Advertising and Society: An Introduction

Now revised and updated to reflect the impact of emerging technologies, this new edition of Advertising and Society: Controversies and Consequences examines the evolution of advertising and its influence on society. To facilitate discussion and expose readers to all sides of each debate, chapters are organized in a unique ‘point/counterpoint’ format. It explores controversial topics such as alcohol, tobacco, and sex in advertising; the pros and cons of negative political adverts; the use of stereotypes in advertising; and the evolution of industry channels, including Direct to Consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical advertising, product placement in various media, and the increasing intrusiveness of Internet marketing forms. Engaging and thought–provoking, Advertising and Society is an invaluable resource to stimulate thinking while revealing the controversies, complexities, and ethics of the most contentious issues in contemporary advertising.

Notes on Contributors viii 1 Introduction: Why Does Everyone Have an Opinion about Advertising? 1 Carol J. Pardun Part I Enduring Issues 7 2 The Economic Impact of Advertising 9 ARGUMENT C. Ann Hollifield 12 Advertising lowers prices for consumers 12 COUNTERARGUMENT Penny Abernethy 17 Advertising makes products more expensive 17 3 Advertising to Children 24 ARGUMENT J. Walker Smith 28 Children are smarter than we think. Let’s respect them as the consumers they are! 28 COUNTERARGUMENT Dan Panici 34 Children need more protection from advertising! 34 4 Political Advertising 43 ARGUMENT Anne Johnston 45 What’s so positive about negative advertising? 45 COUNTERARGUMENT Albert R. Tims 52 Why negative political advertising is bad advertising 52 5 Tobacco Advertising 61 ARGUMENT R. Michael Hoefges 64 The strong First Amendment right to promote lawful products COUNTERARGUMENT Timothy Dewhirst 74 Rationales for the regulation of tobacco advertising and promotion 74 6 Alcohol Advertising 84 ARGUMENT Jon P. Nelson 87 Not so fast! Evidence–informed alcohol policy requires a balanced review of advertising studies 87 COUNTERARGUMENT Esther Thorson 96 Abandonment of alcohol advertising regulation carries a high social cost 96 7 Sex in Advertising 106 ARGUMENT Tom Reichert 108 Sex in advertising: No crime here! 108 COUNTERARGUMENT Kathy Roberts Forde 113 Using sex in advertising is never a good idea 113 8 Stereotypes in Advertising 121 ARGUMENT Jane Marcellus 124 What’s the harm in advertising stereotypes? 124 COUNTERARGUMENT Margaret Morrison 130 Stereotypes are a necessary and appropriate strategy for advertising 130 Part II Emerging Issues 135 9 Direct–to–Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising 137 ARGUMENT Beth E. Barnes 139 Doctor knows best: Why DTC advertising of prescription medications is bad for patients 139 COUNTERARGUMENT 1 Michael L. Capella and Charles R. Taylor 146 Pharmaceutical DTC advertising provides valuable information to health–care consumers 146 COUNTERARGUMENT 2 Debbie Treise and Wan Seop Jung 154 Feel empowered! Enhanced health knowledge! 154 10 Hyper–Niche Markets and Advertising 161 ARGUMENT Joe Bob Hester 164 Hyper–targeted and social: Why Facebook advertising may be advertising at its best 164 COUNTERARGUMENT Tom Weir 169 Today is the new 1984: Big Brother is not only watching you – he is selling to you 169 11 Advertising and Product Placement in Entertainment Media 175 ARGUMENT Geah Pressgrove 179 Product placement is simply good advertising strategy 179 COUNTERARGUMENT Kathy Brittain Richardson 186 Placing products in entertainment media does not enhance the media experience 186 12 Advertising in Previously Hands–Off Journalistic Environments 191 ARGUMENT Beth E. Barnes 193 This is news? Maybe not, but that’s okay! 193 COUNTERARGUMENT Charles Bierbauer 200 Advertising in strong journalistic environments is never a good idea 200 13 Advergames 208 ARGUMENT Adrienne Holz Ivory and James D. Ivory 210 Food and beverage advergames are playing with children’s health 210 COUNTERARGUMENT Kevin Wise and Saleem Alhabash 218 Evidence of advergame effectiveness 218 14 Advertising and Sporting Events 229 ARGUMENT Erin Whiteside 232 Advertising unhealthy products during sporting events makes sense as an advertising strategy 232 COUNTERARGUMENT Marie Hardin 239 Sporting events and advertising products are contrary to athletes’ lifestyles: The consequences of mixed messages 239 15 Advertising to Captive Audiences 246 ARGUMENT Angeline G. Close 248 Why advertising is acceptable (almost) everywhere 248 COUNTERARGUMENT Charles Pearce 259 Who wants to be held captive by advertisers? Not me! 259 16 Advertising and Social Responsibility 265 ARGUMENT Debra Merskin 267 Companies are wise – and ethical – to use “social responsibility” as a creative strategy 267 COUNTERARGUMENT Peggy Kreshel 275 Cause–related marketing as a business strategy is ethically flawed 275 Index 295

Carol J. Pardun is Professor of Advertising and Director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of South Carolina. She has been published in numerous journals, including Mass Communications and Society , Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media , and Journal of Advertising Research .

“I highly recommend the excellent and engaging book Advertising and Society: An Introduction, 2nd Edition edited by Carol J. Pardun, Ph.D., to any academics and undergraduate students in business, advertising, marketing, media, communications, journalism, the social sciences or any other related field where the impact of advertising is felt in society. This book is a challenging guide for reconsidering the student′s own viewpoints about advertising, and enhancing their ability to think critically about the issues surrounding this controversial topic.”  ( Blog Business World , 24 September 2013)