An empirical study of banned advertising in Egypt and violated morals

Abstract EN

With the expansion of developing markets and advertising trends, products tend to search for the most creative ideas to achieve and maintain brand identity.

In order to stand out among the advertising clutter, some ads push the boundaries of what may be socially and morally acceptable or unacceptable, while most advertisers rely on the “shock value” to achieve the desired output, it mainly leads to the creation of what is known as “offensive advertising”.

This research aims to discuss the theoretical framework and regulations for advertising in Egypt, with an analysis of the banned advertising in 2016 and 2017, and setting a framework based on the Moral Foundations Theory to be used as a guideline for advertising ethics.

The research uses the qualitative and quantitative methodology, through the analysis of the banned advertising campaigns in relation to the Egyptian Standard Specifications of Advertising Requirements and through interviews conducted with focus groups among the Egyptian Society discussing moral standards of what is accepted or rejected within the banned advertising