Advertising

Question 1

What is advertising? (2)

Answer 1

• Sending of messages to members of the public about a product, which are paid for, and are designed to inform, persuade, or (inclusive “or”) otherwise influence their audience.
• This means that advertising is not confined to particular medium

◦ e.g. television, print media, or the internet

Question 2

• Advertising emerges with some of our earliest civilisations:

◦ Will be limited to the communicative channels available in a ______
◦ Advances in communication technology mean that there are more _________ channels and it becomes ______ to mass produce messages
◦ Proliferation of new ______ = more ______

Answer 2

society
communicative channels
cheaper
commodities
advertising

Question 3

Changing techniques / approaches advertising uses changes over time

What is the difference between old time vs current day advertising?

Answer 3

Old time: lots of words; detailed

Now: few words, colour, images

Question 4

What is deceptive adverting?

Answer 4

• To deceive someone is to deliberately get someone to believe something false.

Question 5

What are the two ways that advertisements can be deceptive?

Answer 5

1. Lying: making false statements with the intention to deceive

◦ But, not all advertising that used false statements is deceptive.
◦ Examples such as hyperbole/puffery, comic wordplay, and sarcasm illustrate point

2. Misleading: messages that intend to deceive without the use of false statements.

◦Through use of ambiguity (phrases or words that can mean more than one thing), or rely on the average consumer’s false assumptions about the context of the message.

Question 6

Why is deceptive advertising morally problematic? (3)

Answer 6

• Consequentialist - creates economic inefficiency
• Deontological - instrumentalises consumers
• Consequentialist: undermines the communicative abilities of society

Question 7

What does consumer sovereignty rely on? (3)

Answer 7

◦ (1) Consumer capability
◦ (2) Consumer information ◦ (3) Consumer choice

Question 8

What does deceptive advertising undermine and how?

Answer 8

By undermining consumer sovereignty.

• Deceptive advertising undermines this by compromising consumer information

Question 9

What are some things to think about when considering deceptive advertising? (3)

Answer 9

‣ But, do all deceptive adverts cause economic inefficiency?
‣ Do all deceptive advertisements decrease the individual, or society’s welfare?
‣ Can we give even a hypothetical counterexample where deceptive advertising does not have these undesirable consequences?

Question 10

According to Immanuel Kant, we have a certain set of absolute duties to others that arise from the respect we owe them as human beings. Because human beings have the rational capacity to set their own goals, ______ the world, and to make informed decisions about how to achieve these goals, we have intrinsic, not just ______ value.
Our duty then, is to respect human being in light of these rational abilities, by never treating them merely as a means, but always also as an end in themselves.
So, for the Kantian _______, even if deception has beneficial consequences, it is wrong, because it ______ the deceived individual.

Answer 10

investigate
instrumental
deontologist
disrespects

Question 11

WHAT IS DEPTH PSYCHOLOGY

• Freudian psychoanalysis sees the mind as divided into three parts:

Answer 11

◦ (1) Conscious

‣ Conscious thoughts, attitudes and desires are ones which we are fully aware of and which are largely under our control

◦ (2) Preconscious
‣ Preconscious mental states are ones we are only dimly aware of, which we
don’t usually control or identify with fully.

◦ (3) Unconscious
‣ Unconscious thoughts, attitudes, and desires are ones we are not directly aware of at all, but get expressed indirectly in the symbolism of:
* Dreams , “Freudian slips” , Jokes and amusement, Compulsive behaviour

Question 12

What does the depth approach in marketing communication aim to appeal?

Answer 12

• The “depth” approach in marketing communication aims to appeal to the subconscious attitudes which can influence our behaviour.

Question 12

Subconscious =

Answer 12

Preconscious + Unconscious

Question 13

What are the 3 ways that depth approach advertising can influence our behaviour?

Answer 13

◦ Subconscious desires
◦ Subconscious anxieties
◦ Subconscious associations

Question 14

• Advertising based on the “depth” approach appeals to consumers’ conscious mind with info & arguments, but speaks to the subconscious in its own language.

What are the ways in which this happens? (4)

Answer 14

◦ Symbols
◦ Word-plays
◦ Psychological associations ◦ Subliminal messages

Question 15

What is the aim of depth advertising?

Answer 15

• The aim of depth advertising is to get consumers; subconscious attitudes to influence their purchasing decisions in ways they are hardly aware of, or not aware of at all.

