Abstract:
The advertising of controversial
products/services and the use of controversial images
to "cut through the clutter" in the marketplace
appears to be increasing around the world. However,
apart from the general ethical issue regarding the
deliberate use of controversial/offensive images for
public viewing that may offend some people, it is
important to determine what makes a controversial
advertisement offensive; A questionnaire was distributed
to 1014 students across four different countries
in the Asia Pacific region to determine what type of
products are seen as offensive and the reasons they
are offensive. The results present some important
implications for international marketers.
