Ethics Certified Spotlight: Alexandre Callay

Meet Alexandre! A member of our Ethics Certified community and IAE Advisory Council.

Alexandre is the North America Advertiser Director at RTL AdAlliance driving global growth of U.S. brands across EMEA and the USA by leveraging RTL Group and partner video solutions. He is also part of the IAE Advisory Council!

How has IAE's certifications impacted you, your career, and your approach to ethical advertising?

Being part of a community that values ethics in advertising reinforces the belief that there can be no compromise when it comes to core values. I've often been baffled by individuals—both at a corporate and personal level—who seem indifferent to ethical standards. It sometimes leaves me wondering: am I the only one who still cares?

That’s why the work of the Institute for Advertising Ethics is so important. By promoting these values and building a community of like-minded professionals, they offer reassurance—and hope. Hope that the “fake it until you make it” mentality is not the norm, but rather a harmful mindset we must challenge every day.

What Ethical Advertising Principles and Practices do you actively apply in your work and how?

All of them matter, of course—but if I had to choose one word from IAE Principle 9, it would be trust. Trust is the backbone of everything and underpins all the other principles. Without trust, there is no true community—neither among marketing and advertising professionals nor with the general public, including consumers.

Principle 9.

Trust between advertising and public relations business partners, including clients, and their agencies, media vendors, and third party suppliers, should be built upon transparency and full disclosure of business ownership and arrangements, agency remuneration and rebates, and media incentives.

Why is ethics important for advertising?

We sell ideas through communication—offering the hope of a better today or tomorrow through the products and services we promote. If we compromise this fundamental truth by lying, we reinforce the notion that everything is relative or can be justified. But if we truly care about consumers, we must acknowledge that some products simply shouldn’t be promoted—for ethical reasons.

What are some of the biggest ethical challenges you see in advertising today and how do you think these challenges can be overcome?

Digital fraud takes many shapes and forms, compounded by the lack of accountability from those orchestrating these scams—and from those all too eager to believe in Santa Claus in August, delighted by the abundance of gifts without questioning their source or timing.

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