A Comment on the Pontifical Council for Social Communications' Ethics in Advertising

Advertising may inform the decisions to initiate consumption of an innovative product category. If executed well, it may assist consumers in distinguishing among brands in a mature product category. But it is important to remember that the information conveyed by advertising is evaluated in the cont...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of public policy & marketing Vol. 17; no. 2; pp. 332 - 335
Main Author Ringold, Debra Jones
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Chicago American Marketing Association 01.10.1998
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Subjects
Advertising
Advertising research
Advertising restrictions
Brands
Catholic churches
Consumer advertising
Consumer goods
Consumer information
Consumers
Councils
Ethics
False advertising
Free will
International
Market economies
Marketing
Morality
Policy Watch
Prices
Product development
Rationality
Subliminal advertising
Values
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Summary:Advertising may inform the decisions to initiate consumption of an innovative product category. If executed well, it may assist consumers in distinguishing among brands in a mature product category. But it is important to remember that the information conveyed by advertising is evaluated in the context of the larger information environment, the perceived consequence of a particular choice in a particular circumstance, and consumer values influenced by family, peer groups, religion, ethnic background, education, and the like. Advertising is but one, relatively weak, influence in the consumer decision-making process. The Pontifical Council for Social Communications' document entitled Ethics in Advertising grossly overstates advertising's power to create needs.
ISSN:0743-9156
1547-7207
DOI:10.1177/074391569801700218