At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, socially conscious students get together every other week to discuss an issue of great importance that is unfortunately not discussed enough: the dangers of unethical advertising and its effects on society. This student organization, known as the Altruistic Advertising Club, not only discusses the ethical concerns of the advertising industry, but they proactively investigate ways in which advertisements can be both ethical and successful in capturing a large market share. Members of the club place various controversial marketing and advertising strategies such as, Neuromarketing, under a microscope and talk about whether or not these practices should be permitted. The objective of the organization is to shed light on a relevant issue that is heavily debated in the marketing and advertising world today.
The Altruistic Advertising Club was started because students felt that these issues were important but were not being addressed in the classroom. Also, up until now, there was no organization on campus that addressed specifically ethics and advertising. The club is collaborating with other marketing and advertising clubs on campus to host professional speakers. The AAC meets every other Tuesday (the first meeting was October 5, the second meeting is Ocotber 19 etc.) from 5:30-7:00 in room 346 of Birge Hall (located on Bascom Hill). For more information e-mail club president Zac Miller at zac.altad@gmail.com.

3 comments:

  1. WisconsInnovation said...

    Cool club. This is a great idea. I hope several of our marketing students plan on joining or at least attending a couple discussions.  

  2. Lacey Carlstrom said...

    Thanks for leaving this post. I also find the club interesting and vital for marketing students to acknowledge. I followed the link for Neuromarketing and it sounds like some very unethical and weird stuff. It's surprising that with how much ethics are emphasized at the School of Business we do not have an ethical advertising course or something on this topic. Again, thanks for the info!  

  3. dylanml said...

    I think this is an issue that is unfortunately rarely discussed in the business school but one that can have widespread societal impacts. One of the main critiques I hear about marketing in general, is how it is just trying to trick people into buying a product etc. Clubs like this are important to dispel these beliefs, and encourage ethical marketing practices.  


 

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