In advertising, what company, brand or account would you morally refuse to work on?

I don’t think I could serve Wal*Mart in that capacity. I believe too much that what they’ve done is wrong, and it would be the ultimate sellout for me to try to convince people otherwise – even if the market for cheap imported sweatshop crap is booming during the downturn.

I agree, Wal*Mart.
And almost all designer labels, same reasons.

Tobacco is the next on the list, then alcohol.

FWIW, we have an entire agency in town that doesn’t do alcohol, tobacco, or gambling (and probably other things). They’re pretty successful and have been around for a number of years. Just thought I’d throw out that it’s possible to do.

I actually signed something saying I wouldn’t work for tobacco companies at a previous job.
No Thanks Big Tobacco

Wal Mart all the way, also, McDonald’s, RJR/Nabisco. I would have a difficult time working for an American company that outsources jobs to another country to exploit the cheap labor.

Any cable TV company, around here they are monopolies and are so bad they don’t have a telephone in their office so no one can complain. They don’t bother looking at a TV set to see if the channels are even working properly. They lie to customers about the equipment. (inside info)

I’ll write Marlboro jingles and slogans for scotch if it means keeping a roof over my family’s head and food in their bellies.

There is no ‘moral argument’ when it comes to taking care of your own. Just ask a grizzly bear mother…or jonsblond.

WalMart. Blackwater (now known as Xe). Most banks.

@Blondesjon: I agree, if I was truly desperate, I would take anything. But assuming I have my pick of the bunch, I’d avoid some as long as possible.

Pretty much any credit card company.

@asmonet,...Hell in that case I would refuse to work for any company that had a CEO and a board of directors.

gallops away on his high horse…not noticing the nearby low-hanging limb…

I don’t have a lot of moral problems with most products or companies, but wouldn’t work on anything pushing unhealthy choices to kids. Once you’re an adult (which has nothing to do with being 18), you can make your own decisions.

Maybe a slight hesitation working on something for firearms that glorified them, but since they don’t really get to advertise, not much of a problem.

as an aside, why is gambling lumped in with alcohol and tobacco?

@funkdaddy: All are addictive vices.

Wow, I knew there were a lot of fellow liberals here but now I’m thinking of opening a chapter of my ‘I hate Walmart’ club lol

I wouldn’t work for Walmart because they would expect a cover up of the worst in human motivation. Ditto tobacco products and youth oriented alcohol ads.

The worst thing I have seen recently is a slick commercial saying that global warming is just a hoax. It was paid for by the guy who operates The Weather Channel. I can’t figure out what the purpose was. does anybody know? Is he a petro-gazillionaire? An anti-science flat-earther? Or does he think that increasing weather catastrophes will increase his audience share?

Experian, TransUnion, Equifax, and all the associated crap like freecreditreport.com

Judging by their TV ads they must have had trouble finding someone to begin with.

The vultures of our days.

I would never be in those freecreditreport.com commercials… they’re fun to watch, but I’d break out in laughter from embarrasment if I was shooting one. They’re so lame.

Gun companies have ads in magazines.

tobacco and mtv are the first demon companies that come to my mind.
i’m sure i could think of a dozen more, but i’m in a good mood right now, so maybe later. ;p

@TaoSan Except that the three main credit reporting places are required by law to give you a free credit report, whereas FreeCreditReport.com only give you the report if you sign up for their $14.95 service. It’s ridiculous. And a total scam.

Toss up: WalMart or Coca Cola.

@EmpressPixie

Yeah, it’s just a front for the same players. They incorporate a subdivision and then sell you their junk.

In my eyes, the whole credit reporting industry is worse than ATF, gambling and porn combined, for the plain reason that negative information is their sacred product. They’re not at all interested in solid data, and the whole make-believe thing that they’d actually take care of inaccuracies is the joke of the century.

In 2000 I lost a drivers license when I was in the military. Went on a deployment for three months and by the time I came back I had utility accounts in 6 different states concurrently.

Im still trying to get those deleted. Forget all the 7 years and what not.

They are so evil, yet everybody has come to accept them.

Dunno, I might write for anyone…..

The Nazi Party: “The party you love to hate.”
Pol Pot: “Who’s counting?”
Columbian cartels: “Serving America one nose at a time.”
Hezbollah: “We’d rather light a rocket than curse the dark.”

@steelmarket lol4rl!!

@Blondesjon I am on the same page. If it means keeping a roof over my families head then I wouldn’t turn any job down.

Brands? perhaps ANY brand, really.. I hate ‘signatures’ on products I need in the first place.
(of course though quality at times does count on the name)

1 – no ‘chain name’
2 – No multinationals.
3 – ..........?
4 – .... ....?? (what’s left? they’re all multinationals??!!)

tsk tsk

@drClaw That is so sad. Selling one’s integrity when that is the only thing one really owns. That is also living with fear that will eventually drive all that is good from your life.

But it made me think od a question, only the 10th one in 6 months.