Ethics in a changing public relations and marketing landscape

This fall I will be teaching a class around ethics in marketing, which prompted me to more deeply consider ethics around public relations and marketing in our currently fast changing environment. Ethics is incredibly important to The Canadian Public Relations Society and American Marketing Association, which both have codes of professional standards and conduct. However, the environment continues to shift rapidly, forcing us to consider ethics in new and sometimes unexpected ways. Some main topics that came to mind when considering current practices in PR and marketing from an ethical lens were influencer marketing, artificial intelligence (AI), and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). While there are many other areas of important ethical consideration, these are the three I’ll be addressing in today’s blog.

Influencer marketing

Influencer marketing is expected to continue to grow in scale and importance in the coming years. However, the rules around influencer marketing are continuing to change and evolve, especially with the rise of AI. Earlier this year, fashion retailer H&M announced it was using AI models in its upcoming ad campaigns, sparking some backlash and questions around if proper worker protections are in place. Increasingly, influencers are reviewing their contracts to ensure they are protected from brands using AI-generated versions of their likeness without consent. AI influencers also raise new questions of authenticity and trust for brands and followers. For example, if an AI influencer recommends a product, why should consumers trust that recommendation since the AI influencer can’t truly test it? These are some of the ethical considerations marketers and PR practitioners will need to navigate.

Artificial intelligence in advertising

When using AI as part of its marketing efforts, organizations need to be hyper transparent and consider the ethical implications of its use or risk seeing a backlash. For example, the Department of Global Affairs had to apologize after using AI to create a photo of an Indigenous woman for use on social media. Similar to influencer marketing, trust and authenticity can be lost when AI is used without proper disclosures or when using it as a replacement for creators and artists. The ethical and transparent use of AI is paramount to maintaining trust and loyalty across audiences.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion in organizations and marketing campaigns

While there is currently a war on DEI in many areas of US politics and business, it remains more important for organizations to incorporate than ever. Ongoing implementation of DEI practices will separate the organizations that truly embraced DEI in an authentic and meaningful way, with those that wanted to capitalize on positive consumer sentiment without incorporating lasting change. I believe that consumers and employees won’t be kind to the companies that abandoned their efforts to create equitable and inclusive workplaces and will be called out when they try and reimplement them when they feel it is advantageous to do so again. Companies such as Costco and Microsoft continue to say they are standing by their DEI programs, because not only is it the right thing to do, it makes great business sense.

Smart companies will continue to look at how they can create better more attractive and fair workplaces for all and consider DEI in their advertising and public relations practices. For example, hiring diverse influencers and models as part of campaigns and paying them fairly and ensuring there is diverse representation on any campaign team will support more authentic campaigns that connect with a larger group of consumers. Having a diverse marketing and PR team also helps prevent against issues management and crises, since more perspectives help protect against organizational blind spots.

The world of marketing and public relations is changing and now more than ever it’s important that we consider the ethical implications in everything we do or risk damaging hard earned trust and goodwill.