This paper argues that the informative and persuasive dichotomy of advertising is an empty concept. All advertising messages perform only one function and that function is to persuade. It is pointed out that in a moral appraisal of an advertising message, a distinction between rational and irrational persuasion can be made. Rational persuasion is consistent with the autonomy of the consumer and hence moral. Some forms of irrational persuasion may have an adverse effect on consumer autonomy and, therefore, should be viewed as immoral.
Hossein Emamalizadeh is Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Ball State University. His latest publications are Bait-and-Switch Advertising: A Conceptual Approach, and The Spatial Location of Banking Facilities in Central Business Districts of Nine Major Cities of the United States, both published by the Academy of Marketing Science in 1983.