Stereotypes

Do you think that advertisers have a moral duty to avoid stereotyping people?

I believe that they DO have a moral duty. First of all,  with the development of the technology and communication, the world has become a place where everyone connects neglecting time and space. This is called a ubiquitous society. In the center, there has always been the mass media, manipulating how people think and feel about certain groups in society. Advertisements, which are typically common in the mass media, also contribute to this as they in many cases undermine a certain group in return to support the other;this is often displayed in a form of stereotyping. Stereotyping, unlike many other forms, isn't considered to be very offensive towards the undermined group.  This is because advertisers adroitly use 'appeal to humor' when employing stereotypes. However, people should not fail to recognize the consequences that these advertisements can lead up to, as the consequences might not be manageable in the future. These stereotypes displayed in the mass media can turn into reality.

A single advertisement can incorporate so many stereotypes that it almost may be able to attack every single different group.  Though not the best example, the Mountain Dew advertisement made by Tyler show how an advertisement can include different stereotypes of different groups and people's reactions in response reveal why advertisements should take moral duties into account. Explicitly, the advertisement features both racial and sexual stereotypes.  Racial stereotype is displayed through ways in which black people were portrayed: gangsters and criminals. Moreover, these black people are displayed on par with an animal whereas the whites are presented as rather wealthy and money-oriented. In return, customers and critics condemned the advertisement for its biased and inappropriate portrayal of stereotypes of certain groups. A scholar even described this advertisement as 'disgusting'. Later on, as the number of critics increased to a point where Mountain Dew's revenue decreased, Mountain Dew officially announced its apology and the advertisement was permanently deleted.

 If a company cannot appeal to its customers, how is it going to persuade them to buy its products?  If the advertiser wants to aim towards a particular group, like how the Mountain Dew advertisement targeted towards the whites, he/she should be well aware of the moral line-which includes avoiding stereotyping- he/she should not cross over, as  encroaching upon this only brings about disadvantages to not only the advertiser and its company but also the group displayed in the advertisement.