Every once in a while, I’ll come across an interesting piece by Thomas Friedman in the New York Times. And I know a lot of people, particularly in the US, write him off as a ‘commie’ or an ’übersocialist’, but I think he usually has some well-considered and meaningful points to make.

At tSG, we try to be ethical in everything we do. We are careful to quote reasonable project fees, we don’t charge for meeting with our clients, or e-mailing them, or chatting with them over the phone. We don’t charge ‘docket opening’ fees… in fact, we aren’t entirely sure we know what those are. And while we don’t profess to have the moral high ground, we do feel comfortable knowing that we work hard to earn what we get paid for.

Which is why I mention Thomas Friedman. His piece in the New York Times today considers the morality of business and how the US economy has evolved into an everything-is-for-sale capitalist society. This might be less so in Canada, but the point can still be made. I’m sure you can find examples similar to those presented by Friedman in his article.

As a marketing and communications agency, it probably sounds ironic for us to be saying that everything should not be for sale, that some things should be allowed to exist without the push and pull of market forces, that advertising and promotion don’t cure all ills. It might even sound like we’re pontificating, shouting from a soapbox called labelled ‘Paradox’….

… but in the end, we don’t care. It’s simply what we believe to be true.

Anyway, take a look at Friedman’s article. In case you missed the links above, you can catch the article here.