The humanitarian crisis as an advertising subject: some ethical and legal questions

Abstract

In the face of markets globalization and the eminently emotional and symbolic dimension of economic decisions, the use of humanitarian crisis as an advertising subject, which occured again recently in a Benetton’s campaing, retrieves the problem of human dignity as an absolute universal value defining the content of messages. The respect of human dignity is covered by the principle of lawfulness provided on advertising legal framework. In the digital era, despite the scarce promptness and effectiveness of traditional sanctioning mechanisms against unlawful advertising, the infringement of constitutional standards in commercial communication tends to cause an informal protection, which is a manifestation of the community ethical conscience.