The Tim Cahill campaign corruption case is an interesting thing to follow. You can point the fingers in a lot of directions, but I personally point the finger to Hill Holiday, the advertising agency.
As counselors, it's our job to provide our clients with smart, creative and business-moving ideas. However, it's not our job to do unethical things just to help our bottom line.
In my opinion, that's what happened here.
The ad execs should have recognized that the spots -- and specifically the messaging in those spots -- would move deep into the grey area. They would promote the health and strength of the lottery and how it's been run by, of course, Cahill. The spots wouldn't mention him by name, which one of the ad execs clearly communicates, according to court documents.
Yea, again, this is grey area. It's a tightrope walk.
In my personal opinion, if you have to question whether or not it's ethical, then you might want to pull back the idea. Think of something else. Stay within the rules of the road. Is that hard?