#LetsStayTrue in advertising

Who has not seen and heard advertisements of crispy, juicy, fried chicken that is soggy or as dry as a bone IRL (“in real life”)? Or pictures on the box of a product that looks different from the actual product?

What about advertisements that contain phrases using the weasel verb “help” – “helps fight,” “helps prevent,” “helps stop,” “helps you feel,” “helps overcome,” “helps you look”?

And then we have advertisements that exaggerate claims about a product’s or service’s benefits that are unsupported by evidence: a pain reliever that provides “extra pain relief” or is “50% stronger than aspirin” or that “upsets the stomach less frequently” or is “superior to any other nonprescription painkiller on the market.”

Perhaps worst are advertisements that use psychological appeal (for example, appeal to power, prestige, personal enjoyment, masculinity, femininity, curiosity, acceptance, approval, selfesteem, and self-preservation) to stimulate emotional needs. The most pervasive is the use of sexual pitches, often at the expense of one gender. These advertisements present a serious moral concern because they influence the emotions and the subconscious of the viewers.

Corporations cannot hold on to the traditional view of increasing value solely of shareholders. Consumers and corporations need to partner with each other to combat the ill-effects of unethical advertising. After all, corporations are expected to optimize profit. Optimized profit is the result when workers receive just wages and incentives; stockholders receive reasonable dividends; management receives remuneration and profit participation; consumers receive fair deals and prices; government receives correct taxes; the environment receives proper care to ensure that future generations will also benefit from it; and the community benefits tangibly from hosting the organization. Whatever is left as net profit is realized optimum profit.

Filipinos are generally reluctant to report incidents of being victimized by unethical