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Part Seven Special Topics and Perspectives
Belch: Advertising and
Promotion, Sixth Edition
Exhibit 22-17 This ad
campaign for the Boys &
Girls Clubs is an example of
the pro bono work often
done by advertising
agencies for nonprofit
organizations
VII. Special Topics and
Perspectives
22. Evaluating the Social,
Ethical, & Economic
Aspects of Advtising &
Promotion
© The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
advertising and promotional situation. Moreover, what one individual views as distasteful
or unethical may be acceptable to another.
Negative opinions regarding advertising and other forms of promotion have been
around almost as long as the field itself, and it is unlikely they will ever disappear.
However, the industry must address the various concerns about the effects of advertising
and other forms of promotion on society. Advertising is a very powerful institution,
but it will remain so only as long as consumers have faith in the ads they see and hear
every day. Many of the problems discussed here can be avoided if individual decision
makers make ethics an important element of the IMC planning process.
The primary focus of this discussion of social effects has been on the way advertising
is used (or abused) in the marketing of products and services. It is important to note
that advertising and other IMC tools, such as direct marketing and public relations, are
also used to promote worthy causes and to deal with problems facing society (drunk
driving, drug abuse, and the AIDS crisis, among others). For example, IMC Perspective
22-3 discusses how the Partnership for a Drug Free America and now the U.S. government
are using advertising to help fight the war against drugs in the United States. Campaigns
for nonprofit organizations and worthy causes are often developed pro bono by
advertising agencies, and free advertising time and space are donated by the media.
Exhibit 22-17 shows an ad from a very successful public service campaign for the
Boys & Girls Clubs of America featuring actor Denzel Washington. The campaign
was designed to establish an image to distinguish the Boys & Girls Clubs from other
public service groups and to encourage adults to organize clubs. 91
Advertising plays an important role in a free-
Economic Effects of Advertising market system like ours by making consumers
aware of products and services and providing
them with information for decision making. Advertising’s economic role goes beyond
this basic function, however. It is a powerful force that can affect the functioning of
our entire economic system (Exhibit 22-18).
Advertising can encourage consumption and foster economic growth. It not only
informs customers of available goods and services but also facilitates entry into markets