Covert Advertising in the Republic of Croatia - The Phenomenon and its Ethical Implications

Abstract

This article looks into the role, characteristics and ethical implications of covert or embedded advertising in the contemporary media. The main difference between covert and classic advertising is explained, as are also the main reasons for its growing use. Emphasis is placed on the distinction between covert advertising in informative as opposed to the entertainment media. Special research was made into the situation in the Republic of Croatia, and data is presented on the frequency of its occurrence in the Croatian media. According to the truth criterion, a normative rule of any communication, it has been determined that the use of covert advertising is ethically wrong. The article includes explanations of the legislative frameworks of covert advertising in the USA, EU and Croatia and the reasons for the frequent evasion of the same.