ABSTRACT
In addition to ad claims and copy, we face ethical dilemmas in our business transactions with our clients, as well as sub-contractors and partners, and with and between our own professional employees. These range from promises of what we can do for our clients to how we price our services. How we treat our clients and professionals, and how they are treated by our clients and agencies, also present ethical dilemmas. And, then there is how-and if-our professional employees exercise their ethics in their assignments and personal dealings in the business. This can include ethical conflicts in our business relationships because of the personal relationships we hold with the same individuals. We can take lessons and guidance from others facing ethical dilemmas in the
world of business. In this chapter and the next we consider actual ethical dilemmas that have been faced by professionals in the business of advertising. These range from choices made by the CEOs of the company down to professionals working during their first year in the business. Also, there are the experiences of those working for managers that have faced tough choices. The decision made by a manager will have major ramifications for those reporting to him or her, and in many instances for the reputation and wellbeing of the company. Whatever the ethical decision, I am told it goes through the company in minutes. Because of their importance, ethical dilemmas must be considered and managed with care, especially when they involve “right versus right” decisions. Rushwood Kidder, quoted earlier, urges, “You’ve got to think about it, reason it through, get the mind in gear and grapple with tough issues. In other words, you’ve got to be mentally engaged.”1
