Note #12

Do advertisers have a moral duty to avoid stereotyping people?

The primary aim of advertisements is to promote the product in the most effective manner. To do so, advertisers focus on extending various forms of appeal to the audience. These may or may not always be ethical. Whether advertisers have the moral duty to supervise the information and imagery conveyed to the audience is debatable. Companies may look for the most interesting and stimulating method to project their product. This process often overlooks the moral consequences. To avoid triggering people, the time slot of the ad must be adjusted according to the product and context. This should be legally enabled. Advertisers must be sensitive to the sentiments of different ethnic groups based on their history and traditions. The media plays a large role in shaping our opinions of people. Most people do not have any source of knowledge about other groups of people besides the media. Advertisements on television, the internet, billboards and other platforms are a major component of the formation of stereotypes. Sometimes, it is feasible to build on stereotypes as this can be beneficial for advertisers to feed on large-scale ignorance. Companies must be held accountable for the influence they wield on the masses through media and go the extra mile to prevent the propagation of stereotypes.