Have you ever heard the expression “There’s nothing new under the sun”? It’s a line from Ecclesiastes 1:9 that basically means that something that has been done before is highly likely to be done again. Though it may not seem like it at first glance, this one line can be viewed as the inspiration behind intellectual property laws, and it can make us wonder how long people have been debating about the authenticity of ideas.
In the age of the internet, it’s pretty easy for content to spread far and wide, and even reach international platforms. Content and copy that was once bound to only one region of the world can reach a multitude of people from diverse backgrounds. I imagine that back in the day, it was fairly easy for South Africans to recreate Spiderman as a Xhosa character named Rabobi and get away with it, but that would raise a few ethical red flags in this day and age. The same rules would apply to all sorts of taglines, slogans, and content from around the world.
We’ve explored how the psychology of human behavior affects copywriting, and the different copywriting techniques we can use to connect with and persuade audiences. However, this can open the door to copywriters ending up with ideas that are inspired by the same thing. In these cases, it’s not impossible for the copy to be fully understood by one group of people, and completely misinterpreted by another group. Marketing content can sometimes reach audiences it’s not intended for because it pops up as an ad on their social media feed or a huge billboard on the side of the highway.
For this reason, copywriting ethics extend beyond creating an authentic copy. Ethical writing can be described as content that is inclusive and acknowledges and respects all forms of diversity including sex, race, religion, and age. Ethical writing in copywriting is also the responsibility of creating content that is authentic and original. As a copywriter, it’s important to maintain authenticity and remain ethical when creating compelling copy, so as to not accidentally offend anyone with your content, or end up with a plagiarism lawsuit.
Now that we’re aware of the two types of ethics you should keep in mind when creating compelling content, let’s look at how this can be achieved in your writing.
Copywriting tools and AI language models have made it easier for copywriters to generate ideas and create content. But it’s important to remember that the responses generated by these tools, however helpful, are sourced from pre-existing material available in the public domain. This means that it’s highly possible for someone else to get the same response if they’re asking the same questions that you are. If you plan to use AI-generated responses exactly as they are fed to you, you’ll be setting yourself up for trouble.
Turnitin is an internet-based plagiarism detector that’s used in universities and colleges all around the world to help students maintain authenticity in their work. While this specific service is most popular in the education sector, the internet is filled with similar technology that is designed with the sole purpose of detecting plagiarized work. In fact, Turnitin has a specific technology that is dedicated to detecting AI-written text, so you won’t get away with it.
Ethical copywriting means the creation of an authentic copy. The ideas generated by ChatGPT or Bing are meant to be just that, ideas. Take the time to research and expand upon every point suggested by the chatbot to make your content more interesting and different.
When attempting to use the art of persuasive storytelling in creative copywriting, creatives should take great care not to portray members of any social group in a negative or stereotypical way. Stereotypes are generalizations and assumptions made about a certain group of people based on a level of misinformation about their race, ethnicity, cultural background, or their country of origin.
It’s a global stereotype for older individuals to be portrayed as wise and fragile, while the younger generation is stereotyped as full of life but careless. It’s also not uncommon for the world to classify girls and women as soft-spoken and gentle, while men and boys are characterized as emotionally and physically tough. These assumptions and generalizations can be viewed as offensive to some, and may cause others to suppress their true nature and put on a facade.
In 2015, Always had the #LikeAGirl campaign that was featured as their Super Bowl ad for the year. The ad features a variety of older men and women, and young boys who are instructed to do things “Like a girl”. Their actions are a stark contrast to those delivered by the young girls in the ad who are given the same instructions. The advert seeks to highlight how powerful stereotypes can be, and the negative effect they can have on individuals over time. If you’ve never seen the ad or would like to see it again, you can follow this link to check it out on YouTube.
Though this is only one example, stereotypes of all sorts exist in the world, and using them as part of your marketing strategy can have a negative effect on the brand and the audience’s perception of that brand.
Persuading the audience to take action is the entire foundation of copywriting, but creatives must remain truthful and transparent in their pursuit if they hope to create authentic and ethical content. The two key points to remember are 1) Ensure that your work is your own, and give credit to other authors when making reference to their work. 2) Your ideas and your work should never be discriminatory or offensive.
Creating controversial content is a guaranteed way to ensure that your work is picked up by search engines and your target audience, but unless you’re a Twitter troll, it’s advised that you steer clear of offensive content. Contact TMG Global today and get in touch with a team of copywriters that knows how to execute the delicate balance between authenticity and persuasion.
