Where do we teach ethics in branding? Debbie Millman doesn’t fully say.
The School of Visual Arts in New York City is cranking up the nation’s first-ever master’s program in branding, led by Debbie Millman to help students focus on what Pacific-Standard magazine calls “the intricacies of how words, images, and design help shape public perception, opinion, and belief.” But something clanged at me in Paul Hilbert’s […]
Jeff Jarvis on why ‘sponsored content,’ advertorials and other blurrings between news and ads are a bad thing
Worth a read today is Jeff Jarvis writing about the blurring between news and advertising content. He argues that advertising that looks like news content is bad because of: Inconsistency in the ethics of news organizations that do this. Conflicts of interest between advertisers and news. Brand value losses for news organizations. His bottom line: […]
Some celebrity dietary supplement endorsers won’t talk to Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports is a rarity among magazines: It accepts no advertising and generally buys the products it tests. Its credibility tends to demand the respect of the companies it writes about. Consider, then, the magazine’s March 2012 story about dietary supplements and the celebrities who endorse them. Noting that the Federal Trade Commission requires that […]
Advertising ethics principles enter the digital age
The University of Missouri’s Institute for Advertising Ethics, in conjunction with the American Advertising Federation, has released its new Principles and Practices for Advertising Ethics. The eight principles are followed by commentary that link to the latest in law governing advertising, as well as principles of truth from journalism that guide the code. The statement […]
Time magazine shows power and privacy concerns of data mining
Joel Stein plays everyman in Time magazine’s March 10 cover story entitled Data Mining: How Companies Now Know Everything About You. He allows data mining companies to tell what they think they know about him, and the result is eerie preciseness that is both strikingly right and howlingly wrong. Companies glean this information from everyday […]
No media ethics in discussion of what’s legal in advertising
Advertising Age reminds its readers of “Nine Things You Can’t Do in Advertising if You Want to Stay on the Right Side of the Law,” which turns into a reminder that there’s a legal distinction between puffery and a false claim. (Summary: Lie and the government will smack you down. BS all you want.) The […]
I wouldn’t eat that if I were you
Why does that hamburger on TV not look like the one you just bought? National Public Radio tells the story of how “food stylists” do their magic to make food look appetizing in video and photography. It’s an art, complete with plenty of books on the subject. Below the story, several people at the NPR […]
Church, state, ads and ice cream
Sept. 15, 2010 The tagline on the ad for Antonio Federici ice cream’s says “Immaculately conceived.” But the image—of a pregnant nun—has the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority playing God. The authority banned the ad because it mocks Roman Catholic beliefs, according to the BBC. It’s not the first time the government banned this company’s ads; […]