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Part Seven Special Topics and Perspectives
Belch: Advertising and
Promotion, Sixth Edition
Exhibit 22-1 This ad is
part of a campaign by
Anheuser-Busch to
encourage parents to talk
to their teenagers about the
risks of underage drinking
VII. Special Topics and
Perspectives
22. Evaluating the Social,
Ethical, & Economic
Aspects of Advtising &
Promotion
© The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
Ethical issues must be considered in integrated marketing communications decisions.
And advertising and promotion are areas where a lapse in ethical standards or judgment
can result in actions that are highly visible and often very damaging to a company.
The role of advertising in society is controversial and has sometimes resulted in
attempts to restrict or ban advertising and other forms of promotion to certain
groups or for certain products. College students are one such group. The level of
alcohol consumption and binge drinking by college students has become a serious
problem. Alcohol-related problems have proliferated on college campuses in recent
years and have resulted in many negative consequences, including death. 5 Several
studies have shown that there has been a significant increase in binge drinking
among college students and have advocated a ban on alcohol-related advertising and
promotion. 6 Many colleges and universities have imposed restrictions on the marketing
of alcoholic beverages to their students. These restrictions include banning
sponsorships or support of athletic, musical, cultural, or social events by alcoholicbeverage
companies and limiting college newspaper advertising to price and product
information ads.
A great deal of attention is being focused on the issue of whether alcoholic-beverage
companies target not only college students but underage drinkers as well. As noted in
Chapter 21, the actions of beer, wine, and liquor marketers are being closely scrutinized
in the wake of the distilled-spirits industry’s decisions to reverse its long-standing ban
on television and radio advertising. Many people feel the industry’s push to join beer
and wine advertisers on television is testing the public’s attitudes and may lead to support
for more government restrictions and regulations on alcohol advertising. 7
A recent study by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University
concluded that underage drinkers are increasingly being targeted by magazine
ads for beer and hard liquor. 8 According to the study, magazines that have a significant
number of readers under the age of 21, such as Spin, Vibe, Allure, Maxim, and Sports
Illustrated, accounted for nearly one-third of all alcohol advertising in magazines in
2001. The study concluded that despite the Federal Trade Commission’s recommendation
that the alcohol industry avoid marketing to youth audiences, the advertising
practices of the beer and liquor companies fail to follow the commission’s guidelines.
The study called on the FTC to conduct a new and more rigorous review of the advertising
practices of the alcoholic beverage companies. 9
Companies marketing alcoholic beverages such as beer and
liquor recognize the need to reduce alcohol abuse and drunken
driving, particularly among young people. Many of these companies
have developed programs and ads designed to address
this problem. For example, Anheuser-Busch has been running a
campaign that uses provocative ads such as the one shown in
Exhibit 22-1 to encourage parents to talk to their kids about the
risks of underage drinking. The company has also teamed up
with parents, teachers, community organizations, law enforcement
officials, and others to ensure progress in the fight against
alcohol abuse.
Criticism often focuses on the actions of specific advertisers.
Groups like the National Organization for Women and Women
Against Pornography have been critical of advertisers such as
Calvin Klein for promoting sexual permissiveness and objectifying
women in their ads (Exhibit 22-2). The company was
heavily criticized and even boycotted over the controversial
“kiddie porn” ads it ran a few years ago featuring intimate
snapshots of teenagers in provocative states of undress. 10
Another company that has received a great deal of criticism
for its advertising over the years is Benetton. For nearly two
decades the Italian-based clothing company ran numerous
“shock” ads containing controversial images such as a black
woman nursing a white baby, an AIDS patient and his family
moments before his death, and a priest kissing a nun (see
Exhibit 21-4). Oliviero Toscani, Benetton’s former creative