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What is responsible advertising?

There is a lot of money to be made from advertising, both for the advertiser and the publisher. However, the pursuit of money should not mean ignoring or placing all values and responsibilities aside. There is a thin line between right and wrong and a big gray area. If you truly want to be in it for the long haul, it is important that you do the right thing. While the following tips for responsible advertising may seem like a no-brainer for many, you might be surprised to learn that there are some out there who knowingly choose to go in the opposite direction.

Target the right audience

There are certain products and services that are aimed solely at an adult audience, which is something that need to be kept in mind when serving ads to specific sites. You do not want to see ads for gambling or other adult sites show up on a website intended for children. Real care, thought and verification need to be put into selecting the appropriate sites and pages where those types of ad should be shown.

Promote conscious buying

We have all been sucked into making that impulse buy when standing in line at the grocery store, but how often have you gone home after the fact and realized that you just wasted some money because you do not even need what you just bought. You very often see ads for trendy new products that are simply not going to stand the test of time. Rather than jumping on that bandwagon every few weeks, why not promote products and services that deliver real values.

Encourage recycling and conservation

Rather than constantly using advertising to get people to buy new stuff, think about running ads that might help people who are not in the best financial position. It’s not everyone who can afford to splurge on the latest, greatest items, so think about delivering ads for businesses or websites that promote, sell, trade, donate or give away second hand goods at prices everyone can afford.

Never mislead

Another huge misleading market is one that delivers supposed healthcare products such as diet pills, hair regeneration, and other such items. While there are some legitimately tested products on the market, there are many more that deliver false claim and false hope to those who spend their hard-earned money. If you are going to display these ads, be sure that you do due diligence on the advertisers and the product’s benefits. Don’t use unethical influencers or promotional tactics that result in more complaints than genuine leads and real sales.

Don’t step on people

Everyone has a right to be treated fairly and equally, so think twice before serving ads that might be deemed offensive, racist, discriminatory, or culturally insensitive. Yes, there are some ads that are subtle and hard to catch, but you really need to take the time to go over the details of the ads being served before you commit to it. If you do deliver ads that fall into the aforementioned categories, be prepared to remove them the moment that the public starts to complain.

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