CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. SOURCES OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter basically examiners the
contributions of some experts, practitioner and scholars of advertising toward
the sustenance and maintenance of social responsibility as a demand that must
be met in order to have a cordial interlink between the advertisers and the
patronizers of advertised goods and services.
Categorically, it evaluates the extent
of effectiveness of their contributions in solving the problems created by
unethical practice of advertising. There is no doubt that these contributors
have, from time to time, analyzed the importance of advertising, highlighting
its laid down principles and the effects of its unethical practice, especially
as it concerns the social responsibility to consumers.
2.2. THE REVIEW
2.2.1. IMPORTANCE OF ADVERTISING IN ENHANCING SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Advertising is considered effective
and result-oriented whenever it is seen to be responsible to consumers. In
other words, the message given by the advertisement must be accurate and
truthful. Supporting this view, William Wells (1995:52) states thus:
Conversely,
if you believe that advertising mirrors society, you will think that
advertisers have a responsibility to ensure that what is portrayed is accurate
and representative.
In this regard, if it assumed that
through advertising, one can be enlightened or be made aware of a given product
or ideal. Taking cognizance of how advertising benefits the society, Osunbiyi
(1999:38) maintains.
Economically,
it encourages the development of new and better products thereby giving
consumers a wider variety of choices; it keeps prices down and encourages
competition.
Overtly, Osinbiyi’s position that
advertising does a big job for the people who goes a long way to portray that
when any available product or idea is backed up by advertising i.e. creating
awareness, the people (consumers) would be given the opportunity to search for
such available products. This is a demonstration of social responsibility,
using advertising. And in doing this, a clear-cut choice is established, thus,
unveiling a scenario where information about health and social issues would be
made known. For this reason the APCON’s code of Advertising Practice Provides
that advertising should” be prepared with a high degree of social
responsibility and should not show disregard for the interest of consumers and
the wider Nigerian society”.
As we talk about being socially
responsible, we still witness untruthful advertisement, which tend to deceive
consumers. If advertising should enhance social responsibility, it must
endeavour to be honest about the advertised products; it must be decently
presented/prepared and truthful passed across.
Affirming this, an international
advertising agency called Benetton says. Advertising is not just the selling of
a product. It has an equal social obligation to something move. (1995:44).
Although, Benetton did not critically
and clearly explain the nature of “equal social obligation” it is talking
about, it is assumed that the agency is obliged to be responsible to the liking
of its numerous customers who may need their services.
In the opinion of an advertising Professor,
Charles Sandage, in evaluating how much advertising enhances social
responsibility sees the role of advertising as:
Helping
society to achieve abundance by informing and persuading members of society
with respect to products, services and ideals (p. 14).
The Professors evaluation posits that
the people have the right to be informed. If possible through persuasion.
Otherwise, the advertiser would be getting it all wrong. This buttresses the
fact that whether it is an idea, product or service that is marketed, the
demographic and psychographic factors of the target market/audience must be
considered. Unfortunately, most advertisers of good and services show disregard
for the need to explain or teach their consumers how to use the advertised
products. As a result, some people, especially the less-lettered ones, misuse
and abuse the product. Undoubtedly, they are not living up to the social
responsibility roles through advertising.
Wells and Colleagues pointed out that
advertising.
Informs us
about new and improved product and teaches us how to use these innovations. It
helps us compare products and features and make informed consumer decision it
mirros fashion and design trends and contributes to our aesthetic sense.
Most importantly, puffery, which is
sales representation that praises an item to be sold, using subjective
opinions, superlatives and exaggerations to sell a product has been the bane of
social responsibility. In the first place, the advertisers are not being
truthful and honest. Therefore, they cause consumers to double into patronage
that will betray their loyalty for that brand, after wards. However, I believe
that vitafoam plc has been truthful enough to sustain their business over the
years because of their quality product. Evidently, if there is a poor quality
one, the company would have folded for lack of patronage.
It is obvious that most advertisers
and marketers alike have no concern for the consumers, other than to minimize
profit. While analyzing the violent impact created in the American society
through the sale of handguns by Smith and Wesson’s Corporation, it was
revealed, as in their own case too, that some companies have made changes out
of a sense of social responsibility. Mc Daniel (1998:12)
Indeed, this need to think about
effects advertising messages can have on the consumers is very essential. That
is why the Smith and Wesson’s Corporation has thrived, over the years. If
millions of companies would borrow such social oriented idea, I think, there
will be a favourable link between the suppliers and the consumers.
