JUNE 8, 2005

Faith/Values in Corporate America

How big is the role of faith and values in the corporate environment?  Apparently it’s pretty big. 

Under pressure from the American Family Association ("AFA") (AFA.net), a pro-family action group that targets the media and entertainment industry’s “attack” on “traditional family values,”  Mary Kay Cosmetics canned an ad buy on the hit show "Desperate Housewives".  The AFA did not see a "common vision" between Mary Kay’s corporate values and the content of "Desperate Housewives".  In a recent press release, Donald Wildmon, Chairman of the AFA, questioned how Mary Kay, whose company philosophy is “God first, family second, and career third,” could invest ad dollars into a show that he says promotes infidelity, seduction, and promiscuity.

In addition to Mary Kay, Lowe’s, Tyson Foods and Kellogg’s are also among the advertisers who have reportedly pulled ad dollars from "Housewives" after receiving emails, letters and phone calls from angry AFA members. 

Other companies, like Ford and Kraft Foods, have resisted the AFA’s pressure, despite the AFA’s recent call for a boycott of their products because the companies “affirm and promote the homosexual lifestyle.”

Did the Pink Cadillac get it right, or is it just “desperate” to keep its conservative "family first" image?

Just a quick side note: I’m Steve and I spend a large portion of my time paying attention to all things related to faith, morality and values in popular culture and the media.  NP analyzes how value structures are changing and what the effects are in the consumer and corporate marketplace.  Part of understanding customers means truly understanding their values.  We like to tell our clients: don’t just ask, “How do we make our product more valuable?” but also ask, “What are the values of my customer?” and “What does my customer put his or her faith in?”