For the past nine years I have worked in Corporate Communications for an industry leading Consumer Goods company and in brand public relations for the past four of those nine years. The Corporate Relations department of any major company usually works hand in hand with the executive, legal, finance and human resources teams, giving communicators access to sensitive business and human related information on a daily basis. As a corporate communicator, ethics are extremely important as the successful practitioner must keep his or her mind sharp and objective when navigating the sometimes rocky business landscape, which can be strewn with product recalls, consumer complaints, corporate restructurings, layoffs, accusations of misconduct and the like.
The industry in which I work is itself a study in ethics. The products produced by my employer can bring consumers great joy or, if abused, unimaginable sorrow. In fact, the production, sale and importation of these products were essentially banned with the ratification of the 18th Amendment of the United States Constitution:
“…the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.”
In the late 18th century and throughout the 19th century, many Americans came to view excessive consumption of alcohol as the root of the nation’s ills, from poverty to the fracturing of the American family. Unfortunately and according to the Report on the Enforcement of the Prohibition Laws of the United States, National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement, January 7, 1931, Prohibition helped solidify the position of organized crime, which led to an increase in theft, burglary, assaults and battery. Years later the ‘Noble Experiment’ was repealed by the ratification of the 21st Amendment. Lest we not forget our industry’s difficult and controversial beginnings, the EVP of Corporate Communications at my company likes to remind us that “we’re not selling cereal,” and because of that we have a great responsibility to the consumers that enjoy our products and to those who could be hurt by them. It is for this reason that our company created one of the industry’s strictest marketing codes, which provides useful guidelines and in some cases, strict rules, by which employees must measure their work. But as the authors of our text point out, codes by themselves do not always offer solutions to the dilemmas we face on a day to day basis. It is where the code ends that our personal ethics must take over.
As a business our goal is to make money for our investors and our employees. We do that by selling alcohol. We continue to provide dividends for our investors and continue to employ and provide raises for our people by convincing consumers of legal purchasing age to consume more of our products or by convincing them to consume the higher priced brands. Some might have a moral aversion to working in this industry while others can look at it from a more rational perspective and so reason that we are simply a business that produces a product that adult consumers have the right to choose, or not choose, to consume. Understandably, my personal view leans towards the latter – as a business that provides a product that adults have the right to choose or not choose and also to abuse or to use responsibly.
As a communicator it is my duty to present our brands and our industry in the most advantageous light possible. In the execution of these duties I rely on ethics every day. I may not realize it at every moment, but they are entwined in everything I do. I must convince journalists and critics that although abuse of our brands can cause some adults to put themselves in harm’s way, it is our company’s intent to do all in our power to ensure that our products are marketed and enjoyed responsibly. In fact, given that our industry is so heavily regulated and that we have no shortage of detractors, my employer’s survival relies upon the majority of consumers using our products responsibly.
Working to publicize the only industry to have been ratified twice by amendments to the Constitution, I have faced a myriad number of dilemmas and when I catch myself making a quick judgment to solve one of them I try to ‘stop time’. Similar to the steps Bok proposes, I try to take a moment to think about the situation, consider the possible outcomes of each possible decision, seek advice, consult my conscience and then make a decision. Of course, I don’t always catch myself in time to follow these steps. My hope is that through this course I will have identified new tools and philosophies for making ethical and rational decisions and so become a better communications practitioner.
Lastly, as we continue to explore the nuances of ethics in communications, I would like to see our class debate the role of ethics in publicizing and marketing controversial industries or products. I’d also like to discuss the Federal Trade Commission’s updated Endorsement Guidelines, which have affected how my PR team works with celebrity endorsers, bloggers and the media.
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