Middle East & North Africa Show Concern for Advertisements

AUSTIN, Texas - As emerging markets in the Middle East and North Africa become increasingly attractive for business opportunities, they also have become more prone to ethical infractions in advertising, according to a study released from the Moody College of Communication at The University of Texas at Austin. The study, published in Consumption Markets & Culture , found that advertising practitioners in the Middle East and North Africa reported numerous examples of ethical concerns including misleading advertising claims, copyright infringement, advertisements targeting children with unhealthy food and toys, and privacy violations. Minette Drumwright , an associate professor in the Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations , and Sara Kamal, a former Ph.D. student at the Richards School, conducted's with 39 employees of various advertising agencies in the Middle East and North Africa to assess ethical considerations in the advertising messages, as well as the business ethics of the advertising companies and organizations that produced them. 'Many of the factors that make markets in the Middle East and North Africa attractive for business also make them ripe for ethical infractions,' Drumwright said. 'Proactive steps by groups of agencies, clients and advertising trade associations are needed to create a more ethical advertising environment that will have a positive impact on consumer and business culture more broadly.' Drumwright cited several factors in Middle Eastern and North African countries that contribute to high rates of ethical infractions, including high rates of illiteracy; lack of consumer 'persuasion knowledge?