Unethical advertising in Pakistan

To understand what unethical advertising is all about we must first consider knowing the exact meaning of the words ethical and unethical.  By contrast both words are thought to be antonyms which are fairly true however there are very few people who know what they actually and even fewer who know where the line should be drawn. Ethical or Ethics means a defined code of conduct that is right in terms of one’s religious and cultural values and attitudes. Similarly the word Unethical is often used for the rebellion from this code of conduct, to do what is wrong as described by the ethical code of conduct. Now that we know the difference between Ethical and Unethical we can clearly draw the line; however it is seen in most ads today that they tend to promote certain unethical values in their viewers. To make my point crystal clear I am discussing certain examples that I came across during my research.

Quite a while ago Hilal, a renowned candy company in Pakistan, distributed an ad to promote its bubble gum by the name of Fresh Up. In my opinion this ad is highly unethical it promotes certain values that are not only forbidden by our religion but are also disliked culturally. The very first thing the ad opens with a guy riding a heavy bike he as suggested bumps into a girl by mistake however saves her from falling to the ground by which the girl is impressed, in the second sequence a secretary is shown eating fresh up before entering her boss’ room, in this sequence it is seen that to get things done women take advantage of their looks etc which is highly unethical and fairly false as well. In the third scene a girl pops a bubble in public and seemingly grabs the attention of all those around her which may not be considered unethical but is ill mannerism. The fourth scene promotes dating as a vital function of opposite sex relationships whereas the fifth and last sequence is the most disturbing; it actually promotes smoking and lying. In this last sequence the same boy (first sequence) is shown heading home smoking, however when he reaches the door of his house he kills the cigarette and eats fresh up to hide bad breath from his mom. Now let us consider a child watching this ad what would be his impression? Obviously he will think that these values are right and he should inculcate them as well.

Similarly every day we see ads of fairness creams popping up on our television screens. To be very honest these TVCs are highly unethical in most of these commercials women with dark skins are ridiculed. They are made to believe that with dark skins they cannot achieve anything in life. Here the corporate giant Unilever can be targeted with its Fair & Lovely ad campaigns running all over the world. In most of their ads girls with dark skins are ridiculed and it is clearly shown that without a fair skin tone they will not be able to live their dreams. Nowadays boys have also been dragged into this menace. Here I’m talking about the infamous Fair Menz cream ad; in this particular one friend is getting married and the other friend who is to attend the wedding is advised to use the product so as to look good and woo girls. In the second part of the ad the bride’s friend seemingly seduces the groom’s friend and they end up getting engaged with each other.

Other than these, the ads of cellular service providers are growing to become highly unethical. Most services have started openly criticizing each other (refer to Jazz Ghanta Offer) which is considered unethical in the world of advertising, similar to this is the ad of Ufone’s Uth Package. In this context I will also like to discuss the new Telenor Djuice ad; in the opening sequence the young boy is in conversation on his cell phone when the door bell rings, his irritated father asks to answer the call however he in turn tells his father to do the same, which is unethical in terms of our cultural values. Similarly towards the end of the ad his girlfriends are also given a referral. Here many people may argue that it is a religious right to marry of one’s choice, this is true however that does not at all mean that one can go on talking to their girlfriends or boyfriends throughout the day as well as he night thanks to the numerous night packages introduced by these same cellular services.

By far we have discussed what unethical advertising is all about and I have also given some examples of the same. This menace of unethical advertising is not restricted to Pakistan in fact it dates back to the very beginning of advertising. Even during the Edo Era of advertising most traders indulged in false advertising. Similarly in later periods advertisements showed half truths and some even mislead customers. One very popular case of unethical advertising is that of McDonald’s in which the company was sued for not providing the right amount of information to its customers which in turn was becoming a major cause health risks for them. Similarly they were also accused of keeping big portion sizes on their menu, promoting bad eating habits in children. The company suffered some losses; however it soon recovered and introduced a healthy menu with fresh salads and smaller portion sizes.

Apparently all companies whether big or small, international or local have all indulged in some sort of unethical advertising; nevertheless not each one of them were taken to court neither were their cases brought to light. This menace of unethical advertising still reigns today due to the silence of us viewers. The question that many will raise here is “What can we do?” There are a number of things I am suggesting in the following lines. First and foremost we must be aware of our rights. Racial discrimination whether in any form is prohibited and has been named a serious offence by United Nations Human Rights Commission, thus we should raise our voices against Fair and Lovely and the likes. Similarly we must also raise our voice against ads like those of Fresh up bubble gum, as they are promoting smoking, dating etc. through their ads. Similarly the cellular services are also to be questioned as due to their youth packages the youth are indulging in a number of wrong doings, starting from simple innocent jokes extending to cheating in exams and even sexual abuse. As if these SMS bundles and youth packages were not enough the introduction of the various late night call packages serve as the topping on the cake. These call packages adversely affect the health and studies of our youngsters. Luckily the in Lahore the Su Moto action of the high court has resulted in a ban on the late night packages however this is just not enough because not all courts will take such actions. To protect our rights and to make advertisers show us what is right we have to take the stance. We have to curb this menace by raising our voices; I am not saying that we charge the roads or indulge in violent protests instead we should arrange for ourselves forums to talk our hearts out and also to discuss these very sensitive and important issues. Now is the correct time to act; as change has arrived and many good judgments are being made. Let us all vow to ourselves that the next time we see such an ad we will surely record our protest at least with the media authorities; as only this can help to curb the menace of unethical advertising.