The University of Missouri’s Institute for Advertising Ethics, in conjunction with the American Advertising Federation, has released its new Principles and Practices for Advertising Ethics. The eight principles are followed by commentary that link to the latest in law governing advertising, as well as principles of truth from journalism that guide the code.
The statement moves the industry’s discussion of ethics into this millennium, with mentions of personal privacy and transparency that are now more important than ever. Advertising “has changed more in the past five years than since the introduction of television in the 1950’s,” wrote Wally Snyder, the former AAF president who led the committee that crafted the code.
As Ad Age notes, the document includes “seemingly uncontroversial points” but leaves some questions. Among them is the last principle, which says advertisers and agencies should “discuss privately potential ethical concerns,” and members of the team that created the ads should “be given permission to express internally their ethical concerns.”
But the Ad Age story also noted that the new code doesn’t say what to do when those private concerns and internal concerns are not adequately addressed. Do practitioners then have the moral duty to take their concerns public–at the possible expense of their jobs and embarrassment to advertisers and ad agencies?
Snyder responded that principle “really goes to creating an environment within the agency or company where these things can be discussed. It has to come from the top down.”
The release of the principles comes at an interesting time for ethics codes that do not explicitly address the dilemmas caused by online communication. The Society of Professional Journalists’ cover story in its March/April Quill is a point-counterpoint debate on this question: Should the SPJ update the code of ethics?
The eight Principles and Practices for Advertising Ethics are:
1. Advertising, public relations, marketing communications, news, and editorial all share a common objective of truth and high ethical standards in serving the public.
2. Advertising, public relations, and all marketing communications professionals have an obligation to exercise the highest personal ethics in the creation and dissemination of commercial information to consumers.
3. Advertisers should clearly distinguish advertising, public relations and corporate communications from news and editorial content and entertainment, both online and offline.
4. Advertisers should clearly disclose all material conditions, such as payment or receipt of a free product, affecting endorsements in social and traditional channels, as well as the identity of endorsers, all in the interest of full disclosure and transparency.
5. Advertisers should treat consumers fairly based on the nature of the audience to whom the ads are directed and the nature of the product or service advertised.
6. Advertisers should never compromise consumers’ personal privacy in marketing communications, and their choices as to whether to participate in providing their information should be transparent and easily made.
7. Advertisers should follow federal, state and local advertising laws, and cooperate with industry self-regulatory programs for the resolution of advertising practices.
8. Advertisers and their agencies, and online and offline media, should discuss privately potential ethical concerns, and members of the team creating ads should be given permission to express internally their ethical concerns.