Media Ethics Issues and Cases Chapter 3

Strategic Communication: Does Client Advocate Mean Consumer Adversary?

Toward the start of Chapter 3, the reader is presented with a dilemma. There exists a rift between people who believe that "technology itself raises no ethical issues, but rather [they] arise in how the technology is put to use" and those who believe that technology is embedded with values. We are not required to resolve this debate, however we must acknowledge that it exists and work within its limitations. 

I, for one, disagree with the latter school of Jacques Ellul, I feel that the "capacity for ethical choice" lies in technology but is not an integral part of the technology. Strategic Communications professionals have the duty to evaluate new technologies based on old ethical standards. 

Not only are Public Relations and Ad professionals called to make independent decisions about technology and its use in news media and persuasive messages, but journalists and consumers are also called to make those same decisions. Chapter 3 outlined ways in which we as both consumers and professionals can balance our assigned, contracted, and self-imposed responsibilities and work to evaluate persuasive messages in news media.

In the following video, (used with permission and featuring yours truly) I will use the Amplified TARES test, alongside Cognitive Dissonance and Balance Persuasion theories to evaluate the ethics of its individual message. 

• Truthfulness: are the verbal and visual claims truthful? The only verbal or word-based claim is Tabanero Hot Sauce's slogan "Your Healthy Heat", and yes, this claim is true. Tabanero Picante is one of the healthiest hot sauces using all natural ingredients to establish the gourmet spicy flavor. The visual claims have an air of carefree joy and fun with friends, entailing that if you buy Tabanero you will live a social, popular and carefree lifestyle.
• Authenticity: is there full disclosure of who is paying for the message? Is the claim made with sincerity? This claim is authentic and made with sincerity, because I took part in the filming of the commercial I can honestly say that the emotions of the actors were not staged. There is no message disclosing the sponsor of the commercial because my friend made it in her free time as an attempt to get a job with the Hot Sauce company. 
• Respectful: is there respect for the person who will receive the persuasive message? The person on the other end of this message is most likely an internet user checking out Tabanero's website or searching for hot sauce reviews on YouTube. The receiver of this persuasive message is treated with respect and dignity, this promo does not violate their privacy and does not catch them off-guard with vulgar visuals or verbal content. 
• Equity: is the recipient of the message equally informed as the ad's creator? This Hot Sauce ad does not take advantage of an information gap between the consumer and advertiser. The information needed to fully comprehend and process the persuasive message is inherent in the average consumer.
• Socially Responsible: will some groups be harmed by use of this product? Does this ad increase or decrease the trust the average person has for persuasive messages? This is a socially responsible ad, if 'everyone with the financial means to purchase this product did so' and used the hot sauce, no one would be harmed by the consumers decision. Tabanero actually gives back to the community that is an integral part of production of the product in Tabasco, Mexico.
• Cognitive Dissonance and Balance Theories: is the consumer knocked off balance and then promised a restoration of that balance through the purchase of that product? I wouldn't say that the consumer is knocked off balance by this ad, or that they experience cognitive dissonance or discomfort after viewing it; however, it is fair to posit that this ad promises a healthy, social, and carefree lifestyle while using Tabanero Picante. 
• Vulnerable Audience: is there a stereotype present in this ad? Is there an abuse of trust between the audience and the advertiser? Surprisingly, I could not find a stereotype in this ad. If anything, there was a large Caucasian presence and the video did not account for the representation of diverse peoples that may consume the product.  

Overall, This "Your Healthy Heat" ad passed the TARES test and does not abuse the trust of the consumer or audience. Personally, I see this advertisement as not only ethical but also as restorative for the customer. The upbeat tune and overall good-natured attitude of the video left me as a consumer feeling fulfilled.

Film produced and edited by Hunter Fraser