Responsible Advertising - An oxymoron?

Just watched an ad for 'zip-lock' kind of popular - easy-to-use, versatile, multi-purpose - bags. The couch potato is urged to use nice and neat bags for storing food items in the fridge, then warming in the oven, and so on. All well, nice and tidy. I waited, wishfully thinking, for the ad to conclude with a message about the bag's reuse and ultimate disposal. At least a statutory warning? Kept waiting!
Does 'responsible advertising' continue to be an oxymoron?
Isn't it time those well-heeled ad professionals fulfil a more ethical role, in the larger sense, to society? It appears that Extended producer responsibilty (EPR) is taking its own sweet time to move from conceptual stage to the top of corporate portfolios, election manifestos, and ad-gurus' CVs.
The polluter has to pay!
There are a few efforts at improving the ethics in advertising. See, for example, Responsible advertising and Children, and Socially responsible advertising

Comments

  1. Pradeep Nair20 June, 2008

    No doubt, it's lacking. I don't remember, but there are a few advertising agencies that take care of such things.

    In these matters, individual players are what counts. I saw a shop where it was written: "we don't sell cigarettes". I wondered what must have provoked him to do that... When I asked at the counter, the girl said, she didn't know. But the provocation must have been social consciousness, I am sure; because neither there is a law nor it's the social norm.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Swarna20 June, 2008

    Thanks, Pradeep.
    These days, not one individual or organization can ignore social and environmental responsibility.

    ReplyDelete

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