Which two principles are the most important from the consumer’s perspective? Why are these principles important?
All eight principles of advertising discussed in the article are connected to certain legal and ethical rules that have been introduced to protect customers and encourage the advertisers to have a fair business competition. Nevertheless, their importance tends to vary if we try to look at them from the perspective of the consumer. I suppose that two principles are the most important for buyers all over the world: the fourth and sixth.
According to the fourth principle, advertisers are required to provide the customers with all the information concerning their collaboration with the manufacturers to ensure transparency. I believe that this principle is especially important for consumers because nowadays many people tend to consider bloggers’ opinions choosing the best product. For example, if advertisers do not mention the fact that they are sponsored by the brand or get some items for free, their feedback may mislead many customers.
As a result, many people who think that product reviews found on the Internet are always honest to spend their money on products that do not meet their expectations at all. Due to these unnecessary financial expenses that may occur, the principle can be regarded as essential. According to the sixth principle, advertisers are not allowed to compromise consumers’ privacy to promote the products and services.
The principle is important because the issue connected to privacy bothers many buyers all over the world. The thing that often causes discontent of the consumers is contextual advertising used to show the people only those advertisements related to their interests. It is also crucial because the data is usually retrieved from search history, and many people tend to fear that their personal information (for instance, queries related to physical and mental health issues) is unprotected. I suppose that this issue is urgent for many consumers, as many people do not want anybody to monitor their search history to fulfill their goals. Therefore, advertisers should realize that such a strategy can cause the opposite effect.
Which principle has been ignored by some advertisements?
Companies are supposed to strictly follow eight rules listed in the article but there are a lot of advertisements that ignore ethical principles. Many advertisers are likely to violate the fifth principle explained in the article, to be able to compete with other companies. There is a strong competition between the advertisers in the modern world; due to that diversity, many consumers tend to ignore the advertisements that just show the product and tell about its advantages.
According to the fifth principle, companies should fairly treat the customers by reference to the target audience of the advertisement. Nevertheless, many companies violate this rule and use advertising tricks that encourage different people (especially children) to make false conclusions about the product. For example, the companies selling toys called Magic Worm tend to attract children with the help of hiding the information on real principles of their work.
The information is not indicated even on the packaging, and many people tend to believe that there is a mechanism that makes it move. Due to that, the toy is sold at a higher price than it should be. To continue, many companies such as Jours Apres Lunes create advertisements showing children looking like adults it presents, even more, serious issue and makes it inappropriate for the audience. Another example of such violation is creating advertisements for children that are too difficult to understand. All these types of advertisements are created without regard to the target audience and its real needs.