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The Association of National Advertisers refuses to be “vilified.”

CNET Blog Elinor Mills - Bob Liodice, president and CEO of ANA, complained about “windbagging” among lawmakers and about what he said was unwarranted criticism advertisers have received for their alleged role in causing obesity and “other social ills.” What about “personal responsibility?” he noted. The attempts to “vilify U.S. marketers” will not be tolerated, he said. Advertising “is one of the most socially responsible industries in America,” Liodice said before showing public service ads the Ad Council has broadcast on television and mentioning the aid advertisers gave to victims of the Hurricane Katrina.

The speakers that followed, with the exception of Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt, centered their talks around the notion of “marketing accountability.” I naively expected discussion to be about how advertisers have a responsibility to be accurate and ethical. Instead, I quickly learned that is a buzzword for getting return on investment and justifying to top executives spending money on advertising. Silly me.

Indeed, every time someone suggests a social component, there is an outcry, especially in the corporate community.
Being “socially responsible” does not amount to giving a few bucks to charity and using Katrina as some sort of ideological shield, in much the same way as the republicans have abused 9/11. It’s a cheap shot for sure. One could even argue that relief organizations shouldn’t accept donations from unethical commercial entities, as a way to solve this problem once and for all. It figures that marketers would be the ones to hijack Katrina in order to sell the image of their own virtue as they lack even a shred of human decency.
As for “personal responsibility” it takes a back seat to being constantly bombarded with appealing disinformation from the cradle to the grave. Be it sexual, violent or related to fatty or sugar rich foods. I mention those three since they so obviously relate to basic human nature and survival in an evolutionary sense.