When presented with an ethical quandary, it’s sometimes best to simply ask yourself whether the situation smells bad. If it stinks, then walk away. Sometimes you don’t need to consult the Rules of Professional Conduct because it smells so bad. The sniff test works for most folks regardless of whether they call it that or refer to it as a “gut check.”

We develop a finely honed sense of smell sharing the air in our culture of lawyers. We all come together over time and conform to the same set of ethical rules. Things start to smell the same to all of us. It’s part of our culture of conformity. We mostly dress alike, act alike, and start to smell alike as well.

Conformity helps us with ethical dilemmas. It’s not helpful when it comes to marketing.

The Problem With Following the Herd

When we consider marketing ideas, especially those that might be a little edgy or different, we get nervous. We start to wonder whether they pass the sniff test. We quickly get nervous about ideas that push the marketing envelope. The ideas, while perfectly ethical, might put us outside of our conformity culture. They might make us stand out. They might make us feel different.

When we feel different, alarm bells start to ring in our brains. We get anxious.

When we get anxious, we pull back on our good ideas. We get reserved in our approach. We abandon our creative, interesting ideas, and we revert to doing the same old marketing that everyone else is doing. That’s a disaster with marketing. Marketing is about standing out from the crowd, getting noticed, and getting talked about.

The sniff test that keeps us safe on ethical issues puts us in danger when it comes to marketing.

Conformity is your friend when it comes to professional ethics. It’s your enemy when it comes to marketing.