Ethics in Advertising

Index
• Meaning
• Ethics & Advertising
• International Code of Advertising Practice
• ASCI
• Types
– Subliminal Advertising
– Surrogate Advertising
– Exaggeration
– Stealth Advertising
– Ambush Marketing

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 Meaning
• Ethics area set of beliefs about what is morally
right or wrong
• Business ethics is the study of proper business
policies and practices regarding potentially
controversial issues such as corporate
governance, insider trading , bribery,
discrimination, corporate social responsibility
and fiduciary responsibilities

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 International Code of
Advertising Practice
• The ethical principles include important topics
such as
– morality,
– honesty,
– truthfulness,
– social responsibility,
– protecting children and young,
– sensitivity in environment and health,
– protecting the consumers and
– respect for personal rights
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Advertising Standards Council of India

The purpose of the Code is to control the content of

advertisements, not to hamper the sale of products
which may be found offensive, for whatever reason, by
some people.
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 Who does it apply to?
• This Code applies to advertisements read,
heard or viewed in India even if they
originate or are published abroad, as long as
they are directed to consumers in India or are
exposed to a significant number of consumers
in India

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 Types
• Subliminal Advertising
• Surrogate Advertising
• Exaggeration
• Stealth Advertising
• Ambush Marketing

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 Subliminal Advertising
• Subliminal messages in advertising are
designed to engage people subconsciously.
• These ads use various colors, shapes, and
words that enable customers to make small
but powerful associations between a brand
and an intended meaning

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 Surrogate Advertising
• Surrogate advertising is a form of advertising
which is used to promote banned products
• Eg: cigarettes and alcohol, in the disguise of
another product.

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Exaggeration

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 Stealth advertising
• Stealth advertising is a method of advertising
in which the consumer is often not
consciously aware that she is being subjected
to advertising.

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 1. Prada/Vogue
• In the film The Devil Wears Prada, both the
fashion brand Prada and the fashion magazine
Vogue were on hot display.
• Meryl Streep’s character was based on the
famously difficult-to-please American Vogue
editor Anna Wintour as the film’s protagonist,
as the nerd-turned-chic secretary weaves her
way through the fashion world’s labyrinths.

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A still from The devil wears Prada
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 2. Mini Cooper
• In the film The Italian Job, the team of thieves
pull off their heist in a crew of Mini Coopers.
• The car was such an important part of the film
and featured so prominently in so many
scenes that one could say that the entire
movie was one big ad for Mini Coopers.

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Stills from Italian job

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 Veere di wedding
• From Uber to Bharat Matrimony to Amul to
HSBC to Bikaji Namkeen to Air India, each
brand is thrown at your face in literally every
second scene

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 Ambush Marketing
• Ambush literally means a surprise attack
by someone lying in wait in a concealed
position.
• Ambush Marketing is a marketing strategy
where a company ambushes its competitor’s
marketing efforts to gain an upper hand in
terms of exposure by stealing the spotlight
from him.
• These activities usually capitalize on resources
and efforts of other (competitor) brands.
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 130 year old Mercedes Benz wished
BMW its 100th birthday
• Mercedes Benz effectively capitalized on the
event of BMW’s 100th birthday and wished its
competitor on social media while advertising
for itself
• https://youtu.be/zXd2u3hAVpU

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