Ethics In Advertising

It would make sense that companies need to specifically advertise to their target market for maximum sells, because advertising to the entire public would be unnecessary and a waste of money. But one has to ask whether companies go too far in reaching out to their target customer. Are the effects of their advertisements damaging over a long period of time? In many cases, the answer is yes.
Consider McDonalds marketing to young children. What might seem as harmless on the surface could actually be long-term destructive. Babies with a picture of French fries over their heads and a McDonalds’ bib look cute, but is McDonalds pulling children into their arches before they can even speak? Young children’s minds aren’t developed enough to notice when they are being lured into the marketing industry to potentially grow up and be a loyal and lifetime customer. The effects of McDonalds’ enticing ads of Ronald McDonald, fun and exciting PlayPlaces, and tasty fast foods, can eventually be harmful if kids are allowed to eat at the restaurant several days a week. Poor nutrition will certainly become a part of their lifestyles. In an in-class decision on the subject, one student said that her cousins now do not even want to eat home-made foods; instead, they beg for fast food like McDonalds. She cannot get them to eat anything but fries and chicken nuggets or hamburgers because they have already attached themselves to fast foods. Obesity is a growing rate in this country and it can be surmised that McDonalds targeting to young children is, over-time, poorly affecting children’s lifestyles and their health decisions.
The advertising industry certainly does not stop with McDonalds. Now, the game of LIFE has recently changed its paper money to visa credit cards, stating that now the game is more “realistic.” Most likely the Visa Company is teaming up with Hasbro, the company of LIFE, to build children’s interest in credit cards so that when they are old enough to get one, Visa will be the first on their mind. As if credit card debt is not big enough in the country already, children are taught to just swipe their card, without learning how to count money, the interest rate on their credit cards, or the damaging effects of not paying-off their bill on time.
The Ethics of Advertising have diminished so greatly that companies do not even care that there are negative aspects to their marketing. All they care about is money and pulling in their consumers as young as possible. Sadly, if parents do not step in to warn their children of these side-effects, they might only encounter it when it is too late. When they do have credit card debt or they are obese; yet still, have a lifestyle attachment to continue serving these companies as loyal consumers.