Borrowing the marketing term called
“marketing concept” which emphasizes satisfaction of consumers’ needs by a
given organization, Ferrel, (1995:9) contends that
an
organization should try to provide products that satisfy customers’ needs
through a co-ordinated set of activities that also allow the organization to
achieve its goals.
Ferrell’s contention posits that
organization should always show responsibility to the public (society by
attempting to satisfy through providing high quality products and customer
service rather than making abnormal profit, our of inferior but quality
products.
However, “business people have not
always believed that the best way to make sales and profits is to satisfy
customers’ argues Henry Ford in his marketing philosophies for cars in the
early 1900s.
In his “Marketing” book, Pride (1995)
while highlighting the nature of social responsibility states.
Social
responsibility in marketing refers to an organization obligation to maximize
its positive impact and minimize its negative impact on society.
Regarding the increasing neglect of
the philosophy of social marketing concept, marketing scholars pose the
question: Are companies that do an excellent job of satisfying individual
consumer wants necessarily acting in the best long-run interests of consumers
and society?
This question arises because it is
widely noted that most companies or organizations hardly take the obligation of
being socially responsible seriously. In the same vein, Chris Sainbury in his
article “Marketing, Advertising and Consumer Behaviour” highlighted the
importance of ensuring effective public relations, which is geared towards
sustaining social responsibility. In his words
For British American Tobacco, the
issue of public relations is key to their funding of a well respected
university. The funding of such a university by the company connotes social
responsibility ------- is actively contributing to education in this country.
Advertising places emphasis on
materialism. That is to say that it serves as a stimulating factor, which tells
the consumer the quality of product and probably the available price list.
In a contrary view, Arnold Tonybee,
as evaluated by Osunbiyi (1999: 28), argues that
Even if there
is no poverty in the world, advertising is still evil because it stimulates
unrestrained desire which is against the teachings of world major religions.
Tonybee believes that advertising
should not turn out the best product to the consumers. Perhaps, this would
engineer much cost on a given product at the expense of majority of the people.
But he forgot that the consumers should make do with the best as a mark of
social responsibility to the consumers. Basically, the idea of enhancing social
responsibility in advertising is linked in bringing to limelight the potency of
morality. This tells us that “anything worth doing is worth doing well”,
especially for the benefit of greater majority of the people. Therefore,
producers are expected to attach importance of satisfying their prospective and
potential consumers. This will serve as a testimonial to their being socially
responsible.
Considering this the code of
Advertising Practice, p. 8, provides that advertisements must not use visual
illustrations or sounds that offend public taste and deceny. In particular, no
obscence or offensive exposure will be allowed in any advertisement.
“Marketers are expected to exhibit
social responsibility and ethics” Alide (unpublished lecture note). Explaining
further, he stated that this would enable marketers to understand the wishes
and needs of the consumers, as well as the trendy nature of consumer
expectations.
Noughton (1998: 19) espoused that the
social responsibility of advertising arises from the social values of the
society and the business environment in which it is practiced.
This means that the faste of the mass
consumers would be met, without which it will culminate in “Social
Irresponsibility”. Seeing social responsibility as a panacea to good advertising,
Bovee and Arens (1994: 43) maintains that social responsibility mean doing what
society views as best for the welfare of people in general or for a specific
group of people.
2.2.2. THE POWER OF PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION IN ADVERTISING
Advertising is embedded on
communication. This is where comes into play. It is like personifying
communication. Every advertising message is geared towards effecting a desired
action. For instance, if the text of a message reads: “experience the luxury
therein”, you cannote feel the luxury, unless you are moved to do a purchase
and then undertake the experience which is actionable.
According to Bovee and Arens (1994:
239 – 240) In developing the message strategy, the copy writer (or creative
director) needs to create a copy platform.
This is expedient in the sense that
the copy platform answers the basic questions of
1. Who
is the most likely prospect for the product?
2. Why?
i.e of what needs or wants does it appeal to?
3. What
product features satisfy the consumers’ needs?
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