Integrating ethics with strategy: analyzing disease‐branding

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the ethics of a specific communication strategy to support the contention that ethics needs to be an integrated operational consideration in the corporate communication planning process rather than an afterthought. Design/methodology/approach – Using the marketing communication strategy referred to as disease branding as a case‐in‐point, the “Five Pillars of Ethics for Public Communication” provide a framework for analysis of the need for making ethics an operational consideration in planning. Findings – Communication strategies attempted by organizations today are subject to public criticism. Disease branding, a prime example, is paradoxically a “non‐branded” approach to marketing pharmaceuticals directly to consumers. Pejoratively referred to as disease‐mongering, this promotion of diseases rather than drugs neatly side‐steps the increasing criticism and even legal obstacles that face or threaten to face direct‐to‐consumer advertising of branded, prescription drugs. It is an innovative, non‐traditional tactic that has been enormously successful in widening markets for specific drug preparations. Application of the “Five Pillars” for ethical analysis finds that this strategy fails to meet the acceptable ethical standard in four out of five. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited to the application of one approach to ethical evaluation, although it is one that encompasses a number of widely accepted standards for practice. Practical implications – An ethical analysis using the “Five Pillars” can be implemented by any corporate communication professional as a litmus test for determining the ethics of strategies under development during the operational planning process. Originality/value – This paper fills a gap in the information available to corporate communication professionals about how to operationalize ethics.