Advertising and society : controversies and consequences / edited by Carol J. Pardun.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction -- People don't hate advertising : they hate bad advertising / Carol J. Pardun -- The economic impact of advertising : what's the controversy? Adversing makes products more expensive / Edd Applegate -- Advertising lowers prices for consumers / C. Ann Hollifield -- Advertising to children : gimme, gimme, gimme!!! Do children need more protection from advertising? Yes! Children need protection from the bombardments of Sponge Bob Square Pants, Ronald McDonald, and all the big purple dinosaurs / Keisha L. Hoerrner -- No! Children are smarter than we think. We coddle them enough already! / J. Walker Smith -- Political advertising : necessary, necessary evil, or evil necessarily? Political advertising serves an important role for American voters / Anne Johnston -- Political advertising has no place in the U.S. democratic system / Jennifer D. Greer -- Tobacco advertising : when people do dumb things. Tobacco advertising : the strong First Amendment right to promote lawful products / R. Michael Hoefges -- The fumes of truth / Jef I. Richards -- Alcohol advertising : a match made in heaven or a pact with the devil? Alcohol is so problematic that advertising or promoting it in any way should be banned from all televised events / Lara Zwarun -- Eliminating alcohol advertising on television because underage people drink is as misguided as restricting automobile advertising because people drive too fast / Jason Chambers -- Advertising and product placement : and now, the star of the show! Product placement makes a lot of sense in today's media environment / Charles Lubbers -- More than entertainment : product placement in American media channels / Kathy Brittain McKee -- Sex and advertising : I'm too sexy for this ad...or am I? Sex in advertising : no crime here! / Tom Reichert -- Using sex in advertising is never a good idea / Kathy Roberts Forde -- Stereotypes in advertising : a code to help us understand a concept quickly? Or a short-changing way to look at the world? Stereotypes are the best way to give consumers a quick understanding of the creative impact of the message / Marie Hardin -- What's the harm in advertising stereotypes? / Jane Marcellus -- Direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising : a prescription for everything? Doctor knows best : why DTC advertising of prescription medications is bad for patients / Beth E. Barnes -- Feel empowered! Enhanced health knowledge! / Debbie Treise and Paula Rausch -- Puffery and advertising : Puff the magic ad man. Puffery is never worth the deception / Ivan Preston -- This is the best darn essay on puffery you will ever read / Bruce G. Vanden Bergh -- Advertising and social responsibility : being good is always a good idea - right? Companies are wise - and ethical - to use "social responsibility" as a creative strategy / Debra Merskin -- The adoption of social responsibility through cause-related marketing as a business strategy is unethical / Peggy Kreshel.

Organized in a "point/counterpoint" format, this text examines the impact of advertising on society. It is designed to spark discussion and help students understand the complexities of the issues being presented. Ideal for undergraduate and graduate alike, it features a balance between criticism and practice that is rarely found on the market today.