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Part Seven Special Topics and Perspectives
Belch: Advertising and
Promotion, Sixth Edition
VII. Special Topics and
Perspectives
22. Evaluating the Social,
Ethical, & Economic
Aspects of Advtising &
Promotion
© The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
censorship occurs, whereby the media avoid certain topics or even present biased news
coverage, in acquiescence to advertiser demands. 80 In fact, Professors Lawrence Soley
and Robert Craig say, “The assertion that advertisers attempt to influence what the public
sees, hears, and reads in the mass media is perhaps the most damning of all criticisms
of advertising, but this criticism isn’t acknowledged in most advertising
textbooks.” 81 We will address this important issue in this book by considering arguments
on both sides.
Arguments Supporting Advertiser Control Advertising is the primary source of
revenue for nearly all the news and entertainment media in the United States. And
because advertising pays the bills, newspaper and magazine publishers, as well as TV
and radio networks and station executives, must keep their advertisers happy. Some
critics charge that the media’s dependence on advertisers’ support makes them susceptible
to various forms of influence, including exerting control over the editorial content
of magazines and newspapers; biasing editorial opinions to favor the position of
an advertiser; limiting coverage of a controversial story that might reflect negatively
on a company; and influencing the program content of television.
Newspapers and magazines receive nearly 70 percent of their revenue from
advertising; commercial TV and radio derive virtually all their income from advertisers.
Small, financially insecure newspapers, magazines, or broadcast stations are
the most susceptible to pressure from advertisers, particularly companies that
account for a large amount of the media outlet’s advertising revenue. A local newspaper
may be reluctant to print an unfavorable story about a car dealer or supermarket
chain on whose advertising it depends. For example, a few years ago more than
40 car dealers canceled their ads in the San Jose Mercury News when the paper
printed an article titled “A Car Buyer’s Guide to Sanity.” The dealers objected to the
tone of the article, which they felt implied consumers should consider car dealers
unethical adversaries in the negotiation process. 82 A survey of 147 daily newspapers
found that more than 90 percent of editors have been pressured by advertisers and
more than one-third of them said advertisers had succeeded in influencing news at
their papers. 83
While larger, more financially stable media should be less susceptible to an advertiser’s
influence, they may still be reluctant to carry stories detrimental to companies
that purchase large amounts of advertising time or space. 84 For example, since cigarette
commercials were taken off radio and TV in 1970, tobacco companies have allocated
most of their budgets to the print media. The tobacco industry outspends all
other national advertisers in newspapers, and cigarettes constitute the second-largest
category of magazine advertising (behind transportation). This has led to charges that
magazines and newspapers avoid articles on the hazards of smoking to protect this
important source of ad revenue. 85 One study found that magazines relying on cigarette
advertising are far less likely than others to publish stories about the health hazards
associated with smoking. 86
Individual TV stations and even the major networks also can be influenced by
advertisers. Programming decisions are made largely on the basis of what shows will
attract the most viewers and thus be most desirable to advertisers. Critics say this often
results in lower-quality television as educational, cultural, and informative programming
is usually sacrificed for shows that get high ratings and appeal to the mass markets.
It is well recognized that advertisers often avoid TV shows that deal with
controversial issues. Most advertisers also have contract stipulations allowing them to
cancel a media buy if, after prescreening a show, they are uncomfortable with its content
or feel sponsorship of it may reflect poorly on their company.
Advertisers have also been accused of pressuring the networks to change their programming.
Many advertisers have withdrawn commercials from programs that contain
too much sex or violence, often in response to threatened boycotts of their
products by consumers if they advertise on these shows. For example, groups such as
the American Family Association have been fighting sex and violence in TV programs
by calling for boycotts. A number of companies, including Procter & Gamble, Mars
Inc., and Kraft Foods, pulled their advertising from certain talk shows, like those of
Jerry Springer, because of some of their incendiary topics. 87