Or the money...

Shoot. And I was in the middle of a great project, too. I sold my soul so I'll have to get a refund on that.

Hey, I can tell you Girl Scout Miss Manners here struggles with this a lot. But I am a marketing "ho" as well as a girl scout and both these forces wrestle with each other on a regular basis.

Fortunately, I have enough work and enough clients that it's easy for me to refuse that which is really on the edge. And after all these years, I've learned to trust my first instinct. But I have taken something and had to pull a "Jason Leister"--that is back out for not enough disclosure up front when it started to look shady.

I am pretty psyched that rezbi has ethics. I wasn't aware this was the case.

You guys need to work on your rationalization skills. I won't write for something I KNOW won't work, such as certain supplements and gambling systems.

But outside of that, if it's got a guarantee, what's the problem? Most of my stuff is in the "make money" bailiwick and everything I write about works. The fact that 99% of the readers take no action doesn't make me culpable.

That's all fine and well writing only about products that you know work.

And anyone can make up a nice looking guarantee.

For me, I need a little more than that.

A porcelain-handled cutlery set would work pretty well I'm sure, but if it has been made by Chinese labourers who are paid 2 dollars a week I won't touch it.

Bit of a surreal example but I'm sure you get the rationale.

No offence intended Neb.

None taken. But if you think your life isn't BULGING at the seams with goods made by underpaid labor, think again.

I guarantee you own plenty of stuff already that falls into similar labor categories. You just don't know it.

And 2 dollars a week is relative. I saw a 20 20 story last year about some group closing down a factory in indonesia or someplace like that. It was a western company paying something like $18 a week for workers. This bleeding heart group closed them down and put 200 people out of work. 200 people that were earning approximately $2 more per week than the national average!!!

I always have a hard time with the girl scouts because it goes
against my morals of spreading the trend of diabetes and
such.

I just don't think little girls should be out selling "sugar" to other
kids.

On one hand I want to help the girls and patronize their business
and efforts, but on the other hand I don't want to see another box
of those horrid cookies continue to plague people's lives.

Why don't the girl scouts sell something healthy?

Ever notice how many little fat girl scouts there are out there?

Kinda sad .

I think owning stuff (unknowingly) that's been produced by underpaid labour is a tad better than using your copywriting skills to sell it to millions.

It's difficult trying to find out this kind of stuff about the product/service you're promoting but it should form part of your research, in my opinion.

And I knew someone would bring up the relativity of my '$2 per week' example, wtg Vin!

But as I'm sure you know, it was a simple analogy for a greater personal belief:

I won't support injustices by copywriting about, and therefore promoting, those products or services that cause them.

The problem comes when you discover afterwards about such injustices, when you've already written your copy. Have I then gone against my own morals and beliefs?

That's a tricky one: I would have either not done my research properly, depending on how these injustices were discovered, or my client has just been plain dishonest during that research.

What are your (anyone's) thoughts on that? If you discover the company you've just written blinding copy for is party to an injustice?

PS LOL @ Mr Subtle!

(Ooh, I just know I should be listening to that l'il voice in the back of my head - rather than the multitude up front - that says, "Don't go in there" but...)

I believe you CAN get too deep into this issue. No one can be expected to delve into every aspect of a product and its manufacture before deciding whether or not to write copy for it ... any more than each of us, as consumers, can afford to do that before ever purchasing anything.

(This is not meant as a license to simply not care!)

As long you have no niggly-naggly feelings that you might be "taking advantage" of someone - and this is where your own personal sense of ethics and morality comes in - then go for it and do your best.

Keep in mind that you are "speaking" to people who (hopefully) are already looking for what you offer (or more to the point ... the benefit of what you offer). You're not dragging someone, kicking and screaming, off the sidewalk and pouring something down their throat with one hand while the other reaches into their pocket.

This is sales. And communication, of course.

And, as with selling refrigerators off the sales floor, you aim your pitch at someone (anyone!) who seems to be interested in what you've got. There may be many options available to them ... but, as long as you have "some" faith in what you've got to offer them, then you HAVE TO do your best to sell them on it.

Otherwise, you ain't in sales!

As for the chance that you are "taking advantage" of the people working in the (possible) sweatshop that manufactured it...

Well, with no offense meant to anyone, here ... if you don't sell that item and the plant closes down and all those laborers lose their only income (pitifully insignificant though it may seem to you or me) ... who really loses and benefits?

It's a tough question ... with no easy answers.

I'm a firm believer in going with your gut feelings ... and acknowledging that, sometimes, you won't get it right. If and when you find out that you were mistaken ... well, if you can, pull out at that point. If, on the other hand, it's too late and your copy is already "out there", accept that you're only human and you made a mistake.

"Intention" does count for something, in the great Karmic overview ... it's not only about results. (Of course ... "results" pay better. )

Cheers -
Al