Stereotypes

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

In todays society, advertisements usually have some type of stereotype about people from one race, culture or country. I believe that advertisers have a moral duty to avoid stereotyping people due to several reasons, however I also understand why it is done by advertisers. First of all, when advertisers stereotype people, they generalise a whole culture or race and depict them to society as all the same people, ignoring their differences. This can be very offensive to some, especially when one’s cultural or race stereotype is used in order to make the advertisement funny. Furthermore, advertisers should also avoid stereotyping people as it imposes standards on society, which are most predominantly seen in the fashion and modelling industry. Advertisers choose to include stereotypes of people in ads due to various reasons. Using stereotypes of people saves valuable time in the explanation that is necessary to set the scene in the advertisement as the audience will most likely have prior knowledge of stereotypes.  Furthermore, stereotypes can easily create an association with the viewer and the ad itself, as well as make the ad in some cases more funny. Additionally, decorative and active portrayals of men and women in advertisements can often say a lot about the intentions of an ad in terms of appeals, which is also liked to the affect transfer concept. In conclusion, I believe that advertisers should avoid stereotyping people, however I do understand why it is done and its effectiveness.