Critical evaluation of an academic research article Essay

Critical evaluation of an academic research article - Essay Example The article provides a comprehensive ethical analysis through different ethical theories of product placement. An attempt has been made, throughout the article, to identify whether product placement overall is a deceptive practice or not. In this paper we will critically evaluate the research article. The key arguments of the article will be discussed and logic of arguments will be examined. Critical Analysis The article starts with an introduction of the topic in general. The introduction is very well written with the help of previous literature. No major claims are made rather readers are informed regarding the main subject of the article. Overall the article seems to be written in a logical flow with each section placed in the right order. Introduction is strong and everything said in the introduction is substantiated with existing literature. Product placement is a practice of placing a brand or a product in the scene or script of news and entertainment. Product placement has bee n seen in the Hollywood movies for a long time (Fristoe, 2005). The article is trying to evaluate whether this type of marketing is ethical or not. Implicit product placement has also been discussed in the article. The legal status of product placement is also discussed. ... The article does not clearly see product placement as deceptive but it argues that there are aspects of product placement that may not be approved by ethical theories and general public. The article raises questions about the implicit aspect of product placement. The argument made by the article with regards to the implicit product placement is that people should be aware of product placement. If this is not the case then product placement might be deceptive. Existing literature has also raised questions on implicit product placement (Spence & van Heekeren, 2005). The authors argue that when people are not aware of the persuasion then it might be unethical according to categorical imperative and Aristotelian ethics. The former teaches to treat humanity as oneself, and the latter lay burden of right or wrong on the intentions of the actor. According to both ethical theories implicit product placement is unethical, given that people are not aware of such a marketing practice. A strong point of the article is that it has questioned an assumption that is mistreated as fact in the corporate world to justify excessive marketing. Studies have shown that uneducated people might not have a clear idea about how marketing works and they might not be aware of their rights (Culnan, 2006). Marketing can also manipulate people who are not emotionally or financially mature (Laczniak & Murphy, 2006). The assumption that consumers are smart and knowledgeable is not justified and the article too raises questions about it. The authors have tried to remain impartial throughout the article and have attempted to give a genuine account of ethical issues