I’m always skeptical of companies that market their own altruism. If “going green,” or making charitable contributions was purely altruistic, would they be using it as a marketing technique? I suppose they could be flaunting themselves in order to encourage others to do the same. But that seems like a weak argument to me. Imagine if a person advertised his own personal altruism the way businesses do—posting how much money he gave to charity, sending out a newsletter every time he did something that had a positive impact on the environment. People like that do not inspire me to good works, they make me wonder why they need to tout their own self-righteousness.
It is the skeptic in me that envisions every altruistic advertisement as originating from a marketing executive thinking to himself,“As long as the altruistic action costs less than the additional revenue we can generate through advertising about it, then it’s a good business decision.”
And that’s not altruism at all. That’s pure self-interest.
It is the skeptic in me that envisions every altruistic advertisement as originating from a marketing executive thinking to himself,“As long as the altruistic action costs less than the additional revenue we can generate through advertising about it, then it’s a good business decision.”
And that’s not altruism at all. That’s pure self-interest.