Direct Communication

Gregory Petersen
gp420718@ohio.edu


In order to make money, advertisers need to reach people. Today there are many ways for a company to reach those people. Tomorrow there will be more. Yes, there are laws and codes in place, but this is why ethics is so important. People consume, the industry sells. That part is well established, but the methods have changed. These methods have increased commerce for companies like Amazon, but those who have not been able to keep up, like Sears, are closing their doors.

Photo credit: LYFE B&I

When there is money to be made, there will naturally be competition.When there is competition, there needs to be rules in place. And when there is direct communication with the consumer, there can be many questions about who is protecting the customer.


The American Advertising Federation (AAF) calls for high ethical standards when it comes to dealing with the public. Principle one encompasses the guidelines which can be seen here, when it says, "Advertising, public relations, marketing communications, news, and editorial all share a common objective of truth and high ethical standards in serving the public."


Laws change, and can certainly be skirted, especially when mandates are set on territories, and online functions can blur these lines. This again is another call for higher ethical standards. Shazwan Rahim spells out some issues in this video that talks about a problem that falls under both legal and ethical issues. Both of these are quite dangerous.


The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) calls for standards balancing honesty and professional development. Greater detail can be found here, but image is obviously important in public relations, but it needs to be accurate. Otherwise, any image can be sold.


These ethics are very good and necessary. Mark Grabowski talks about some harrowing stories here, but it all comes down to some simple wisdom: a contract is only as good as the person signing it. With that unfortunate truth, it is hard to accept that there will ever be a time when these ethics work. That is why there must be repeated and concentrated efforts to expand on ethics, and to make expectations known, not only to the sellers, but to the potential customers.


If consumers are made aware of these standards, they may be less likely to believe companies that are anything but reputable.


Are the standards that are in place working? Perhaps by some measure, but they will work a lot better if the consumers make a stand. Then there will be real change.