EOC Week 2: Questionable Ethics in Advertising

There are many examples of questionable ethics in advertising. Too many businesses just try to make money without thinking about how unethical their methods can be. Most of these strategies, fortunately, hurt sales in the long run. For example, Shape-Up shoes promise to burn more calories while you do exercises you were already doing to give you the figure of your dreams. When consumers found out the product wasn’t helping, the result was predictable. They stopped buying, for the most part. Another product that doesn’t deliver on its promise is one most people likely have in their homes every day: bottled water. Bottled water, including Dasani and Aquafina brands, often comes from public water sources. Ever wonder what MWS or PWS stood for on your water bottle? It’s just a way to note, without outright saying, that the water comes from a local, public source. Additionally, it is held to less vigorous standards than water from the tap. Sometimes it’s not even held to any standards at all! It markets itself as healthier and purer than tap water, but it’s really the opposite-It can be harmful. There have even been studies that linked bottled water to the development of cancer. Hopefully, within the next few years, more consumers will be aware of the risks, and stop buying, but the chances of that are fairly low. The one thing bottled water does offer above tap is convenience. Another unethical choice in advertising comes from what has in the past few years become public enemy number one: credit card companies. Credit card companies have found that their greatest profits come from high-risk borrowers, who would only pay the minimum payment. Their advertising is often directed purposely to the people who would have difficulty paying the cards off and have little financial responsibility, as this allows them to accumulate late fees and interest, trapping them in debt to make the greatest possible profit.