The Ethical Tightrope: Navigating Power in PR and Public Campaigns

Reflections from a joint CIPR International & CIPR Health webinar.

Public relations has always been about influence. But influence, without ethics, can quickly shift from persuasion to manipulation.

This was the starting point of a compelling joint webinar hosted by CIPR Health’s Ruth Dale and CIPR International’s Taazima Kala, where members gathered to explore a timely and necessary conversation: What does ethical practice look like when our work aims to shape public behaviour?

Webinar speakers Professor Jeff French (left) and Professor Krzysztof Kubacki.

Where PR and Social Marketing Meet

Led by Professors Krzysztof Kubacki and Jeff French, the session introduced participants to the principles and practices of social marketing — a discipline focused on influencing behaviour for public good, underpinned by ethical rigour and grounded in evidence, partnership, and purpose.

The key distinction between traditional PR and social marketing lies in their primary intent and evaluation methods. PR often focuses on informing, persuading, or safeguarding reputation, while social marketing is explicitly behaviour-driven, systematically planned, and geared toward achieving measurable social good. However, these are not mutually exclusive approaches. PR is frequently used within social marketing campaigns, drawing on shared communication frameworks. This intersection calls for stronger alignment on ethical standards and presents powerful opportunities to evolve PR practice — from reputation management alone to driving meaningful, measurable social change.

The Ethical Tightrope of Behaviour Change

Every campaign aimed at influencing behaviour carries a set of ethical choices. What outcomes are we prioritising? What methods are we willing to use? And where do we draw the line?

Participants reflected on real-world dilemmas:

●      When is it acceptable to use fear or emotional triggers?

●      Should we accept funding from ethically questionable sources?

●      How do we ensure informed consent and autonomy when encouraging behaviour change?

These aren’t hypothetical questions. They are daily decisions — and they demand more than just instinct or precedent. They require structured reflection.

Building Practical Ethics into Practice

The webinar introduced a pragmatic tool: the Social Marketing Ethical Principles Checklist. It encourages professionals to:

●      Put a written ethics review process in place

●      Establish a clear ethics statement or framework

●      Actively collaborate across teams and disciplines to ensure consistency and accountability

Participants were invited to test the checklist and share feedback to support its development and wider application. Use of the CIPR Ethical decision tree is also a helpful way to help navigate any conundrum, one that can empower PRs even further.

A Professional Obligation

Ethical frameworks shouldn't sit on a shelf. They must be integrated into planning, decision-making, and evaluation — especially when the work we do affects public perception, public health, or public trust. As one case study highlighted during the session (the downfall of Bell Pottinger in South Africa), the consequences of ethical failure in communications are not only reputational — they are structural and systemic.

The responsibility is ours — not just to our organisations or clients, but to the public. And that responsibility begins with our own reflective practice, so we can build the capacity to engage in complex, values-driven conversations that shape ethical and impactful communication.

The tools exist. The standards are emerging. Now, it’s about commitment and consistency. And we all have a role to play in shaping their evolution, supporting their usage, and helping ensure integrity and knowledge management for even stronger outcomes and support.

And this, Professors Krzysztof Kubacki and Jeff French, truly welcomed. Co-creation and engagement, they postulated, help ensure meaningful progress for practical application to create value for all.

Watch the Webinar