Carlson Les - Advertising and violence : concepts and perspectives

Advertising
and Violence

Advertising
and Violence

Concepts and Perspectives

Nora J. Rifon

Michigan State University

Marla B. Royne

University of Memphis

and Les Carlson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

EDITORS

With a Foreword by
Wally Snyder
Executive Director, Institute of Advertising Ethics

First published 2014 by M.E. Sharpe

Published 2015 by Routledge
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Notices
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Advertising and violence : concepts and perspectives / edited by Nora J. Rifon, Marla B. Royne, and Les Carlson. pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7656-4268-4 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-7656-4269-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. AdvertisingSocial aspects. 2. Violence. 3. Violence in mass media. I. Rifon, Nora J., 1956II. Royne, Marla B., 1960 III. Carlson, Les.

ISBN 13: 9780765642691 (pbk)
ISBN 13: 9780765642684 (hbk)

Wally Snyder

Les Carlson, Nora J. Rifon, and Marla B. Royne

Carlos Cruz and Brad J. Bushman

Hillary A. Leonard and Christy Ashley

Charles S. Gulas, Kim K. McKeage, and Marc G. Weinberger

Benjamin J. Blackford, James Gentry, Robert L. Harrison, and Les Carlson

Tom Reichert and Marc G. Weinberger

Michael L. Capella, Ronald Paul Hill, Justine M. Rapp, and Jeremy Kees

Laurence Ashworth, Martin Pyle, and Ethan Pancer

Nora J. Rifon, Karen Smreker, and Sookyong Kim

Marla B. Royne and Alexa K. Fox

E. Deanne Brocato, Douglas A. Gentile, Russell N. Laczniak, Julia A. Maier, and Mindy Ji-Song

Karen L. Becker-Olsen and Patricia A. Norberg

Magdalena Cismaru, Gitte Jensen, and Anne M. Lavack

Sarah N. Keller, Timothy Wilkinson, and A.J. Otjen

Leleah Fernandez and Jef I. Richards

Tim Jones, Peggy H. Cunningham, and Katherine Gallagher

Advertising and Violence: Concepts and Perspectives, edited by Nora J. Rifon, Marla B. Royne, and Les Carlson, is an important resource for academic, government, and industry leaders. It provides the essential compendium and collection of academic research, conclusions, and recommendations on violence in advertising.

The ethical dilemmas presented by any amount of violent advertising and the possible impact it may have on children, women, and vulnerable audiences need to be addressed for the benefit of the public. This work is balanced in its treatment of advertising violence and its potential effects, and calls for a thorough vetting by academics with industry leaders. Indeed, in their introduction the editors see the book as a solid starting point for the discussion, contemplation, and elaboration that is necessary to reach appropriate and needed conclusions and recommendations that could form the basis for policy formulation as needed and/or required.

The issue for further discussion is not about the political correctness of the depiction of violence in advertising. The research findings and conclusions in the book provide a strong foundation for discussing two issues with industry leaders: (1) the communication intent and usefulness in using violent depictions and (2) the ethical dilemmas presented with violent depictions in both adult and childrens advertising. These two questions are linked, because, as the authors of contend, not all violent depictions are bad. They make the assertion that under some circumstances such depictions are justified. Whether the particular ad is ethical and responsible depends on already determined factors, including the nature of the audience, as well as the purpose of the use of violence, such as to prevent actual harm in the real world.

There is an excellent and detailed accounting in of the governments role in the regulation of violence in advertising, mostly the limitations imposed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Basically, truthful advertising, even though violent, is protected under the First Amendment unless a real threat of the violence is proved. A California law prohibiting the sale and rental of violent video games to youth under the age of 18 was struck down by the Supreme Court. In a 72 vote, the justices ruled that the law was unconstitutional and that it violated the First Amendment rights of children. The Federal Trade Commission remains interested in violence in advertising aimed at children and holds hearings and publishes reports to Congress and the public on the self-regulatory actions of the music, film, and video-game industries.

It appears that any substantial change in the current depiction of violence in advertising will come about only through action taken voluntarily by the advertising industry on ethical considerations. Importantly, the authors of recommend an extensive ethical construct to determine the appropriateness of violence in different advertising settings. For me, an ethical approach based upon the right thing to do for the consumer is the basis of real discussions between academic, industry, and government leaders. The books research and recommendations can be helpful to the industrys ongoing self-regulatory mission, including to the Childrens Advertising Review Unit (CARU).

While president of the American Advertising Federation, I had the opportunity to serve on the board overseeing CARU. It has published guidelines relating to Inappropriate Advertising that only age appropriate videos, films and interactive software are advertised to children and that Advertising should not portray or encourage behavior inappropriate for children (e.g., violence or sexuality) or include material that could unduly frighten or provoke anxiety in children; nor should advertisers targeting children display or knowingly link pages of a website that portray such behaviors or materials.