Kim Leslie’s PR Blog

Ethical PR begins with transparency, trust, and honesty. The widespread use of social media has raised new questions about PR ethics, specifically disclosure. Some PR practitioners have engaged in astroturfing, or using social media (such as blogs) to create grassroots support for their client, product, etc. Countless examples include the Edleman/Walmart disaster, where Edleman employees created blogs or “flogs” called Working Families for Wal-Mart. These blogs promoted Wal-Mart and seemed to show grassroots support for the company. Once Edleman disclosed that their employees had created the blogs, the ethics of this practice were immediately questioned.

Edleman responded to the controversy with a plan to evaluate and improve its company and employee ethics. The company asked for feedback online, and created a plan for ensuring ethical behavior and transparency in the new social media industry. The Edleman/Walmart fiasco caused PR practitioners to reevaluate their ethical standards online. The cry for transparency and honesty increased, and bloggers called for the creation of a code of ethics specifically for blogging. In addition, the ethical issue of disclosure was, and continues to be debated. People called for the writers of the Walmart blogs to disclose their true identities. Normal people, not just those in the PR industry, wanted the Edleman employees to disclose their identities and uphold ethical standards.

My answer to “Do people care about disclosure?” Yes, they do. Should they be regulating practitioners on blogs and other forms of social media? Is it the public’s responsibility to insist on disclosure, transparency, trust, and honesty when astroturfing practitioners violate codes of ethics? These, and other ethics questions concerning PR will continue to be raised as the use of social media increases.

As evidenced by endless lists of examples of PR faux pas due to inattention to cross-cultural communication, it is essential for PR practitioners to know how to communicate successfully with other cultures. One example of differences in cultural attributes (Guth & Marsh) is the Pepsodent PR Campaign in South Asia. The campaign used the slogan, “You’ll wonder where the yellow went, when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent.” Unfortunately, the natives chew betel nuts to blacken their teeth, and black teeth are considered more attractive than white teeth. This cultural difference corresponds with the cultural attribute of attitudes about colors, numbers, and symbols (Guth & Marsh). White-colored teeth are ideal in U.S. culture, while black-colored teeth are ideal in parts of South Asia. The unofficial language, or nonverbal language, of colors in different cultures often conveys more than words.

If Pepsodent had taken the time to gain knowledge about the culture in South Asia, the first step to cross-cultural awareness communication, Pepsodent could have avoided the unsuccessful campaign (and the embarrassment).  On its website, Pepsodent prides itself on having provided oral care to Indonesia for over 30 years. Yet, the company did not take the time initially to research cultural attributes for that area.  The company did learn from its embarrassing campaign, as evidenced by its success as the leading toothpaste brand in most Asian countries.

Pepsodent’s PR blunder emphasizes the need for practitioners to research, research, research, especially before launching a campaign in another country.