FROM GOOD CAUSES TO GOOD TASTE | Ethics in Public Relations: A Guide to Best Practice (PR in Practice)

Have you ever seen an advertisement, read a political cartoon, or a so-called funny story in a newsletter only to have your immediate reaction be: that's in poor taste? You know the feeling ”it's not based on any objective analysis, rather on a gut-level, personal reaction to the content or delivery, or both. Occasionally, tenets of so-called political correctness provide a touchstone for evaluation, but more often than not, it's just a feeling.

How do you know when something is in bad taste? And, more to the point, is tastefulness (or lack thereof) ever an ethical issue?

We need to start by defining ˜good taste. Most newspapers and magazines, for example, indicate that advertising or other matter for their publications must be in good taste, but it's rare to find an actual definition of what this means. If these organizations are asked who will define such a thing, the usual response is that they will. In other words, the definition of what is in good taste is a relative thing and changes depending on the circumstances.

Several years ago, clothing manufacturer Benetton ran yet another series of controversial ads. For a sweater manufacturer, they have ventured into seemingly incongruent areas. Through the years they've used AIDS, violence, terrorism, and more recently, death-row inmates in their advertising. Many dissenters believe that these latter ads stepped over the line of good taste. However, editor Rogier van Bakel wrote in Advertising Age's Creativity magazine:

You want to ˜lift society to a higher level ? Go work for PBS Advertising is a mirror. In a culture where extreme snarkiness [sic], even crudeness, has become a dominant tone (Eminem, Maxim, Tom Green, the Farrelly Brothers), it's no surprise that admakers listen, and reflect what they hear. ^{[ 5]}

So it seems that (a) there is a fine line between good and bad taste, (b) good taste is at least somewhat related to personal preference, and (c) the line between tastefulness and tastelessness is difficult to discern. This is analogous to that black line through a grey area that characterizes ethical dilemmas. But for those of us engaged in the business of public communication, it's important to consider when that line should not be crossed.

Crossing the line from questionable taste to bad taste sometimes takes us into a moral dilemma. Up to that point, it's only a question of the kind of image you want to convey . Beyond that, it's a question of right and wrong.

Tastelessness and harm

A couple of years ago the Spanish branch of Greenpeace embarked on a unique communications strategy ”unique at least in their industry. Their objective was to raise money by using a desk diary which was what The Sunday Times described as ˜sexy. According to press reports , the diary featured nude models lounging in environmentally related situations. For example, one apparently was caught by the camera as she lounged naked on empty mineral water bottles, evidently to highlight the pitfalls of non-recyclable items.

Not surprisingly, feminist groups were outraged that such a group as Greenpeace would resort to what they judged to be sexist advertising. So, is this a question of good taste versus bad taste, or is it that and something more?

First, whether images of naked women are used to sell environmental issues rather than sex seems a moot point. What they are selling is immaterial. How they are selling it is what is germane to the discussion.

Clearly, you as an individual will have an opinion on this subject from a purely stylistic point of view. Either you will consider this-to be in good taste or in bad. For the sake of argument, let's say that you consider this to be a tasteless way of gaining public attention. The further question is whether or not it constitutes an unethical way of promoting issues.

If we use the test of whether or not the approach harms anyone , then it is, indeed, moving into ethically treacherous territory. There is little doubt that the feminist groups, as well as many individual women, will feel that such an approach to fund-raising is harming women ”their ability to be taken seriously, their opportunities for equality etc. After all, there were evidently no nude men in the diary ”at least none were mentioned!

When public relations practitioners (and marketers) are developing strategies for achieving communication and relationship objectives, they consider the potential efficiency and effectiveness of the chosen approach. It's equally important to consider the potential ethical implications beyond the question of good taste. To help you make ethical choices in support of good causes, consider the questions in Figure 13.1.

Questions to assess the ethics of selecting good causes

Is it a legitimate cause in need of our support?
Will our support of their cause truly be of benefit to the community?
Is the cause congruent with our mission and philosophy?
Are our employees likely to feel positively disposed to the cause?
Will we be able to enhance our image without appearing opportunistic ?
Will the publicity surrounding our relationship with this cause be tasteful?
Will our support of this cause be offensive to anyone?
Does the good that is likely to come from our support outweigh any negative perceptions?

Figure 13.1: Questions to assess the ethics of selecting good causes

Picasso is quoted as saying: ˜Ah, good taste! What a dreadful thing! Taste is the enemy of creativeness. He, however, was a fine artist. The difference between an artist and a communicator is that as communicators , unlike artists , we do need to be concerned about how people will respond to our messages.

^{[ 5]} Van Bakel, Rogier [accessed 6 June 2002] Do the Taste Test, Creativity magazine. http://www.ecreativesearch.com/news/01-05-18/cre-test.asp