Jonathan Salem Baskin, suggests that transparency is “the real corporate responsibility.” His essay in Advertising Age is skeptical of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and green marketing:
Maybe the opportunity isn’t to gloss over or distract but rather to communicate and make transparent the real activities and trade-offs within our businesses. Let customers know what they’re buying and why. Make the cases for what we do and figure out how to tell them what’s involved. It might be lots harder than hiring an agency to avoid it, but they’re going to find out via the internet anyway.
Glad to see someone who knows his Friedman.
