Peek-A-Boo!

With this topic comes a strong and long debate about what concise as unethical advertisement, and to come up with one definition, of the term, which is globally acceptable for a student like me is not the wisest of ideas.

Instead of raging a debate about what should be and what shouldn't be in the realm of marketing we should rather look at instance which ca get as the global backing that either they were unethical or ethical.

Start looking at the things from the marketing perspective and it comes to you!

You start judging things from a different angle, you take the sale point of the product in view, and most importantly, you start evaluating the standards of the sales pitch... that too on your own standards.

Moreover, what your standards are remains to be discussed?

The overall environment around you and how you are raised and taught, curves your focal point of judgment. But, another long debate, bound to take us off the issue at hand.

So coming back to advertising ethics!

To pinpoint and advertisement to justify the debate on ethics would make the realm of this article limited, I'd never want that.

On talking about the global perspective of ethics in advertising, let us recall an artistic promotion, which has shaped our judgment, in some ways.

Well to raise the curtain over the mystery, we are talking about the great MONA LISA.

Background

Mona Lisa (also known as La Gioconda or La Jaconde) is a sixteenth-century portrait painted in oil on a poplar panel in Florence, Italy by Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci during the Renaissance.

The work is currently owned by the Government of France and is on display at the Musée du Louvre museum in Paris under the title Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo.

Arguably, it is the most famous and iconic painting in the world. Considered one of the world's most popular, hyped and researched painting by different artists, historians, and researchers.

The Research

Several stories nexus with this painting have come up over the passing centuries and yet no one is still sure about the true reality of the origin.

A lot many stories have been linked with and many are considered myths and fake anecdotes just created for tapestry’s popularity.

Following are some of the stories about Mona Lisa.

1. The painting is a half-length portrait and depicts a seated woman whose facial expression is frequently described as enigmatic. Others believe that the slight smile is an indication that the subject is hiding a secret.

The ambiguity of the subject's expression, the monumentality of the composition, and the subtle modeling of forms and atmospheric illusionism were novel qualities that have contributed to the continuing fascination and study of the work.

2. According to an other story Leonardo supposedly well-documented homosexuality contributed to his enlightened perspectives on the need for balance between male and female characteristics. The secret of the Mona Lisa, it claims, is that it portrays the fusion of the male and female that the painted figure is androgynous.

The same theory continues that Leonardo Da Vinci himself was gay that's why he was always fascinated by the divine union of male and female. Some historians say that Leonardo was a grand master of Priory Of Sion (a secret society established several years back having one of the most popular personals of time as its member, this society is considered to be the pagan worshipers, those who worship divine feminine the mother earth Gaea. And as Leonardo was its grand master he painted Mona Lisa as hidden symbol and dedication to the sacred feminine.

3. Some claim that the painter has derived the name of the painting from the names of Egyptian gods Amon and Isis. Amon is the Egyptian god of masculinity and Isis is the goddess of earth. Therefore, as the painting is the union of male and female, the name is the union of male and female as well.

4. Other references say that Mona is a contraction of "madonna" (meaning 'my lady' or 'madam'); Lisa is proven to be derived from Lisa del Giocondo. Mona Lisa is named for Lisa del Giocondo, a member of the Gherardini family of Florence and Tuscany and the wife of wealthy Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo.

The painting was commissioned for their new home and to celebrate the birth of their second son, Andrea. Historians say that Leonardo painted Mona Lisa in 1503 and he lingered over it for 4 years and completed it after. They say that where he used to go, carried his Mona Lisa along with himself.

So now armed with the background of the painting -- very vivid indeed.

Now leaving the first and the last story aside, we can say we have been robbed of the true concept of beauty of a woman.

If the chosen two stories are considered remotely true than, it feels sorry to say that we have been beating around the bush to find the true beauty in our significant other (female).

Relating it to our debate, the question arises... Who promoted the painting? Alternatively, who advertised it as the true beauty of a woman?

Answer!

Leonardo himself had the biggest hand in creating the hype about his portrait for popularity purposes, what so ever they might be at that time.

So, now let us ask if the stories are true and the portrait is really of a man dressed up as a drag queen, than being a marketer what can be more un ethical than asking people to only believe in what is not true.

Asking people to base their ideology on what are entirely fake standards... where is the ethics in that.

Who is to ask the question now that a painting, which has set the global standards of beauty, and painting bearing a smile parallel or comparable to nothing -- as said?

Why rob us of our own idea of beauty, why enforce standards on us that are only true to the standards of a single individual have totally different and unacceptable priorities.

Well this is advertising 101.

You have to sell your concept and position your brand in the mind of individuals that they make your product the standard to compare things with.

So what, if in the mentioned saga it was all un-true.

No bars in what’s ethical or not as long as the idea is sold.

However, from a viewpoint of a common individual it was not something fair it was an advertisement promoted and sparked by personal bias... In addition, what is bamboozling at this point is to give kudos to the genius behind the promotion, who sold a very wrong idea very successfully. On the other hand, to sit with a grim on the face and curse the man for making us -- the straight men -- miss out on the undiscovered beauties of the world.

Whatever you choose to do… Do it with an understanding that when it comes to product promotion there are no limits to ethical or unethical -- at least in the capitalistic society that we live in.

The race is on to sell your product by any means necessary, a society in which moral values and ethics take a back seat you can expect many more Mona Lisa's on the way or better yet many are around us waiting to be discovered.

Who is to put a check on this all? Who is to highlight the customer values... maybe one of us?

If decide for once that money is important but earning it at the expense of defrauding someone or robbing someone his ideology of something is by far not acceptable.

However, what may have triggered Lenardo centuries back may still be around to trigger our sin of greed.

It may not just be the monetary aspect of the things it can be more than that... you know vanity is also a sin -- although not considered by many.

Nevertheless, just to prove a point using your power to change views is an art not possessed by many so for those who do have it... please consider some ETHICS first.