Radiography of advertising ethics in Spain. Analysis of Autocontrol resolutions from 1995 to 2016

Abstract

The constant presence of advertising in the lives of citizens and their growing influence on the configuration of models and lifestyles gives rise to the need to know the reality of the advertising world from the ethical point of view. This is the intention and the objective of this research article, in which we try to x-ray the panorama of advertising ethics in Spain, through the exhaustive analysis of Autocontrol opinions, who resolving ethical dilemmas in this sector. The investigation covers the period 1995-2016 and yields interesting conclusions, such as that the most frequent ethical breaches refer to the principles of legality, truthfulness and good faith or that since 2003 the number of claims filed with this body has increased considerably. Another of the most significant conclusions has been that there is no common criterion in the Autocontrol Jury in order to request the cessation or rectification of an advertisement and that the most frequent opinion is the rectification of the advertisement . In addition, there has been a growing social concern for advertising ethics, as the agents that presented the most complaints were associations, federations and consumer organizations