Bulletin #6: Ethical Choices Building the Future of Advertising

Institute for Advertising Ethics • June 12, 2025

Dear members & partners,



The results are in: Trust pays dividends. Ethical brands grow faster.

Advertising professionals, take note: ethics isn’t just good practice, but good business.

 

Ethical companies see a 7.8% boost in shareholder value (Ethisphere, 2025), double the profitability (Torrey Project, 2019), and an 18% surge in sales as consumers reward trusted brands (IBE, 2003). Want to attract top talent? Ethical cultures draw 2x more Gen Z applicants (Deloitte, 2025). Plus, they lower legal and reputational risk (DOJ, 2025; Skadden Arps, 2023).

 

In today’s market, trust isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s a competitive edge.

Industry News

  • AI is reshaping ads with better targeting, but raises concerns over privacy, bias, and transparency. The IAPP urges industry-wide standards emphasizing governance, audits, human oversight, and consumer trust. Read more here.
  • Google will invest $500 million over 10 years to overhaul its global compliance program following shareholder lawsuit settlement. Plans include: new board-level compliance committee, executive oversight, and dedicated product compliance teams. The company denies wrongdoing; court approval is pending. Read more here.
  • Recent Axios analysis of the 2025 Harris Poll 100 found that overall corporate reputations dropped by 2.34 points. Firms like Patagonia, Costco, Microsoft and Apple, those that stayed true to DEI, enjoyed significant gains in public trust and perception. Read more here.
  • Campaign India argues that out‑of‑home media players can stand out not just by reach but also through ethical leadership, urging the industry to embrace transparency, responsible sourcing, and accountability as ways to rebuild credibility and differentiate in a crowded market. Read more here. 

Coming Soon: A Landmark Briefing on Ethics, AI, and the Future of Advertising

In an upcoming interview, IAE President Andrew Susman sits down with Harvard Professor of Law Cass Sunstein, one of the world’s most influential thinkers on behavioral science, law, and ethics. They explore the fine line between ethical persuasion and deceptive practice in today’s advertising landscape.

 

This thought-provoking and timely conversation dives into what is classified as and the distinctions between manipulation and deception, how behavioral science could help design ethical artificial intelligence that can decide for users, thoughts on what makes for successful co-regulation, and much more.

 

Stay tuned for the full interview releasing this month on our YouTube channel and LinkedIn. You won't want to miss it!

New Study Strengthens Green Shield’s Scientific Foundation

Our partners in greenwashing accountability have published a peer-reviewed article in Ecology & Society, validating their framework against legal cases and activist use. The refined tool, now clearer and more actionable, strengthens the science behind IAE’s Green Shield program and our shared mission to stop deceptive environmental claims. You can read the full article here.

 

In less than 18 months, over 1,300 individuals at more than 135 different organizations have earned the Green Shield certification. 

Ethics Certified Spotlight

Have you made a principled choice that paid off by winning business, earning trust, advancing your career, or strengthening your brand?


We’re collecting powerful, real-world stories where ethical action led to measurable success. Whether it was standing up for transparency, protecting a client, or pushing for honest messaging, you’ve proven that integrity performs. Your experience will inspire thousands across the industry, demonstrate the business case for ethics, and show the next wave of ethical champions what leadership really looks like.


Help us build a library of proof that ethics isn’t just idealistic, but truly effective. Submit your story today.

Share Your Story!

Stay Involved

Wondering how you can stay involved with the IAE and the work we're doing?


1. Get Certified: We encourage you to advance your professional development by completing the Certified Ethical Advertising Executive (CEAE) course, AI Integrity Shield course, and our free Green Shield course for greenwash prevention.

2. Stay Connected: Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram to stay up-to-date with the IAE as we continue to push the boundaries of ethical advertising.

3.​ Donate: Your generosity powers our mission. Every contribution helps us to raise ethical standards across all aspects of advertising communications. Donate today!


Thank you for championing ethical advertising. Together, we’re shaping a more accountable and trustworthy industry. We’re grateful to have you on this journey!


Best,

The Institute for Advertising Ethics

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Panel Explores Global Ethical Frameworks Guiding AI and Advertising

By Logan Chrisinske • October 31, 2025
At the Global Ethics Day session hosted by the Institute for Advertising Ethics, panelists explored how ethical frameworks—Western and non-Western alike—shape the future of artificial intelligence and advertising. John C. Havens, a leading AI ethics expert and author, opened the discussion by contrasting Western “dualism” with indigenous and collective ethical traditions. “In the West, binary code—1 and 0—is based on dualism,” he said. “But traditions like Ubuntu ethics remind us, ‘I am because we are.’ When you take the best of Western thinking and apply what it means to be in community, you get the best of both worlds.” Alayna Kennedy, a data scientist and AI governance leader at MasterCard, emphasized the importance of turning abstract ethics into practical systems. “The real challenge is how to make fairness real—how to take a word on a page and turn it into a change in your product that impacts a real person,” she said. She added that MasterCard takes a “risk-based” approach to AI governance, focusing on identifying and mitigating potential harms while enabling innovation.

Experts Debate “Where to Draw the Line” in Advertising Ethics, AI and Authenticity

By Logan Chrisinske • October 31, 2025
At the Global Ethics Day conference, industry leaders and academics explored how artificial intelligence, advertising ethics and authenticity intersect — and where companies should draw the line between innovation and manipulation. Esther Uhalte Cisneros of Google moderated the discussion, joined by Jackie Hernández, CEO of New Majority Ready, and Juan Mundel, associate professor at Michigan State University. Mundel shared new research showing that brands pulling back from diversity, equity and inclusion efforts risk losing consumer trust. “We found that consumers actually feel a breach of ethicality, and that breach hurts purchase intentions — we’re seeing a 20% decline,” he said. “It’s a reminder that academia and industry need to talk more about the data behind these decisions.” Hernández emphasized that ethics in advertising must evolve alongside technology. “Where you’re materially misleading a consumer is where I would see the thinking and the feeling that need to guide brand decisions,” she said.

Fireside Trust Performance and Ethics in Action

By Logan Chrisinske • October 30, 2025
At the Global Ethics Day session hosted by the Institute for Advertising Ethics, Ty Heath, director and co-founder of the B2B Institute at LinkedIn, and Sydney Boone, senior vice president at the Association of National Advertisers, explored how ethics serve as a foundation for trust and long-term business success in both consumer and B2B marketing. The discussion, was moderated by ID Comms CEO Tom Denford, underscored that ethical practices aren’t just moral ideals—they’re strategic investments in trust that define the future of marketing. Heath compared ethics to architectural integrity, calling them “the foundational investment in the integrity of yourself and the institution you’re building.” She emphasized that companies with strong ethical principles build faster, smoother, and more sustainable relationships with clients. “The brand that’s remembered is the brand that’s bought,” she said, underscoring that reputation and trust directly influence business decisions.