Persuasive Advertising, Ethics of

One of the standard questions that is addressed by business ethics is whether or not there is something ethically objectionable about some or all forms of advertising. This question is usually posed in terms of asking whether advertising is merely the provision of information to consumers that enables them to find the right product to satisfy their preexisting desires or needs or whether advertising manipulates, brainwashes, or deceives persons into buying products that they would otherwise have had no interest in purchasing. That is, this question addresses the ethics of using what is termed persuasive advertising rather than the ethics of using what is termed informational advertising. Questioning the ethics of using persuasive advertising is distinct from other ways in which advertising can be subject ...