What ethical issues should marketing students learn to identify in targeted advertising?
Marketing students should learn to identify privacy and consent problems in data collection, opaque profiling and the use of sensitive or inferred characteristics, discriminatory targeting, misleading claims, manipulation or exploitation of vulnerable audiences, and practices such as dark patterns. They should also consider data security, accountability, transparency, and compliance with relevant advertising and data-protection laws.
Key points
- Assess whether people understand and can meaningfully control how their data is collected, combined, and used.
- Examine whether targeting excludes, disadvantages, or stereotypes groups, even when discrimination is indirect.
- Distinguish legitimate personalisation from manipulation, excessive surveillance, or misleading presentation.
- Consider whether organisations can explain targeting decisions, protect data, and provide effective remedies.
Things to check
- Applicable legal requirements vary by country, sector, platform, and the type of data or audience involved.
- Ethical assessment may require considering both the advertiser’s purpose and the real-world effects on different groups.