Ethics Refresher Needed

By John Malmo

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkno/local-wkno-935536.mp3

Ethics Refresher Needed, by John Malmo

Memphis, TN – Starting in the 1960s, Advertising Age magazine printed polls periodically of which business categories were most respected. For several decades, I watched these polls. Advertising and public relations consistently ranked slightly ahead of used car salesmen. In other words, at the bottom of the heap. So I gave up hope and stopped reading them.

Well, lo and behold, here comes a new poll from Gallup, and, guess what: advertising and P.R. people not only are no longer at the bottom; we jumped ahead of categories with which we previously couldn't have been mentioned in the same sentence. Banking. Airlines. Pharmaceuticals. And used car salesmen are no longer at the bottom.

Who else, but the oil and gas industry. The computer industry is the highest. But I'm not sure that advertising and P.R. Is more respected today. I'm afraid it's all relative. People have been so disappointed in recent years by business sectors that they used to admire and respect, that we look good by comparison.

I guess I figured folks didn't respect advertising because some in our industry wrote false and misleading advertising. As for the colossal drop of banking, pharmaceuticals, and such, the foundation of their businesses was trust, then they cheated and stole.

All of us in business could do with an ethics refresher from our parents and grandparents.

John Malmo is a marketing consultant who concentrates on helping business owners grow their businesses with effective marketing. To reach Mr. Malmo, hear and read more of his commentaries, or ask him a direct question, go to askmalmo.com.