Ethics and Advertising, Revisited

Earlier in the week I asked why people hate advertising so much if there is nothing wrong with it, per se. The blog entry was an attempt to defend advertising as a legitimate enterprise, and that it does serve functions that many of us value.

The ethical issues of advertising were not really explored in much depth in that blog, however, so here is a brief overview of several problems that do put the ad industry in a grey light.

Evidently, the issue of ethics in advertising is of such social significance that there was a Pontifical Council on the subject. The Church document begins, like I tried to do, by noting that advertising (even political advertising!) can have economic, cultural and moral benefits. It can also do harm by misrepresentation, obstructing the democratic process, and corrupting a culture’s values by fostering excessive consumerism.

Briefly, I would touch on two issues with regard to advertising and ethics: truth and integrity. There has been great harm to advertising by betrayal of these two principles. We live in an era of distrust as it is, so any time people have an encounter with dishonesty in advertising, it damages confidence in everything else.

Online marketing is totally dependent on trust. When I give my credit card information to people I don't know, in places I have never heard of, I have to trust that this information is going to be properly protected. In addition, I have to trust that the goods I just purchased will arrive, and arrive in the condition that I anticipated based on how they were advertised.

For example, when I buy a used book on amazon.com through a third party seller, and it is advertised "like new", I am not happy if one-third of the pages are missing and the rest heavily underlined.

The saying "buyer beware" is something we've all heard, and ultimately it is aimed at letting buyers know that they have a responsibility in the purchase transaction. However, this does not absolve the advertiser from also being responsible to tell the truth.

Used car salespeople have a notoriously bad reputation. Used tire salespeople may have the same after I tell this story. When I came back from Mexico where my wife and I had worked at an orphanage, I did some job hunting and applied for a position as a salesman at a used tire place. The guy liked me, said I seemed smart and personable. He only had one concern. Based on my background as a Bible school grad and short term missionary, he felt squeamish about hiring me. The reason? "You can't be honest in this business and make money." Hmmm. Hopefully, that is not universal among used tire businesses. I only buy new since then, nevertheless.

Ten years ago I did a radio campaign which aired nationally on ABC. It was a sixty second spot, and due to FTC regulations, ABC requested documentation for every statement or claim in the commercial. There were as many as twelve to fifteen statements they wanted backed up. This effort to insure truth in advertising impressed me. I have not been grilled this heavily by any print media in the 20-plus years I have been in advertising. Hence, there are times when I do have a degree of skepticism about what I read in certain print ads.

Integrity, therefore, is an essential attribute of people who would make a living in advertising. This is very challenging for some who work in large ad agencies that represent companies whose products are damaging to the health and welfare of its consumers. I think here especially of big tobacco.

There are probably pharmaceutical companies that fall into this camp, but I'm grateful for the meds that help people. Just tell us the truth.

Admen do little to help their cause by writing cynical books about it all, as if there are no honest ad people anywhere. A few years ago I read a book by a New York ad man who mocked the whole enterprise, saying they were all liars and deceivers and truth stretchers, but it was great money. Gag me with a spoon.

If you are in advertising, and don't believe in what your client is selling, find another client. There are plenty of products that are meeting needs in peoples' lives. Help those companies be successful.

And then there's the issue of our state taxes being used to promote buying lottery tickets. Ad agencies get paid good money to come up with creative ways to produce gaming addicts. I've seen more than one home disrupted by bankruptcy, deceit and irresponsibility caused by gambling.

This is the kind of thing the Vatican was taking issue when it addressed Advertising and Social Responsibility. Sadly, it isn't a company that is promoting a bad product. It's our state legislature. But that's a whole other discussion.

Ednote: Whereas my disclaimer to the right on this blog states that views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer, rest assured that in this realm my company is committed to the highest levels of truth and integrity. Otherwise, I would have long ago taken the advice I offer above: find a company whose products and mission you believe in.