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Does The Advertising Industry Have A Conscience?

The main thing that advertising agencies do is help other companies sell products and services. But do these agencies think of their role in the bigger picture? Do they say no to products that aren’t of any help or damaging to the people who buy them? Are there advertising agencies out there with a conscience? Agencies that only work for companies who actually care about their customers. Or do advertising agencies simply take whatever assignments they can get their hands on?

Why I’m asking these questions

About 4 years ago I started working as an art director / copywriter for an advertising agency. After the 2 month trial period I was offered a contract by the agency. They wanted me to start working there full-time. Since I was attending a part-time theater/music education at the same time, I turned down the job. Though the creative challenges at the agency had been very exciting, I had the feeling that the whole agency lacked something. I didn’t know what exactly. Looking back I think I know what I missed: a conscience. It wasn’t about trying to sell something good, it was about trying to sell something. The difference is just one word but that one word makes the difference.

Looking beyond the targets

So am I asking you to quit your job or redefine the mission of your company? Well, for some people that could be the next step but I would be very happy if at least some of you would start to look beyond the targets of your job or your company. Try to see what your current role is in this world. Are you actually helping people? Is your company focused only on targets or does it look beyond that? Simply asking yourself (and others) those questions will lead to thoughts that you didn’t have before. Different thoughts lead to different words lead to different actions lead to a different world.

Small steps matter

I believe that small steps matter. What seems like something small (looking at your own role from a bigger perspective) can turn into something big if you start to act on it. Your actions will influence and inspire others. Last week I saw a program on TV in which a man was telling how his father died when he was very young and how his mother had said she would pick him up at a certain place and never showed up. He waited for his mother for 3 days. All those days nobody stopped to ask him if he was okay. But then after 3 days one man did. He took him with him and arranged that he was looked after. After this the kid was so grateful that he spent the rest of his life as an adult helping out other kids who had been abandoned or not taken care of. Now he runs one of the most active child foundations in Brooklyn. All of this started with one man that was kind of enough to help. A small step.

Why focus on the advertising industry?

Because this is the industry whose work has a huge impact on the happiness of people in modern society. Every day, since they were born, people are exposed to a huge amount of advertising. This has a big impact on how people perceive the world and themselves. It gets to the point where people start to buy things to feel happy. Because the commercials and billboard ads have been teaching them that they will be happy if they do so. It becomes a drug. A drug that is supported by many governments: Buy to keep the economy going.

Am I too harsh?

If you think that I’m too harsh or you simply disagree with everything I say then leave a comment and let me know your view. Do you have any convincing examples of advertising agencies with a conscience then I would love to hear them from you. In the meantime I’d like to show you a video that I found on adverblog in which the idea is suggested to add a humanitarian category to the Cannes Lions Festival. All in favor, raise your hand.

Related posts (hand picked)

• Truths And Lies About Why We Buy
• Since It’s Friday - Truth In Advertising
• Since It’s Friday - Buy An Old Thing

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