#3 - ADVERTISING ETHICS

 Super Bowl Advertising

   

    While the Super Bowl is arguably one of the most popular annual sporting events because of many Americans' love for football, it also has a reputation for showing some of the most iconic and memorable commercials that many people come to love. Companies spend over $5 million on these commercials hoping that theirs will become the most popular and therefore bring them the most business. However, with 2020 being a record year in so many areas of life, some people are questioning whether or not companies should be showing advertisements for normal products with a pandemic, among other things, still persisting. 

    Some companies who are usually widely known for their Super Bowl commercials, decided to opt out of the advertising this year. For example, Budweiser, whose commercials consistently rank high in terms of being the most popular, decided not to air a commercial for the first time in 37 years. Instead, the company decided to turn its focus to promoting the COVID-19 vaccine distribution and other awareness efforts. With Budweiser's decision making national news, it is causing people to think about the ethics behind promoting normal advertisements in a time like this. Surrounding situations surely have an impact on someone's view of advertising and can cause people to either not care or strongly question a company's ethics behind their marketing strategies.

    Deb Aikat, Associate Professor of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media, said that he thinks the ethics of this situation can be broken down into three areas: "companies want to create a sense of normalcy in a world of chaos, companies drop out every year, making Budweiser's decision shocking, but not out of the ordinary, and the spirit of America is to move on." Like Aikat, some people think that this might not have been the smartest choice and that other companies will not follow Budweiser's example because of their "American spirit" that means working hard and overcoming. Others seem to think that it was not a smart choice for the company simply because customers would not respond positively to it.

     

     I think it was very bold of Budweiser to decide not to have a commercial advertising their products during the 2021 Super Bowl. However, as is the case with most company choices, it is hard for me not to be skeptical about the companies decision. In today's media, almost every choice made by a company, CEO, designer, or anyone part of a business is strategic. Sure, I believe that Budweiser might actually care about the COVID-19 vaccine and its distribution, but I also believe that the company saw a chance to make a splash and gain more popularity and they took it. By humanizing their products and making things more personal towards their customers, they are building their business reputation without many people even realizing what is happening.

     When examining advertising ethics, I think people have to remember that at the end of the day, these companies are looking to stay relevant and make money. While they may actually care about these causes and there may be great people working for them, they are also looking out for themselves and for the company. Nothing is wrong with making a choice based on strategy, but it is important to not let certain choices fool someone into either loving or hating the company simply because of one commercial that was shown (or not shown).

    

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