Ethical Issues in Online Advertising

The web faces the same ethical issues as other media, plus a few of its own. Here are some rules for online ads.

When it comes to advertising, it’s a given that making untrue claims, bait-and-switch offers, and the like are unethical. But those aren’t the only ethical issues to consider. Advertorials, interstitial ads, pop-ups and pop-unders, contextual links, and overlay ads, to name a few, while not all unethical in and of themselves, all come with ethical hazards. Why should an advertiser care about this? Because ethically questionable ads can have a negative impact on their brands. When users dislike an ad, they tend to extend that dislike to the advertiser. As web usability expert Jakob Nielsen puts it in an article on his web site: “Unethical ads will get you more fixations, but ethical business practices will attract more loyal customers in the long run.” Negative reactions can come from media companies too. They may be unwilling to accept certain ads because they will drive traffic away. The journalists’ organization The Poynter Institute, for instance, says in its online ethics guidelines: “The consumer’s experience is paramount. Advertising models and sponsorships should be evaluated closely to determine their impact on consumer experience.” Advertorials, Kick Through Ads, and In-Text Advertising
One type of advertising that can be problematic is the advertorial – an ad that’s intentionally made to look like an article. There’s a longstanding rule in the publishing industry that any ad that could be confused with editorial content must be clearly labeled as an advertisement. This is true on the web just as it’s always been true in print.