Only few years ago the streets of my home-town were cowered with various billboards advertising all sorts of alcoholic beverages as well as tobacco products. Considering the well-know financial ability of big tobacco and alcohol selling companies it is not hard to imagine how much of the actual available advertising space was filled with their adverts.

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However the situation has changed and Ukrainian government has imposed a ban on any type of outside tobacco-alcohol advertising. This has obviously caused a great frustration among producers and outside advertising space providers. Producers have lost their main mean of advertising and providers have lost a great chunk of their profits.

This prohibition act has yielded a great discussion about the ethical advertising in Ukraine. Such question as if it is ethical to use children, alcohol, elders etc have arrised.

The traditional “ethical” view on things is that “yes, it is bad to use affective images in advertising”. However i would like to dig a little bit deeper and inquire, why is such an advertising so effective?

It is mostly due to its affective nature, that we get influenced by such advertising. But doesnt that mean its is actually a good thing? People are rational agents seeking to maximize their utility, and if advertising gives them a sort of satisfaction of their need for utility…cant we just let them have it? After all, having a candy bar give you a sense of moral satisfaction is much better, than just having it fill you with calories.

Well what if I want to feel more manly?

This Marlboro add offers me a solution. And if I end up feeling more manly in the end- do I really care this ad could have been unethical?