I was talking with a marketing colleague, Jason, the other day about whether or not faith and advertising can coexist. I shared with him Seth’s perspective that there are no side effects, and as marketers we need to ask if we’re OK with the effects of the products we promote. We came up with two criteria:

1. Is the product created to be used, but not abused?
Cocaine cannot be used without abuse.
I personally don’t believe pornography can be used without abuse.
Yet, I believe alcohol can be used and not abused.

2. Is the marketing promoting use, not abuse?
“Shop till you drop.” style tag lines and marketing tactics encourage unhealthy extremes.
Credit plans for people so far in debt that they have no business buying anything on credit help snowball the problem.
This is why I believe casinos should promote their entertainment value, not the opportunity to become rich.

This is a living document. Amendments will be made as needed.