Adverthics'–A relationship growing sour

Abstract

Any communication endeavor that overconcentrates on organizational interests and fails to uphold the sacred duty of promoting consumer interest is akin to shooting oneself in the foot. The paper highlights public concerns about ethical standards of advertising practice in Ghana. The study adopted a qualitative research approach involving a review of existing documents and interviews. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 consumers who were conveniently selected from five large retail shops in Accra, the capital city of Ghana. The study revealed a very high level of consumer disillusionment with the form and content of many advertising campaigns in Ghana. Specific areas of concern cited included the use of children, exaggeration and blatant untruths in advertising features. Scholarly writings that seek to align corporate interest with societal wellbeing are important. Those in charge of corporate communication must value the interest of their stakeholders, restrain their idiosyncratic intentions, and succumb to the invaluable importance of their external communities by demonstrating high ethical standards. The supposition that advertising is costly and so organizations should endeavor to maximize its returns at all costs is challenged by this write-up. Rather, light is shed on the fact that intricate, multifaceted stakeholder interests need to be appreciated, acknowledged and balanced with corporate intentions in ensuring advertising effectiveness and sustained corporate gains.