The article taken into consideration is how advertisers are trying new tactics to target consumers which has been published in Wall Street Journal on 19th of June 2016. The article has described how marketers are moving away from the conventional forms of exposing consumer to the advertisements to a more subliminal approach of content marketing where the brand subtly fits into the content which is preferred by the consumer.
Moreover, another ethical dilemma for the advertisers is the subliminal exposure of the brand during the content which tries to persuade the consumer of its benefits. By subtly integrating the product in the content the brand tries to shape up the belief of a consumer without letting them know. One of the examples quoted is of native advertising where the consumer is unaware of how the brand shapes up the content in favor of the marketing gimmick of the brand.
Through this the brands are contaminating the quality of the content as the sheer purpose of such branded content is not to entertain the consumer but to persuade them to buy the product of in some cases increase the recall for the product. As the branded content does not specify the purpose to the consumer, hence there lies a huge ethical concern of shaping their perceptions without their consent. (Vranica 2016)
Work Cited
Barry, Jim, Dr. "7 Ethical Dilemmas Faced in Content Marketing." Edutainment. N.p., 28 Apr. 2014. Web. 19 June 2016.
Vranica, Suzanne. "Advertisers Try New Tactics to Break Through to Consumers." WSJ. N.p., 19 June 2016. Web. 20 June 2016.
