

Examples of Communication Industry Codes of Ethics

  1. American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As) “Standards of Practice” [most recently revised 2016]. https://www.aaaa.org/4as-standards-practice/
  2. American Advertising Federation (AAF) “Code of Conduct” [most recently revised 2021], https://www.aaf.org/common/Uploaded%20files/Club%20Resources/Leadership%20Resources/AAF-Club-President-CodeOfConduct.pdf
  3. Institute for Advertising Ethics (IAE) “Principles and Practices,” https://www.iaethics.org/principles-and-practices
    • many ethics-related topics are included on this site
  4. World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) “CMO Guide to Data Ethics in Practice,” https://wfanet.org/leadership/data-ethics [can be downloaded here at no cost]
  5. Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) “Code of Conduct,” https://www.iab.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/IAB_Code_of_Conduct_10282-21.pdf
  6. Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) “Code of Ethics,” https://www.spj.org/pdf/ethicscode.pdf
  7. Press release: “SPJ updates Code of Ethics,” September 6, 2014. https://www.spj.org/news.asp?ref=1282
  8. Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) “Code of Ethics,” https://www.prsa.org/about/ethics/prsa-code-of-ethics
  9. American Marketing Association (AMA) “Code of Conduct” (includes statement of ethics), https://www.ama.org/ama-code-of-conduct/

Case 27

Discussion Questions

This case provides an opportunity consider a number of ethical issues related to advertising images: portrayals of women and girls; advertising’s reliance on stereotypes; perpetuation of denigrating stereotypes [these are discussed more fully in questions and on-line resources in Chapter 7].

  1. The inclusion of this case in the “professional culture” chapter focuses on individuals’ personal moral grounding in a professional setting and the responsibilities of advertising professionals in the workplace.
  2. Jeff personally views the proposed creative execution as “sexist, hypersexualized, retrograde, and perhaps even pornographic,” yet his challenges in the meeting appear to be half-hearted at best. What does this suggest about the interaction of personal ethics in an organizational and professional setting?
  3. Some might view the disagreement/discomfort with the creative execution in this case as merely a matter of taste rather than an ethical question. Do you agree? Why or why not?
  4. The idea that “sex sells” is almost a truism in the industry. In this case, it has worked for the client in the past. Have agency personnel defined “serving clients well” and working “in the client’s best interest” too narrowly? Is the agency shirking its professional responsibility?
  5. Have agency personnel in this case neglected advertising’s responsibility to “contribute to social welfare and conduct its work in a manner consistent with broader social values.

Weblinks

  1. Article resource: “How Advertising Practitioners view Ethics: Moral Muteness, Moral Myopia, and Moral Imagination,” Journal of Advertising, 33 (2), 2004. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4189254
  2. Article resource: “The Current State of Advertising Ethics: Industry and Academic Perspectives,” Journal of Advertising, 38(1), 2009. https://doi.org/10.2753/JOA0091-3367380106
  3. Article resource: “Seven Ways to Improve Your Ethical Decision Making,” Harvard Business School Online, August 2023, https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/ethical-decision-making-process
  4. Article resource + framework: “The TARES test: Five Principles for Ethical Persuasion,” Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 16 (2) 2001. DOI:10.1080/08900523.2001.9679610 (see too website discussion in Chapter 7)
  5. Article resource (ethnographic): “Encoding Advertisements: Ideology and Meaning in Advertising Production,” Mass Communication and Society, 3(4), Fall 2000. DOI: 10.1207/S15327825MCS0304_05
  6. Article resource (ethnographic): “Selling Truth: How Nike’s Advertising to Women Claimed a Contested Reality,” Advertising and Society Review, 7(2) 2006. https://muse-jhu-edu.us1.proxy.openathens.net/pub/21/article/202976