Posted on Sep 23, 2013

What Happened to Responsibility in Marketing?

Many marketers are hired and rewarded for their creativity. The one who comes up with the next “big idea” is put on a pedestal. They are touted for their brilliance, imagination, resourcefulness, and vision.

But what happens when something goes awry, when a mistake is made? Who is ultimately responsible?

Marketers are responsible for their actions, and need to be held accountable.

Do you feel this is too harsh? Remember, at the end of the day, a marketer’s job is to promote a brand, product, or company that results in increased sales. Yes, it’s about money.

An Unfortunate Mistake For Coca-Cola

Recently, I read an article from AdWeek highlighting the story of how a woman in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada found the words “You Retard” printed on the lid of her Coke Zero Vitaminwater. To make matters worse, her half-sister suffers from Cerebral Palsy and the family is especially sensitive to “the “R-word.”

I was very moved when I read the letter by the woman’s father, written to Coca-Cola’s Board of Directors. It is obvious he put considerable thought into his response, highlighting the family’s experiences and challenges of someone living with Cerebral Palsy. His letter also makes it clear why this “marketing mistake” is considered so offensive to their family.

The original creative intent was to play off Canada’s bilingualism by jumbling English and French words on bottle caps of Vitaminwater. This sounds tame enough. But when you mix the French word “retard” – which means “late” – with the English word “You” the outcome can be considered quite offensive to an English-speaking person.

Thankfully, Coca-Cola issued an apology and took the action of destroying remaining lids. It’s the least they could do to prevent any further misunderstandings and show they are willing to accept responsibility for their actions.

As a differentiating value, responsibility means duty or obligation to perform or complete a task; accountable for one’s behavior. In this case, Coca-Cola gets it and followed through.

However, I was appalled at the comments made by other marketers at the end of this article. It feels like they are more interested in defending the brand of Coke than the concern of customers.

What Happened to Responsibility?

Some might think marketers are a special brand of people. But they are just like you and me, and need to be held accountable for their actions, as is the case in all professions.

For example, doctors are expected to make responsible decisions on behalf of their patients. When they do make a mistake, they’re held accountable. Now consider how offended everyone would be if the physician community ridiculed patients for lashing out at a particular doctor….

So why do we accept a marketing community that ridicules customers who complain?

When marketers begin criticizing the customer, it becomes obvious that respect is missing. No wonder there are marketers who refuse to accept responsibility for their actions (until a court forces them). It’s difficult to accept responsibility if you have no respect for the ones you offend.

A clear sign that marketers have lost respect for the customer is when you hear such phrases as:

They’re being unrealistic.
They don’t get it.
What’s wrong with them?
They’re just looking to take advantage of us.
They’re too sensitive.
They’re just stupid.
They don’t understand.
If it weren’t for customers, we’d have a great business.

Sadly, over my 20+ years as a marketer, I’ve heard each one of these statements made by various marketers. Clearly they had become jaded and lost sight of what is truly important.

So, here’s what I’ve learned:

If you respect the brand more than people, you’re headed for trouble.

Responsibility begins with respect for people (whether you agree with them or not).