As the public points the finger of blame at advertising for social issues such as drink and obesity, Steve Hemsley asks what role media and advertising agencies can play in helping clients become good corporate citizens

Four years ago, liqueur brand Baileys signed a £1m deal to sponsor the US hit comedy Sex And The City on Channel Four.

It was Baileys's first broadcast sponsorship in the UK and the agreement was described as an ideal way to add "flirtation, sensuality, mischief and bare-faced cheek to the brand".
How things have changed. Today, brand owner Diageo's media agency Carat is adamant that if this particular sponsorship opportunity came its way now it would recommend that the brand should turn it down flat.

"Diageo has made it crystal clear its brands must not be associated with anything that could possibly damage a product's reputation and, looking back, Sex And The City featured too many scenes of irresponsible drinking. The sponsorship did have a positive effect on sales, but on moral grounds we would not recommend it today," insists Carat's communication planning director Dino Ioannou.

Ioannou, who turned down an opportunity for a client to sponsor C4's Desperate Housewives for similar ethical reasons after seeing the script, is one of a growing number of agency executives questioning advertising's role in society.

Advertising is increasingly being blamed for everything from smoking and obesity to binge drinking and rises in gambling addiction. Consequently, pressure is growing on the industry to demonstrate that it is acting responsibly and is not purely the bad influence some vociferous consumer pressure groups claim.

It would be wrong, however, to assume that only the creative agencies are in the firing.

To read more, please click here to be taken to the Media Week website.