Question 16

What does Freud suggest and what does Freudian theory view suggest about repression?

Answer 16

Freud: Instinctive urges, desires, and anxieties are repressed (relegated to subconscious —during our childhood)

◦ Freudian theory sees repression as a good thing:

‣ A precondition of health and civilisation.

Question 17

• Many of Freud’s ideas are controversial, but what is widely accepted is that our minds work in ways we are not always conscious of, and our behaviour is by unconscious mental processes.

◦For e.g: (3)

Answer 17

‣ We not always aware of full reasons why behave in certain ways (e.g.cognitive biases, heuristics)

‣ We are not always aware of stimuli recorded by the mind

‣ We are not always aware of mental associations we make between things

Question 18

WHY IS DEPTH ADVERTISING MORALLY PROBLEMATIC? (2)

Answer 18

• Depth advertising is deceptive

◦ Distinguish between believing that product X will make you have more friends and associating product X (subconsciously) with having friends.

◦ In general depth advertising aims to trigger a positive (subconscious) attitude to a product rather than to trigger a false belief about the product

Question 19

How does depth advertising create economic inefficiency? (3)

Answer 19

◦ (1) Consumer capability
◦ (2) Consumer information ◦ (3) Consumer choice

Question 20

Some adverts do create or reinforce prejudice, negative emotions, etc.

Depth marketing can be good or bad, depending on….

Answer 20

depending on what products it is promoting and which motivations it appeals to.

Question 21

Is it bad for advertisements to appeal to our emotions? (2)

Answer 21

1. It isn’t always bad to take decisions based on emotions.

‣ Sometimes emotions play an important role in decision making.

2. However, some decisions can have harmful effects if influenced by emotions.

Question 22

What is the dependence effect? (3)

Answer 22

• Depth advertising creates desires which we wouldn’t have had otherwise.

1. Galbraith thought that in a society where all of people’s basic needs and desires are satisfied, demand for new products cannot come about organically.

‣ Therefore, any firm that wants to sell a new product needs to find way to create a demand for product.

2. Firms need to produce new commodity, & manufacture demand for the product.
3. Galbraith calls this phenomenon, where the demand for commodities is dependent on their production the Dependence Effect.

Question 23

How does advertising ensure that the individual’s wants are to be urgent?
(2 x2)

Answer 23

◦ (1) they must be original within himself (self originated claim)

‣ Are the only desires that are worth satisfying those which come from us without being inspired by outside interference?

◦ (2) They cannot be urgent if they must be contrived for him (non-contrivance claim)

‣ What distinguishes morally appropriate influences on our desires, etc. from inappropriate influences?

Question 24

DOES DEPTH ADVERTS CONTROL US:

• A person C controls the behaviour of another person P if and only if:

◦ (1) C intends that P act in a certain way to __
◦ (2) C’s intention is _____ ______ in bringing about A
◦ (3) C intends to ensure that all of the _____ ______ of A are satisfied

Answer 24

A
casually effective
necessary conditions

Question 25

What does depth advertising appeal to?

Answer 25

• Depth advertising appeals to subconscious impulses, desires and anxieties which are already there, and which are often overridden by our conscious thinking.

◦ It doesn’t NECESSARILY put those subconscious attitudes there, nor does it determine whether they are overridden by the conscious mind.

Question 26

HOW DOES DEPTH ADVERT CONTROL US:

• What about consumers more vulnerable to advertising?

Answer 26

◦ e.g., those with cognitive or motivational vulnerabilities who, due to factors outside
of control, are easily influenced than ‘normal’ adults.

Question 27

HOW DOES DEPTH ADVERTISING BRING OUT THE WORST IN US?

Answer 27

We argue that there is something wrong with advertisements trying to control us at all

• Many subconscious desires depth adverts aim to appeal to are selfish, narcissistic,
  aggressive, and potentially destructive

◦ e.g. greed, desire for power and dominance over others.

Question 28

How does depth advertising make us pessimistic about human nature?

Answer 28

• Pessimistic about human nature (NEGATIVE)

◦ Consumerism & advertising provide safe & symbolic outlet for negative & destructive impulses we have by nature

Question 29

How does depth advertising make us optimistic about human nature?

Answer 29

• Optimistic about human nature (POSITIVE)

◦ We could achieve identity & sense of purpose in a less selfish & atomistic way than
consumerism