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Part Seven Special Topics and Perspectives
Belch: Advertising and
Promotion, Sixth Edition
Exhibit 22-11 The AAAA
responds to the claim that
advertising makes
consumers buy things they
do not need
VII. Special Topics and
Perspectives
22. Evaluating the Social,
Ethical, & Economic
Aspects of Advtising &
Promotion
© The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
believe that persuasive advertising should not be permitted, they are actually proposing
that no advertising be allowed, since the purpose of all advertising is to persuade.” 57
Defenders of advertising also take issue with the argument that it should be limited
to dealing with basic functional needs. In our society, most lower-level needs recognized
in Maslow’s hierarchy, such as the need for food, clothing, and shelter, are satisfied
for most people. It is natural to move from basic needs to higher-order ones such
as self-esteem and status or self-actualization. Consumers are free to choose the
degree to which they attempt to satisfy their desires, and wise advertisers associate
their products and services with the satisfaction of higher-order needs.
Proponents of advertising offer two other defenses against the charge that advertising
makes people buy things they do not really need. First, this criticism attributes too
much power to advertising and assumes consumers have no ability to defend themselves
against it.
Second, it ignores the fact that consumers have the freedom to make their own
choices when confronted with persuasive advertising. While they readily admit the
persuasive intent of their business, advertisers are quick to note it is extremely difficult
to make consumers purchase a product they do not want or for which they do not see a
personal benefit. For example, the “green” marketing movement has not gotten consumers
to forgo low prices or convenience in favor of products that make environmental
claims. The market research firm of Roper ASW conducted an extensive study of
300 green ads that appeared in magazines and found that most were not effective. The
study concluded that too many green ads failed to make the connection between what
the company is doing for the environment and how this affects individual consumers.
58 Roper ASW conducts an annual “Green Gauge” consumer-marketing poll,
which has found that many consumers don’t buy green products because they fear
they will not work as well as others. And despite all of the environmental claims made
by marketers, consumers are more interested in convenience than ideology. 59
If advertising were as powerful as the critics claim, we would not see products with
multimillion-dollar advertising budgets failing in the marketplace. The reality is that
consumers do have a choice and they are not being forced to buy. Consumers ignore
ads for products and services they do not really need or that fail to interest them (see
Exhibit 22-11).
Advertising and Stereotyping Advertising is
often accused of creating and perpetuating stereotypes
through its portrayal of women, ethnic minorities, and other
groups.
Women The portrayal of women in advertising is an issue
that has received a great deal of attention through the
years. 60 Advertising has received much criticism for stereotyping
women and failing to recognize the changing role of
women in our society. Critics have argued that advertising
often depicts women as preoccupied with beauty, household
duties, and motherhood or shows them as decorative objects
or sexually provocative figures. The various research studies
conducted through the years show a consistent picture of
gender stereotyping that has varied little over time. Portrayals
of adult women in American television and print advertising
have emphasized passivity, deference, lack of
intelligence and credibility, and punishment for high levels
of efforts. In contrast, men have been portrayed as constructive,
powerful, autonomous, and achieving. 61
Research on gender stereotyping in advertising targeted to
children has found a pattern of results similar to that reported
for adults. A recent study found sex-role stereotyping in television
advertising targeted at children in the United States as
well as in Australia. 62 Boys are generally shown as being
more knowledgeable, active, aggressive, and instrumental