Advertisers and PR pros are obligated.

Advertising and PR different from just some normal desk job where you’re calculating spreadsheets and filing documents. The work that is done in advertising and PR is put out into the world and cannot be taken back. It is projected for any and all to see, and with that it must be taken seriously.

“At the end of the day, consumers will be more attracted to companies that do not use underhanded, psychologically manipulative tactics to gain their business.” -smallbusiness.chron.com

We can influence all those who we want, but if we aren’t influencing in the right way then it is all for nothing. I personally would not be afraid to walk away from a project I didn’t believe in. The same way an actor carefully chooses which movies to do. It’s about thinking long-term. If it got to be ten years down the road, and I hadn’t liked it at the start, I wouldn’t want my name attached to it. If job security is a concern, then get into a different business. You’re only useful in something if you believe in it fully.

Reflections only go so far, at some point ideas must be branched off from and innovation must occur. For anyone to be impressed, they have to be surprised. The surprise is nothing if it’s just to shock. The true value in what we have the opportunity to do is to push peoples’ minds forward. We can add value to them and their stream of thought. It’s the domino effect of ideas.

“The first point therefore is that accountability standards, or definitions of hazardous, are not static, and we do not always know what is hazardous. What is important is that once we do, we approach all communications with truthfulness.” -cnn.com

Let someone else be a yes man. I won’t do it. Anyone who expects everyone to say yes is as dense as can be. People should say no. No is the only way to progression. No means there’s something else to be said. If we want to do good things in the world we have to have the right intentions. Good intentions are paramount. It’s not about reflecting what someone already wants. It’s about showing them what they haven’t realized they could use.

I believe in PR and advertising because I think it can be used positively for good causes. If you have the world in your hand, don’t drop it. Spin it the right way, and let it breathe in new light.

“Advertising can play an important role in the process by which an economic system guided by moral norms and responsive to the common good contributes to human development.” -ewtn.com