Am I a product of (product) red?
For my dissertation I will be exploring the ethics of advertising/marketing for charities. (Product) red is just one of them.
Now when ethics and advertising are mentioned I'm met with either a groan or a lecture on why its bad or good either way it makes for a lively discussion.
The case for advertising and marketing in the ethical world has been argued again and again and again. Is it bad and brainwashing?, is it good and an accurate reflection of our society? Personally I don't want to answer those questions as both in a way are false. I will be looking at the deliberate use of ethics in marketing/advertising and exploring whether it affects our personal autonomy. The paradox being if it does is it necessarily a bad thing if it makes me more ethical as a person e.g. helping fight aids in africa by buying a (product) red iPod?
I have been a major fan of (product) red for years and consider it one of the best brands there is but I have never stopped to think about the implications of buying their products. I payed 50 pounds for a pair of (product) red converse shoes. Does converse care about Africa or do they want me to just buy their shoes? Does the fact that their for charity justify the premium price tag and does this mean I'm am essentially buying into what (product) red is apparently against, Elitist capitalism? or should I just shut my mouth and be happy that I can buy shoes I like whilst helping Africa? could it be that major corporations do care and are doing their bit or are they just responding to the latest consumer trend of being ethical and green?
Lots and lots of questions and I have barely touched the surface of it all, I just hope by the end I still want to buy into ethical brands because it's such a nice idea and that I still want to be in the business at all!
Don't get me wrong I'm not trying to prove (product) red to be a farce, hopefully the opposite. I am much more interested in the paradoxes that lie within the two worlds as they become more and more intergrated with each other.
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