Advertising is packaging on steroids. Imagine if packaging had a mind of its own. Consumers don't have to buy the product or be standing by the shelf in the store to see it. It's like the packaging walks right into their living room, or sits in the passenger seat of their car doing a song and dance telling them everything they need to know in the most colorful language. Everything the packaging has to say is not limited by shape and size of a product. The sky is literally the limit. THAT is advertising. Of course there are still laws on what can and cannot be said as well as information that MUST be provided. But no law states how creatively the information must be displayed.
With all of the possibilities and open windows, advertising is a tricky business. Try telling an artist with the gift of creative persuasion to lock up his imagination. Ethically speaking, that is exactly the way advertising works... at least it should. With art, there are no limitations. An artist is allowed to say what he wishes and express it as best he can, or however he so chooses. Advertising is intended to persuade. It's not another art form relaying arbitrary information or messages. So besides the obvious don't-blatantly-lie-to-the-consumer ethic, there are other implications to be considered. Because advertising is commercial by nature it should take all consumers into consideration.
This isn't just about what's offensive, and to whom. If that were the case "sex sells" would never be an acceptable explanation for ads like Lynx/Axe, especially considering that they are owned by Dove [that's a conflict of interest if I do say so myself]. It's about knowing exactly when far is too far. Here's a pretty solid ethical standard: Don't emotionally or mentally abuse or affront consumers-- including the ones outside of your target market. Before pushing the envelope on socially sensitive topics like race, sex, religion, and gender consider how far you go creatively. Creativity in lieu of blatant truth can be very dangerous territory. Disclaimers are your friend... there is nothing worse than misleading a consumer [especially since people have more recently felt VERY comfortable with suing for false advertisement].
You have to know your consumer and the world they live in. There are a number of ads that are entirely acceptable in Europe that wouldn't last a day in the USA. Why? Culture. In many cases, ethics can be a fairly black-and-white business. Advertising is full of shades of gray especially because international companies have more than one audience to consider. Not every campaign can bridge nation to nation, culture-to-culture.
Some of the best advertising, however, knows exactly how to bridge cultures, create world community and steer entirely clear of questionable ethics. McDonalds landed a gold mine on the I'm Lovin' It campaign. A phrase translated into a number of languages all over the cups and bags with the Olympic logo slapped on the side [since they are a sponsor] and you have feel-good advertising magic. They could take that campaign to any country and would hardly have to change a thing because the campaign doesn't focus on tiny cultural differences or expectations. The whole idea behind the campaign is togetherness and community: individuality and difference all come together because we are all lovin' it! I personally do not like McDonalds, but I find myself singing "I'm lovin' it," and then I want a Big Mac. Phenomenal.
Bad advertising, on the other hand, doesn't even have to be unethical to put a foot in its mouth. It doesn't have to be sexually, racially, or even religiously offensive. It just has to fail to motivate or effectively brand. [Actually, even offensive advertising can be good in the sense that it gets people curious or even interested, but that's another story...] To illustrate my point, I can't even think of an example. Bad advertising is easily forgotten for either its lack of innovation and creativity, or the exact opposite. Sometimes, advertising gets in its own way. There is too much focus on creativity or humor that the brand is minimized or simply forgotten. Spend as much as you like and be as memorable as you can, but if I can't name the brand when I recall the ad: massive fail.
