A note on ethics and the art of advertising
by Simon Longstaff
At a basic level, advertising agencies are run as a business. As such, people in the industry confront ethical questions on a daily basis.
Each agency is bound to determine its own framework within which complex ethical issues can be resolved. In some cases the framework is a fairly rickety structure that evolves without anyone noticing its overall shape. In other cases, the whole structure is kept under review to ensure that it continues to fulfil its function in a changing world. Every organisation has a framework, whether visible or not!
Whatever the case, we might ask whether or not there are any special considerations that should be taken into account when people in the advertising industry wrestle with ethical issues? Any answer to this question will need to confront the challenge of determining the nature of advertising as a process. Is the provision of effective advertising a simple business service, is it the mastery of a craft, is it an art (or all or none of the above)? How people answer this question will have profound implications for the way in which the ethical base for agencies and their industry is developed.
Perhaps one observation might be in order. If advertising is an art (in the same way that people talk of the art of medicine), then the integrity of the environment in which advertising is developed becomes an issue of central importance. The practice of an art calls for commitment of a kind that goes beyond the cold functional variety that is defined by the exclusive 'bottom-line' concerns of some in business.
Those who would master the art of advertising need to create a fertile environment in which inspiration and technical excellence can combine in ways designed to promote the client's best interests. Commitment of this kind may not be for everyone in advertising. However, it is essential that it be there for some! Otherwise, advertising loses its vibrancy and is reduced to the tawdry task of peddling stale images and soiled stereotypes.
Commitment to an art (albeit one practised in the world of commerce) comes alive only when people really believe in what they do, when their practice is a source of pride and self-respect. In this context, unethical behaviour left unquestioned can poison the spring that sustains and refreshes the whole industry. The result is unlikely to be sudden death. Far worse, the pool of talent may evaporate in the harsh light of public criticism.
discuss this articleDr Simon Longstaff is Executive Director of St James Ethics Centre.
This article was first published in City Ethics (now Living Ethics), issue 17, spring 1994
© St James Ethics Centre