Classic Ethical Theories in Modern Advertising The world of advertising has received a bad reputation when it comes to ethical practices. There is no doubt that advertising can be controversial, as advertisers seem to continually push the boundaries of what is considered acceptable in society. It is well known that the ultimate goal of an advertiser is to sell something. However, there are limits and the public will generally react negatively towards an advertisement if it is considered offensive and discriminatory. For this reason, advertisers must consider classical ethical theories in their decision-making process when creating messages that audiences will see. A classic ethical theory that can be seen in advertising practice today is utilitarianism. In utilitarianism, the only concern is for the common good. This means that any decision or action taken should result in the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people (Bivins, 2009). Numerous advertisements for clothing and beauty products have been accused over the years of being discriminatory against women and of selfishly serving the company's interests over those of society. Under utilitarianism, two brands stand out with their messages promoting happiness in the form of increasing self-esteem and redefining beauty among a large number of people in society. One of the most famous examples is Dove's "Real Beauty" campaign, launched in 2004 by Unilever. Dove promoted the act of defining “true beauty” and opposing the superficiality that is dominant in the advertising industry today. In 2013, Dove released "Real Beauty Sketches," which became its most-viewed advertisement ever. In January, Aerie unveiled its "Real" campaign (which targets...... middle of paper... interest and well-being of the community with the individual. Both ads promote messages supporting the belief widely held that the use of thin models or photo editing software is unnecessary, while promoting the advancement of social visions: shaping how society sees women as individuals and how they see themselves in private and how part of society. Although the examples here are few, classic ethical theories can be applied in every advertising situation. For advertisers, it is important to understand these theories to make informed and ethical decisions when communicating with your audience always provides answers to moral problems, and different ethical theories may apply to different advertising situations, but if advertisers use ethical practices, they can convey their messages to society with more discretion..