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Ethics in Advertising

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Submitted By packer20
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Ethics in Advertising

Abstract
Business is about selling something whether that be a service or a product. Advertising that service or product has to be done to get the word out that the service or product is available but at the same time nobody wants their competition to be stronger. Can advertising be done ethically?

Advertising applies to anyone that makes purchases and uses products or services. Advertisements are used to capture consumers’ attention and make them want to purchase their products, use their service, or interpret a specific message. Commercial advertising is the means for many corporations to spread the word about their products or services. It is currently the most effective means of getting a message across to a large audience across the world, and advertising aids the link between the actual production of a good or service and its consumption by consumers. Because of the significance of advertising, the average person is exposed to up to 5,000 ad messages per day. (Chan & Shenoy 2009). Advertising is constantly reminding consumers of their brands and the message that they are trying to portray. Any form of space, even the walls in public toilet cubicles, has the potential to be used for advertising. This is especially pertinent coupled with the use of the Internet, making advertisements all the more accessible (illustrated by video-sharing websites like YouTube); regardless of which part in the world the advertisement is aired. Advertising campaigns that appeal to consumer behaviors based on the value-expressive or utilitarian functions are the most common (Sirgy, 1991). Utilitarian advertisements deliver a message regarding the benefits of using a product or service. Advertising targeted to consumers with value-expressive attitudes will typically include product symbolism and an image strategy. In

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