Is what we do ethical? After the topic was raised on Danish TV the other night, I felt compelled to write this article for our industry newspaper Markedsføring. Here it is in English.
"It's an interesting dilemma and one our industry has struggled with since it’s inception, although not with any notable or lasting conviction it has to be said. Any of us watching DR2’s Deadline program the other night will have had their conscience pricked yet again.
As man’s effect on the environment seems now proven beyond doubt is it reasonable to point some of the blame at an industry that is essentially the motor driving consumerism? In contributing to this problem aren’t we morally obliged to address the issue?
During the Deadline discussion which could only skim the surface of such a complex issue, both Fredrik Priesler and Søren Favli, who were representing the advertising industry, didn’t seemed to offer any kind of moral guidance for us on the subject, preferring instead to site the consumers own responsibility in the advertising equation as justification for their actions. The old ‘consumers are intelligent enough to make decisions for themselves’ argument was rolled out yet again. It’s an argument that shifts responsibility and avoids key issues. In doing so, they also missed the point.
American agency J. Walter Thompson once had this to say on the subject. "Advertising is a non-moral force, like electricity, which not only illuminates but electrocutes. Its worth to civilization depends upon how it is used." This is very true and it also raises an interesting flip side to the debate. What about the enormous potential advertising has to create positive change? We all know the power of an insightful piece of communication. Good advertising can change opinion; win hearts and minds. Surely then, what we need to ask ourselves are two simple questions?
What do we choose to communicate and how do we communicate it?
The ‘what’ we chose to communicate seems on the surface the easiest to tackle. Obviously, encouraging people to buy more gas guzzling cars or consumer goods made by children working in sweat shops would be pretty high on the list of things not to do if you want to sleep well at night. But if we start off down that path, were does it lead? Should we be screening the clients we work with, much in the same way some banks do? After all, it’s not just about the end product. What about their partners and their partner’s partners? As an industry, we need to think more about the new client relationships we enter and how we might change existing relationships for the better.
It’s also at this point that we hit another fork in the road. When does the way a business conducts itself become acceptable? This too is a very blurred line. For example, McDonald’s recently switched all their coffee to fair trade. The cynic would see this as a clever ploy to buy themselves some credibility, riding the green consumer wave as it were. A more optimistic view is that, in making this decision McDonald’s are genuinely committed to positive change. By taking this small step in the right direction and making it a success, which it surely will be, it will inspire others to make similar decisions, creating a snowball effect.
Some figures that might be worth mentioning at this point, for those of you who aren’t solely influenced by the moral argument. According to the Co-Operative Bank’s ‘Ethical Consumerism Report 2005’, the UK market for ethical goods was worth £24.7bn in 2004 and is growing at 15% per year, suggesting it will soon top £30bn.
So getting back to our role in all of this. Shouldn’t we be raising this debate with our clients? Couldn’t we provide them with the inspiration or argumentation needed to make these kind of decisions? Far to often we are reactionary. We feed off the scraps that are thrown our way. It is time we took a leadership role again.
Now for the trickier part of the dilemma. How do we communicate? The issue hear is how we choose to engage people.
The waters of the North Atlantic used to be brimming with fish. In certain areas these once fertile waters are no longer as they were thanks largely to modern fishing techniques such as ‘bottom trawling’ which involves strip mining the ocean floor with destructive dragnets. Not surprisingly, the fish disappeared.
In the same way our industry has been ‘bottom trawling’ for customers. Have you ever wondered how a football supporter is supposed to feel when forty-seven beer logo’s suddenly pop-up around the edge of a football pitch while he’s trying to watch the game? At best this can only be mildly irritating. Add to that the fact that they are paying for the privilege and it starts to become disrespectful. Søren Farvli was right on one thing. Consumers are savvy. They can see the need to off-set the marketing cost with a ‘premium’ price tag. They know how this game works.
People are being bombarded with selling messages every day of their lives and guess what? They’re disappearing too. Thanks to the advent of hard disc recorders and spam filters they switching off in their millions.
But again, this shift in attitude represents a huge opportunity for us as an industry to do what we do best. Innovate. The very same people who are avoiding advertising messages are gathering in communities around the brands that treat them with respect value their opinion. So let’s listen. Let’s add real value were it is needed. Collaborating with people to create a brand experience they actually want also gives us the chance to put ourselves back into that leadership role. Oh, and by the way, it’s more ethical too."
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