I'm sure you've all encountered advertisements that you have found offensive.

The advertising industry is often berated over some of its advertising strategies. They seem to continually be pushing their products forward using less than conventional methods. Don't get me wrong, I love innovation and new ideas, but advertisers seem to have forgotten the phrase of 'ethical responsibility'. Check out some of these websites below to see what I mean:

www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,20383185-2761,00.html

http://commercial-archive.com/topicmap/Banned+ads

There should be some sort of regulation for this, and there is. Guess who's got responsibility?

‘Under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992, each broadcasting industry sector is required to develop codes of practice applicable to the broadcasting operations of its section of the industry.’ (Broadcasting complaints investigations, ACMA)

So the broadcasters have the responsibility. They have even formed a Code of Ethics for advertising, which can be found at www.acma.gov.au

But regulating the advertising industry is a big job, and advertisers like to push the boundaries of what they can show in their advertising, and legally, they can. Ethically though, I think they should be held responsible, and should regulate their advertising to be more compliant with the Code of Ethics

Of course advertising is offensive - it's intention is to tempt you to give up your hard-earned money on things you were not interested in in the first place.

The rules are simple:
1. Stay away from it. Don't pick it up, don't listen/watch to radio/TV stations that do it, etc.
2. If you do happen to see an advertisement, make it a point to NOT buy that product/brand.

Remember that if you buy an advertised product, you do not only pay for the product itself - you also pay for all the advertising expenses!

LOL, quite true.

Although its probably next to mission impossible to avoid advertising and advertised products altogether - at the moment I can't think of one product or service that has not had some degree of advertising. The simple rule I use when I see an advertised product is asking myself, 'Why do I want to buy it? Do I really need it? ', and, 'How am I going to pay for it, and what benefits will I get in return?' Although I'll confess guiltily to splurging once every so often.

What I actually had in mind though, when I wrote my post, was the actual content in the advertisements, eg scantily-clad women, salty language, scenes of violence/discrimination/sex.

Its these things I think that advertisers have gone totally over the top with in their advertising. It has been said that advertising companies use these strategies to create controversy, and generate more publicity about that product, but I don't think that's playing fair, and it can hardly be said that its right for them to subject viewers/listeners to offensive material.

Does anyone really believe advertising?

Its more than just a bit of pollution and lies.

It leads young children to believe in the rubbish of worthless plastic and metal etc that will clutter the rest of their whole lives.

Long ago advertising became a false religious cult of the worst kind for young minds. Even intelligent adults get sucked in.

I once found an advertisement particularly offensive. It was an ad for St George Bank with the wording "No Fees" painted on the side of the Opera House, in the same style as the "No War" graffiti painted on the Opera House. I suggested to St George that they were supporting the vandalism done to the Opera House, and that they should also distance themselves from having any opinion on the war in Iraq. St George very quickly removed this advertising. While I never asked St George, I wondered if the graffitist received a fee from St George.

Now showing at least on pay television an add they gets to me.
A beautiful young girl speaking words of love to an off screen person?
Telling of her love and saying you can give me every thing I ever want.
Moving on screen it is a credit card/account card.
A great act of stupidity in my view.

What annoys the heck out of me is
when the adds lie. Promising one
thing and trying to deliver something
else, that to me is unethical.

I remember a recent add on TV for
Godfrey's Vacuum Cleaners, advertising
at a remarkably low price. I actually
went in to a local Godfrey's store, and
surprise, surprise - they were all out
of that particular cleaner - but they
offered me a similar one, at a higher price.

Their add campaign relied on misinformation.
Which to me was unethical. I'll never buy
from Godfrey's again.

On the other side of the coin however,
advertising is big business and how would
so many industries survive if they couldn't
sell advertising space...

Plus we wouldn't know what to buy...

Right?