Is Sensible Advertising The Way Forward?
This excerpt poses the question as to whether advertising authorities are becoming too stringent with TV advertising regulations. Currently there are calls within the industry to ban all junk food advertising pre watershed in order to combat the rising concern society has with obesity amongst children. In this move all food categorised as High Fat Salt Sugar content (HFSS) will no longer appear in ad breaks between kids TV programmes.
Also, in a bid to help the government with their crackdown on binge drinking, alcohol companies are also coming under fire. Many have repositioned their adverts to promote sensible drinking, i.e. opting to encourage consumers to buy their drinks, but providing with it often quite a graphic depiction of what could happen if they drink too much.
So my question is: are companies being penalised and held back under this wave of ethical advertising? What is abundantly clear is that there has been a shift from a time where advertisers could stretch the truth and use persuasive marketing spin to sell on nothing more than ideals. They are now been held back by a call for sensible, honest marketing.
Is this a good thing?
August 24th, 2008 at 10:47 am
It’s not a good thing. Even if authorities becoming too stringent with advertising regulation, the consumers will keep on buying the products that they’ve already familiar with. Take for example, the fast food; are the consumer is hold back from their habit eating junk food with this stringent commercial regulation? I don’t think they do; maybe what they did is taking it less but not totally not buy it.
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Well, they are just trying to stop them from one end, they can’t stop them all ends. Fast food have became one of the most important thing in our daily life. If government is so much worried about obesity then why they don;t promote nature food? Why they don’t make advertisements about them ?
They are just trying to make things a little complicated. People are going to buy what they like and no one can stop them.
September 4th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
I agree with the two above.Sensible advertising is not really a good thing for me. If I like some product I will not care about the advertisements at all. I will just buy whatever I like and not consider what the others tell me.
September 7th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Very interesting site, nice design, greetings
September 9th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
For me this issue have pros and cons, however, I agree about the fast food issue as Charlie said above. People nowadays take it less than before. But sometimes, we should buy it for certain reason such busy with work or wouldlike to celebrate something etc. However, from my opinion the advertising authorities should do more researches about this issue to benefit both side.
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:56 pm
I feel the government has a good purpose in providing useful information to the public, but should be cautious when imposing their will on the public. Daniel is right about fast food, as it is somewhat harmful to one’s health. The authorities should require complete disclosure about nutritional information, but not do anything that may harm the fast food business.
September 30th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
No it’s not because when i see something ( fast food ) i will buy it, if it comes on ad or not.
Also if this is really for kids then they could ban the ads till 18:00 PM
October 1st, 2008 at 1:45 pm
I firmly believe that the unrecommended product advertisements should completely be banned. This is because, then only everyone can watch all the channels and the other advertisers can make some profit out of it. Else parents or the well wishers of the family is gonna switch the TV to someother channel when the ads comes.
I has to be done by the Television channels itself.
October 3rd, 2008 at 5:24 pm
I think any time the government starts to interfere and say what it’s population should and should not be seeing, it is a BAD thing. I hate to be extreme, but what next? Should they be telling people what music to listen to or what books to read? To me, that is scary. As an intelligent individual, it’s insulting for somebody else to tell me what I should and should not be exposed to. I can make up my own mind, thank you very much.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
The advertisers always are under cross roads when it comes to ethics and business. And it is at this part, the sensible advertising comes into.
The more honest they are, the more business they can do.
Nothing to do with the rules or morals.
How much business you have done counts at the end of the day.
Anyways, a good move. Hope the advertisers convert this to their advantae of building up honesty..