Response: Unethical Marketing
Nov 5th, 2012 by josephluiz
This post is a response to Sagher Bajwa’s Blog on October 6 about Unethical Marketing. The image exampled shows a pregnant woman holding a beer.
This advertisement is seen to be projecting the image of drinking whilst pregnant; in reality, the advert is innocently advertising something that is of no harm: none-alcoholic beer. Although non-alcoholic beer is being sold, a large majority of people would argue the taboo nature of this advert. Because the product advertised looks similar a product we commonly associate with harm, (alcohol), it is automatically seen as taboo. At a first glance the subject matter of the poster is obscene, however once it is known that a non-alcoholic product is being sold then it becomes ethically justifiable. The risks associated with this add are the potential false first impressions. At a glance only the image and its negative image is seen, however the product itself is not.
However, I am more interested in what effect this advert had upon the product. This add definitely attracted some attention, both negative and positive; but because of it the product would have had more exposure. A passer by could have been shocked by the image, only to look closer and see that a non-alcoholic beer is being sold. The shock factor may have aided in the effectiveness of this advert. Ethical or not, it is clear that advertising can be effective both ways. Is using sex to sell ethical? Many may hold the notion that it is not, but the reality is that if done right it can be very effective.