ADV 2375 : Advertising Ethics
Course Description
Come join us in discussions about advertising to children and issues related to controversial products such as tobacco and alcohol. Find out the important issues to consider in evaluating the portrayal of women, ethnic minority images and the depiction of stereotypical gender roles. Learn about cutting edge issues impacting the bumpy road to advertising ethics such as the re-touching of models or pending rules about sugared-cereal advertising. Develop the tools necessary to create more effective advertising campaigns that are not only good for the client but for society too.
This course examines the ethical issues related to the practice of advertising and marketing communications. Are some practices in advertising unethical? How can we recognize, define, assess, reprimand and prevent unethical practices? What impact do these acts have on society, the industry and individuals? Come and join us in this interesting, yet complex journey.
If you would like to take Advertising Ethics in 8 days with a start time of 9:00 am versus 15 weeks and start time of 8:00 am, think about J-Term 2012 at SMU-in-Plano. Use the 8 days to get a required advertising course crossed off of your list.
Instructor Biography
Dr. Carrie La Ferle is a Professor in the Temerlin Advertising Institute at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. She holds a Ph.D. in advertising from The University of Texas at Austin, an M.A. in advertising from Michigan State University and a B.A. in sociology from the University of Western Ontario. For over a decade, she has been teaching classes in Advertising Ethics to undergraduate and graduate students of advertising. Her research examines how culture impacts advertising effectiveness and consumer behavior. She has examined issues of credibility, attitudes toward advertising, ethnic minority media use, and many other issues in relation to the intersection of culture and advertising. Recently, Dr. La Ferle has been examining consumer responses to photo re-touching of models in ads. She is assessing the perceived ethical nature of this practice and potential regulatory guidelines.
Dr. La Ferle’s work has resulted in close to 40 publications including articles published in, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising Research, and International Journal of Advertising among many others. Her research has been awarded a variety of grants and she is listed across several Who’s Who publications. She has been a Visiting Fellow at Nanyang Technological Institute in Singapore and she is the recipient of several teaching awards, including SMU’s President’s Associates Outstanding Faculty Award. She also serves on the editorial review boards of many journals including the Journal of Advertising. Prior to academia, Dr. La Ferle worked in the private sector at (TBWA) Chiat/Day advertising agency in Toronto, a media buying firm in Los Angeles and a licensing and merchandising company in Tokyo.
Learning Outcomes and Benefits
- Define ethics and understand what role ethics has to play within the institution of advertising
- Identify and discuss arguments regarding the economic effects of advertising on society
- Understand the importance and limitations of freedom of speech rights for advertisers
- Become sensitive to issues involving the portrayal of women, children & ethnic minorities in ads
- Know the arguments related to advertising controversial products (i.e., liquor, condoms, etc.)
- Converse intellectually about cutting-edge ethical issues facing the advertising industry today such as model re-touching, online privacy and bills to limit DTC prescription drug advertising
- Develop advertising with a more positive impact on societal values and norms
- Create ideas for turning many of the above listed challenges and criticisms into opportunities for advertisers while encouraging advertisements that also benefit society