The article Can Ad Copy Be False but Not Misleading? If So, Is That OK? highlights some of the unethical methods companies use to lure customers or to make them purchase products without the customers’ knowledge. Most of the time, they use subtle ways to do so. As such, customers rarely notice differences or discrepancies in wordings. For instance, on the bottle of a McCormick maple extract, the advert claims that the 2-fluid-ounce bottle contains “2x [two times] more than our 1 fl oz” bottle (The Editors, 2018). However, this statement is not true. If the bottle were to contain two times more, then it would mean that the bottle would contain 3 oz. however, the bottle contains 2 oz which means that it contains two times as much (The Editors, 2018). As such, the ad statement on the bottle is false. It is worth pointing out that only a keen eye can identify the false claim.
Companies are in the business of making money. They will, therefore, use all sorts of tricks to get people to like or buy their products. However, given that these companies are controlled by human beings, they are prone to making mistakes. In this case, the person who designed the advertisement likely meant ‘twice as much’ as opposed to ‘two times more’. Moreover, given that most people use the two phrases interchangeably, the company did not make any punishable offense. While the message was wrong, it was interpreted in the right way. However, from an ethical point of view, the company misrepresented facts and therefore violated the customers’ moral right to truthful information. Even so, no one was exploited or overcharged in this case. Hence, the company is in the clear.
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Utilitarians focus on the outcomes of action as opposed to the action itself. As such, a utilitarian would not find any fault in the McCormick maple extract advert. Utilitarianism is all about consequences. For this reason, an ethical choice is the one that “produces the greatest good for the greatest number” (McCombs School of Business, 2020). Utilitarianism supports ‘questionable’ business practices provided they account for costs and benefits. The only limitation of the utilitarian views is that no one can predict consequences. However, in McCormick’s case, the intended message was delivered and the customers interpreted it the way the seller wanted. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with the advertisement or the intentions of the advertiser.
Contrastingly, a Kantian would find McCormick’s advertisement to be morally wrong. Kantians believe that lying is in the same category as theft and murder (BBC, 2014) . As such, even if an action is likely to result in many people’s happiness, if it is preceded by lying, then it is unethical. Kantians consider two important facts when making decisions. On the one hand, they look at the rationality of action and other people’s perceptions of such actions (BBC, 2014) . On the other hand, they ensure that their actions respect the goals of other human beings rather than using human beings for their purposes (BBC, 2014) . For these reasons, a Kantian would condemn the company’s actions and tell the company to rectify the wording in the advertisement. For a Kantian, provided action is unacceptable from the beginning, it cannot be acceptable in the end.
The difference in opinion between Kantians and Utilitarians notwithstanding, the fact of the matter is that the company made an honest mistake. Given that the mistake did not result in consumer manipulation or bad consequences, then the company should not be accused of moral misconduct. As such, Utilitarian ethics make more sense than Kantian ethics in this case.
References
BBC. (2014). Duty Based Ethics . BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/introduction/duty_1.shtml
McCombs School of Business. (2020). Utilitarianism . Ethics Unwrapped: https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/glossary/utilitarianism
The Editors. (2018, December 2). Can Ad Copy Be False but Not Misleading? If So, Is That OK? Business Ethics Highlights: https://businessethicshighlights.com/2018/12/20/can-ad-copy-be-false-but-not-misleading-if-so-is-that-ok/
