Ethics in PR

Across the board, consumers are demanding that companies become more ethically sound, and are paying attention to the brands that make obvious efforts to stand up for at least one type of value or mission (environmental sustainability, water resources, general physical health, mental health, etc.) This puts a huge pressure on public relations professionals, especially those dealing with companies, products, or people that deal with controversial issues. Because of the consumer shift in ethical buying, companies are having to make sure their manufacturing, packaging, marketing, and total product, comply with not only government rules and regulations, but also with societal standards.

Because PR deals directly with communications between companies and the general public, PR professionals are often put in between a rock and a hard place. Most companies (although there are quite a few awesome exceptions) make decisions that are ultimately best for themselves, their growth, or their revenue. PR professionals in companies like these face potential challenges, because if something comes up where the company receives backlash, the entire operation can seem selfish and unconcerned with the wellbeing of others; especially if the communications has been dishonest, kept any information form the consumers, or has been producing unsafe products or services the entire time.

The shift in PR professionals, toward inspiring positive social/ethical behavior, is one that we can see across business in general. The most successful business, and brands with the most loyal customers, are the ones that people can align their specific beliefs with. On the same note, the communications that are ethically sound, have a moral platform, are truthful and transparent, and the ones that remain active and on top of crisis (even if the results aren't desired) are the types of PR that helps companies and consumers mutually grow and form a trusting "relationship."

To balance loyalty to an audience as well as loyalty to your client you need to make sure, as a PR professional, that a few things are done first (and it is very possible to get these things done, if approached correctly.)

• Get the board of directors together, brainstorm company goals and communication goals, construct a plan of action the everyone agrees on, and then maintain that plan of action.
• This is important because when the company and PR goals are planned out and aligned, and potential situations are addresses, the PR professional is less likely to be put in a situation where he/she would need to make an unethical decision
• Make sure that you are prepared for any crisis situations so that if one comes us you do not feel the need to hide any information, rather, you will be prepared to address it.
• Be honest, open, transparent, answer questions, apologize when needed, stay on top of things, all while helping reach company goals and proving PR ROI (return of investment) and keeping customers happy and in the loop.

Diversity in Ad

The impact that the lack of diversity has on the advertising industry is huge.

It is no secret that the media, journalism professionals, marketing and advertising professionals, and even freelance PR professionals and writers are mostly white adult males. This doesn’t mean that our media is filled with racist, blinded white men with the agenda to socially harm women and minorities. This means, simply, that all decisions, insight, questions, history, background, understandings, etc. were coming from one demographic.

This may not be that big of a problem when three of the four men working on one advertising project are white and male, but it does have a very large impact when over several decades the only opinions and thoughts being expressed and viewed were those of white males.

Now we are starting to see an internal discussion about the ethics of our ad’s and marketing, and a question as to if the industry is hurting the people or if it is simply reflecting the people has been raised. I think it is both. I think that finally, women, people of color, people with disabilities, from all backgrounds and family histories, are finally coming in to the world of journalism. It is these people that have recognized trends in media, or were unable to relate to media because they were underrepresented. These people are now standing up and pointing out the issues with a media run by one demographic, and are starting to filter in and make changes.

You can see some of the changes taking places by the way big corporations like Budweiser are trying to step up to the “diversity discussion” and take a stand.

We know what will happen if one demographic continues to control advertising and the media, and should encourage a more diverse marketing approach/team. Ad’s will be most effective when they are being created by a team that understands and can reach every demographic, because part of every demographic is represented and spoken for.

Although important in advertising, and a problem in the past, diversity issues in business do not stop there. Across the board, companies are recognizing their role in communities, and the effects of a non diverse staff and board. Hopefully, big changes are coming to business and lack of diversity will no longer need to be a discussion.

First Blog Post for Ethics, Law and Diversity in Strat. Comm

Because this is my first blog post for Ethics, Law and Diversity in Strategic Communications, I want to explain what changes this blog will be going through. Before this post, I was writing for a Race, Gender, and Media course that I was taking. Many of the themes that I touched on before, like race and gender in our media and advertisements, or the social responsibility that companies have to the public, will be touched on again. I am excited to see the way my further education on these topics shapes my old opinions and thoughts.

The first question we will explore is: what obligation do strategic communicators (Ad & PR) have in terms of goodwill toward the audience and are they fulfilling this obligation?

I have spoken on this subject before, so I will get to the point quickly... People or companies in the media who have any influence over thought or action in our public absolutely have the responsibility to (at the very least) know the influence and reach that they have, and understand the ways they are using their influence and reach to communicate messages and entice action.

Studies show that the media has a huge impact on our physical brains, thoughts, and actions. Here is one of the many research studies on this topic. 

One of the many examples that I found is explained simply by M. A Mughal in an article  stating: 

"Pakistani media influenced the public opinion against the Taliban in Swat by repeated telecast of a video clip showing whipping of a woman by a Taliban. Before that the public opinion over the military action against the Taliban in Swat was divided, but repeated telecast of this short video clip changed the public opinion over night in the favor of the government to take action."

We see the same response in American History during the Vietnam Era, when news media and war footage became popular on television, and greatly influenced the thoughts of the public about our involvement in the war. 

With that said, I think it is appropriate to start holding communication professionals to a higher standard, where the majority of mass messages, Ad’s, campaigns and even products, uplift and generally help people and our society. The amount of influence that the media has gained is the leading reason why media professionals should consider general goodwill for consumers.

While honest portrayal, understanding of different ideas and roles (including universally unaccepted or taboo ones) is important, those should be the things we are researching and understanding with education. The things that are forced on our viewers, like advertisements, social campaigns or general product information needs to be held to a standard that implies the goodwill of the people comes first.