Key Point 1: Role in Society
- Why is marketing communication a more socially responsible platform than advertising?
- Explain the two points of view represented in the shape or mirror debate.
- Choose one of the concerns about MC that you either agree with or disagree with, and research it. Write a two-page report on your findings.
- Consider the advertiser censorship issue identified in the opening case. Is it fair for advertisers to expect to receive favorable coverage in return for their financial support of the media through advertising? Should editors consider the possible negative response of advertisers or other influential people when making a decision about whether to run a story?
- How would you define ethics?
- What are sensitive areas in marketing communication? Do you think MC shapes society or mirrors it? Explain your answer.
- Find an example of a marketing message that offends you or someone you know. Explain why the message seems offensive.
- Find five examples of cigarette marketing communication, and list the messages they appear to be sending and to whom. What ethical concerns do they raise, if any?
- Find an example of a social marketing campaign, and analyze how it relates to various stakeholder groups.
- What is the NAD?
- How do puffery and fraud differ?
- Find an example of a false or misleading piece of marketing communication, and explain why you believe it has problems.
- How and in what areas do competitors get involved in challenging a brand's communication?
- What is your position on commercial free speech? Visit the sites of the International Advertising Association (www.iaaglobal.org) and its critics (www.corpwatch.org) and (www.ReclaimDemocracy.org). Then develop a two-page position statement that outlines the arguments for and against commercial free speech and concludes with your position.
- What is the main federal agency overseeing advertising in the United States?
- What is the difference between the FTC's and the FCC's oversight responsibilities for marketing communication in the United States?
- What is the role of your state's attorney general in overseeing marketing communication?
- You are planning to launch a new soft drink, first in the United States and then in Europe. List as many regulatory agencies as you can that might factor into the launch, and explain their involvement with this launch.