Discuss the key ethical issues of taste, stereotyping, use of sex appeal, and targeting children. How do advertising professionals deal with these issues?

What will be an ideal response?

(1 ) Taste and offensive advertising: Advertisers need to consider what might be considered bad taste or offensive by the target audience. The context in which the ads are viewed is also relevant.
(2 ) Stereotyping: Though stereotypes can be useful, this is a delicate area in advertising. Ads should not use stereotypes that rely on a characteristic that is so negative and exaggerated that it reduces the group to a caricature.
(3 ) Body image and sex appeal: Advertising that portrays women or men as sex objects can be considered demeaning and sexist, particularly if sex is unrelated to the product. Advertisements also influence cultural concepts of beauty; a focus on body perfection in advertising can lead to men and women placing their health at risk in order to look like models.
(4 ) Targeting children: Children are seen as more vulnerable than adult consumers. A current issue is related to selling soft drinks, candy, and food with high fat and sugar content to children. Many believe that heavy advertising of such products has added to the growing obesity rate among the country's children.