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A landmark book examining the integral role that ethics plays in advertising was released last week at an Executive Forum presented by the Association of Canadian Advertisers and Advertising Standards Canada in Toronto. In Trust: Ethics in Advertising, A Canadian Enquiry Into What is Necessary and What is Possible, was written by John Dalla Costa, corporate ethicist and business author.
“The ACA was born in 1914 under the premise that truth in advertising was non-negotiable,” said Ron Lund, ACA president and CEO, at the launch. “It was with this conviction and this mission that we co-founded the ASC just over 50 years ago, with a mandate to foster the ethical practice of advertising. And so it is today as we unveil the latest chapter in this ongoing story with the launch of John’s new book.”
The impetus for In Trust was an Executive Summit in Toronto presented by the ACA and ASC in Apr./07. The meeting explored the critical importance of advertising ethics at a time when consumer demand for increased accountability, integrity, transparency and trust is on the rise. The summit launched what turned out to be 18 months of research by Dalla Costa, who was commissioned to spearhead the ethics enquiry by the ACA. In turn, the ACA enlisted ASC to be a co-sponsor of the initiative.
The book offers a practical guide for marketers to evaluate the ethical status of their brands and advertising, and provides a process for analysis and diagnostics relating to brand trust. It is also designed to expand strategic planning and new product development to include ethics criteria.
”More and more advertising will be in the business of ethics, safeguarding a company’s integrity, manifesting and explaining a brand’s duties as well as benefits, and encouraging or supporting customers in their own ethical choices,” said Dalla Costa, founder of the Centre for Ethical Orientation, a consultancy working with companies, NGOs and public sector organizations around the world to foster ethical excellence in the global economy.
Dalla Costa is author of four other books, including The Ethical Imperative: Why Moral Leadership is Good Business and Magnificence at Work: Living Faith in Business. Prior to founding CEO, he spent 16 years in the marketing and advertising business, including six years as president of the ad agency Miller Myers Bruce Dalla Costa.
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