Abstract

Abstract:

Exemplary organizations, people, and processes provide ethical guidance to members of the marketing communication industry, involving practices of advertising and public relations. Wire and Plastic Products (WPP) is a unique case due to its size, reputation, inclusion of advertising and public relations, and use of ethical codes. WPP, the world’s largest agency, is a British, multinational advertising and public relations company holding approximately 350 marcom companies worldwide with approximately $19 billion in revenue. This rhetorical criticism of the WPP Code of Business Conduct, and related website content, calls upon Kantian ethics to examine the symbols therein to determine if the Code could be viewed as exemplary for the industry. While the Code suggests that, overall, WPP companies have an obligation to behave honestly, with integrity and to respect others, for some subsidiaries, vague examples, hyperbole, and contradictions emerged.

Share