Wei-Ting Leong's Blog

Just another UBC Blogs site

Wei-Ting Leong's Blog header image 2

Advertisements: Do Ethics Matter?

September 23rd, 2010 by Wei-Ting Leong

http://www.adsneeze.com/media/2007/07/sisley-fashion-a1.jpg

Above is a picture illustrating a typical advertisement one might find in a generic magazine. A somewhat startling advertisement launched by Sisley, an upcoming fashion company, that begs the question: “How unethical are advertisements allowed to be?”

When we first read into the picture, we see two attractive models insinuating the action of essentially snorting cocaine. However instead of the illicit substance, the company has cleverly placed a dress there in its stead. Of course, we understand that Sisley is attempting to portray their line of fashion as addictive and somewhat naughty natured; yet they are also inadvertently promoting a controversial issue of drug abuse as well – an issue that is very much rampant in today’s fashion industry.

The aim of an advertisement is to make itself look cool and attractive therefore making the product seem cool and attractive. Although Sisley may employ a more negative connotation with its marketing strategy, it is humorous and eye-catching, but at the same time, it is not morally right.

This is the contradiction that in itself, gives the ad its “kick.” So rather than calling advertisements distasteful or unethical, we should focus on what makes an advertisement bold and unique. After all, we may very well be the next marketing team that will aim to produce ads such as this in the near future.

Tags: No Comments

Leave A Comment

0 responses so far ↓

  • There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.