Ethical Dilemmas in Marketing: Finding the Strength to Say No
“If you very honestly, in your heart of hearts, don’t want a digital marketing initiative to succeed, should you take on the project?” This election year is bringing the ethical dilemmas inherent in digital marketing assignments into sharp relief, argues Rebecca Lieb at Marketing Land.
Lieb recounts how a friend recently walked away from crazy money offered by the Koch brothers for a digital marketing project. “I could have remodeled my mother’s house for only one day of work,” Lieb’s friend confided.
Companies are increasingly taking stands for things they believe in: North Carolina’s HB2 “bathroom bill” prompted many companies to register their disapproval, with most enacting or threatening sanctions. Microsoft is not donating money to the Republican convention this year, unlike past years.
Lieb notes:
This election cycle is the first in years in which I don’t personally know any agencies or marketers who have taken on clients despite the fact that they espouse agendas diametrically in opposition to their own personal ethics and values. The strength to say “no” and stand up for your convictions—whatever it is you believe—is a sign of maturity.
Ultimately, it can’t just be about the money if you’re a marketer. You have to ask yourself, “what if the marketing actually works?” Click here for a definitive guide to content marketing done right, and read Rebecca’s post in full below.
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