Advertising Ethics: A Report on Ethical Considerations and Regulations

This report delves into the ethical considerations within the advertising industry, highlighting the importance of self-regulation in mitigating the impact of potentially controversial messages and unethical practices. It examines how the rise of digital media, particularly social media platforms and online advertising, has reshaped the dynamics of self-regulation. The report explores the shift in power, where consumers can now actively participate in discussions and influence advertising campaigns through blogs and other online channels. Furthermore, it discusses the implications of advertising within digital games, which have become a significant medium for reaching a large audience, emphasizing the need to maintain ethical standards in this context. The report references research on consumer behavior, online advertising, and the evolving landscape of advertising ethics in the digital age, including the gamification of advertising and its impact on ethical considerations.

Running head: ETHICS AND ADVERTISING
Ethics and Advertising
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ETHICS AND ADVERTISING
Ethics and Advertising
Inside the advertising industry, self-regulation is a must. It is there to reduce the
influences of controversial message and unethical conducts on potential clients and the larger
community group with the help of authorizing regulators for making rulings related to
controversial messages and unethical actions. With the increase in the influence of the web on
daily life, social media and advertising platforms like YouTube and Myspace and other weblogs
seem to change the roles and authority of the involved parties in the self-regulatory process.
Advertisers have the power to freely spread messages that are termed unethical and banned by
regulators of media sites, while on the other hand, consumers have the option to choose sharing
their viewpoints and influence other people regarding advertising campaigns via blogs. The
advertising world has changed and so has the process of self-regulation. New media has provided
the general public with power by offering them a global unregulated communication forma and
information transfer (Kerr et al., 2012). If digital games can be taken as an example, they have
become quite prevalent with the advent of digital media and this dissemination carries on rising.
These games reach a million people, acting as a mass medium. The advertising aspect of these
games have developed continuously and has went on to become today a significant way of
communicating with millions of people around the world. Since this is a very important way of
maintaining communication with a large number of people, it is important that the advertising
maintains their ethical aspect (Terlutter & Capella, 2013).

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ETHICS AND ADVERTISING
References
Kerr, G., Mortimer, K., Dickinson, S., & Waller, D. S. (2012). Buy, boycott or blog: Exploring
online consumer power to share, discuss and distribute controversial advertising
messages. European Journal of Marketing, 46(3/4), 387-405.
Terlutter, R., & Capella, M. L. (2013). The gamification of advertising: analysis and research
directions of in-game advertising, advergames, and advertising in social network
games. Journal of Advertising, 42(2-3), 95-112.