Advertising agencies and moral responsibility for content
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Authors
Fitzmyers, Holly
Issue Date
2002
Type
Capstone
Language
en
Keywords
Psychology
Alternative Title
Abstract
The purpose of this research was to explore the degree to which advertising agencies should feel moral responsibility for the content they create in their advertisements. In addition, the research probed the issues of targeting certain vulnerable sectors of the market, and the way market research is used to find out what influences such groups to purchase products. Kohlberg's (1981) model of moral development was used to link the findings to existing knowledge about the psychology of morality.
The approach to the research was based on grounded theory, with analyses of interview data to identify categories, concepts and themes. The five participants in the study were between 35 and 50 years old, three men and two women, all in management positions relating to advertising or marketing.
The analysis originally produced 33 concept categories, with from two to 12 subcategories in each. These were further grouped into an "affinity diagram" to try to understand further the relationships between them. Four major groupings of concepts emerged: Morality, Values and Standards; Regulation and Responsibility; Marketing, Advertising and Financial Interests; and Market Research, Targeting and Vulnerability. Participants described a complex interaction between these concepts and decisions involving "moral" issues. A number of factors seemed to influence whether they, or their companies, thought in terms of personal responsibility, compliance with regulations, or avoiding personal responsibility and letting someone else, e.g. management, decide about questionable advertising content. These included "wish to excel, using a somewhat universal measure of excellence", "repercussions for illegal or questionable actions", and "financial motivation". One area where participants were often unclear as to their views, was about influencing vulnerable groups, particularly children or teens, with targeted advertising based on marketing research findings about what they valued.
The conclusion from this research was that you cannot impose a sense of morality. Society must rely on people who take responsibility for vulnerable groups, either by individual actions, or with groups who take on the responsibility of ensuring that vulnerable sectors of the market are not negatively impacted by advertising content.