Never has our country been more aware of our freedoms, especially the freedom to choose what we say and dress, what channels we watch, and what we learn. Advertising, whether it is for a pair of jeans or an expensive automobile, is a freedom that allows us quick exposure to the choices many societies do not have. While it is true that puffery exists in advertising, it is also true that the responsibility for fully researching the product lies on the consumer. The right to autonomy and freedom of choice can only co-exist with personal responsibility.
However, advertising does more than inform. It also entertains. Some television commercials have become classics, spawning catchphrases that are often used to define a time in history. Perhaps one of the better known examples are Wendy's "Where's the beef? " ads. These commercials, featuring a dainty old lady with a domineering attitude, reflected not just Wendy's hamburgers, but also asked a question on the minds of many Americans during the Reagan administration. Where was the beef during the eighties, when superficiality was prominent, and the lines between the wealthy and poor grew more disparate every day? While Wendy's founder Dave Thomas died a wealthy man last week, he also left Generation X with a phrase guaranteed to garner an emotional response. Much like artwork, media ads are designed to invoke emotion-arousing feelings in the viewer, preferably strong enough to result in the product being purchased. "The view that any sort of ethical claim is nothing more than an exclamatory or expressive function of the [viewer's] feelings, and that the emotive element is the ultimate basis of moral appraisal. Moral judgements express our emotions and serve as a mechanism to persuade others to act as we desire" (BG 2). Hence, Wendy's succeeded in getting an immediate and overwhelmingly positive response to their unique and entertaining ad.
