On-campus Credit Card Advertising Hurts Students

Read the following article: On-campus Credit Card Advertising Hurts Students

http://www.necn.com/Boston/Business/Oncampus-credit-card-advertising-hurts-students/1206662806.html

Post your answers by Wednesday, March 11th at 12pm (noon).
1. The Better Business Bureau is an organization for the public that helps to regulate ethical business practices. In this case the BBB took the side of advertisers and placed the responsibility in the college students hands. Is it unethical for regulatory bodies such as the BBB, AAF or FTC to choose not to represent those asking for action (such as consumers), but to stand with the opposing party?
2. One concern was that students getting behind on payments results in a domino effect; late penalties result in a rate increase. We’ve discussed the ethics regarding “fine print”. Is it ethical for companies to utilize this tactic in regards to people’s finances? How does this tactic differ from misrepresentation in an ad?
3. Students said that they’ve been bombarded with credit card ads, incentives to sign up and given large credit limits. This has resulted in thousands in debt, losing track of payments and distraction from schoolwork. Do you believe that college students are in the category of “vulnerable audiences”? Why or why not? Should there be a band on campus advertising of credit cards, and would this be a viable solution to the problem?

Let's Talk Ethics at 11am!

ETHICAL DILEMMA
Sarah is working on a women’s fashion brand that is marketed to teenage girls. An issue concerning the campaign has begun to concern her. The models selected for the campaign are young and extremely thin. Sarah recently has read some research regarding the negative effects that ultra thin female images in the media can have on teenage girls and their conceptions of beauty, and she feels uncomfortable about the images of beauty portrayed in the campaign.

When she starting asking questions about the models, she was told that the client liked this type of model and that it was the client’s choice to use any type of model he wanted. Sarah isn’t sure what to do. She does not want to do anything to constrain her team’s creativity.

QUESTION

What would you suggest Sarah do? To keep the client happy, should she keep her concerns regarding the models to herself, or should she voice negative effects this campaign could have on young girls?