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Marketers, advertisers, and business owners are constantly trying to dream up new ways to get the word out about their products and convince consumers that their products are the only products which fulfill a want or need. No matter what industry, this is the constant struggle. Whether successful or unsuccessful, there have been extreme measures taken I would like to discuss today. Some measures are okay, while others are completely immoral, unethical, or even illegal.

Sex in Advertising

Anybody over the age of three knows: sex sells. And because of its potential power, many advertising agencies turn to it for selling anything from beer and cigarettes to Swiffer and Febreze. Shampoo and deodorant have little to do with sex (at least, as far as I know), so I fail to see the connection when watching Herbal Essences or Axe commercials (As many know, I have many other things against Axe).

Do you think it is appropriate to use sex in advertising, considering who has the potential to see it and be harmed by it? If a company is so desperate to sell their products that they turn to this form of advertising, do you stop using it, or do you go out of your way to fund more nonsense just from the immense sympathy and pity you have?

Ethics: Cigarettes and Booze

Many people watch the Superbowl every year, meaning hundreds of millions of people around the world are staring at a pair of breasts trying to sell them on Budweiser. Cigarettes have many limitations, and there are very few advertisements for tobacco since laws were passed against certain things a decade ago. Unfortunately, alcohol is still known and advertised as a fun product to be consumed at every party. Their only limitation is to say, “Please drink responsibly,” while showing irresponsible commercials. Children are exposed to this every day across the country, leading them to becoming careless and irresponsible adults. While we cannot solely blame advertisements – surely, parents are to blame, as well – we can hold this behavior against them.

Should alcohol companies be allowed to air commercials? How much exposure is too much?

Marketing and Pedophilia

In a business class, I once watched a video on marketers and how they are targeting children, attempting to turn them into consumers and transform them from agreeable and satisfied to needy. One such practice was to watch small children in the bathtub in order to see how they interact and respond to bubbles, so that they could make more realistic commercials. A psychologist explained there is only a small difference between this behavior of marketing and pedophilia. Marketers try to sell a product, while pedophiles try to sell themselves.

Is this even close to being ethical? Why is this not illegal? Is it because the politicians also need to target children with their political campaigns?

Is it even remotely appropriate to have such things in our society? What do you think? How far would you go to sell a product?