Contemporary Advertising 14th Edition by William Arens ,Michael Weigold ,Christian Arens

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While numerous laws and self-regulatory efforts have banished products like tobacco and hard liquor from the airwaves, it is virtually impossible to keep minors from being exposed to such advertising due to the spillover nature of some media. The ethical issues involved with spillover media are complex, including the kind of advertising appeals used to target audiences.
Take outdoor advertising, for example. It is the most public mass medium. It cannot be turned off like television, radio, or the Internet, and it's displayed 24 hours a day for all to see-even children.
The trend in outdoor advertising today is toward eye-catching, sexually explicit ads, seen especially in dense urban areas. Most outdoor advertising regulations have focused on the location of billboards, not the content. The Outdoor Advertising Association of America's (OAAA) Code of Principles says that they "support the right to reject advertising that is misleading, offensive, or otherwise incompatible with community standards." But it is unknown how often this clause is invoked. Communities, therefore, have taken it upon themselves to regulate the placement and content of outdoor advertising, rather than relying on self-regulation by the advertising industry. In 1998, for example, the Los Angeles City Council passed an ordinance that prohibited alcoholic beverage advertising on virtually all publicly visible sites, even store windows. In response, the OAAA and other local Los Angeles trade association members filed a federal civil rights action, claiming that the ordinance violates the right to free speech.
As technology advances, so do the venues for advertising. And advertisers have found ways to work around billboard restrictions. Taxicabs and buses have carried ads for years; however, now appearing on Boston cabs are electronic billboards that have the ability to change their message minute by minute-depending on a few desired variables. Using a satellite feed and wireless Internet links, color messages change depending on time of day and location. Different neighborhoods see different ads and, if appropriate, even different languages. The taxi's location is monitored by an Internet link to a satellite tracking system. This new technology is inexpensive for advertisers and may become a common feature on taxicabs across America. However, it raises legal and ethical questions. Should mobile billboards be subjected to the same restrictions as stationary billboards Neighborhoods and schools may theoretically be protected from unwanted advertising, but can concerned parents protect their children from viewing advertising that travels on taxis?
Spillover also reaches children in other media vehicles besides out-of-home. The movies, for example, consistently show people smoking. And if the smoker is a celebrity, an impressionable child might interpret that as an endorsement. In a study conducted by Dartmouth Medical School, researchers found that actor endorsements of tobacco brands jumped tenfold in the 1990s. The study also found that 87 percent of popular movies contain tobacco use and about one-third display identifiable brand-name logos. Minors make up a large percentage of moviegoers and through movies they may be getting more exposure to smoking endorsements than in real life. Young people who look up to sport stars and movie celebrities may be vulnerable to intentional and unintentional endorsements. Benedict Carey of the Los Angeles Times calls today's movies "almost as smoke-laden as the stock car racing circuit."
Many people think that ads are not to blame for the rise of teen sexual activity and tobacco and alcohol use. Others believe that advertisers have a greater responsibility to separate youth from the adult world of unhealthy and explicit activity. Regardless of who is right, advertisers, agencies, and media companies must be sensitive to public opinion and seek creative solutions to protect impressionable children. Otherwise, the industry will risk severe restriction and regulation for having failed to responsibly and conscientiously assert firm ethical standards itself.
Should ads in spillover media be censored for sexually explicit content If so, who should the censors be and what specifically should they prohibit?