What is good?

One of the challenges of writing this blog is figuring out what is good and trying to determine what will make life a little better. For example, yesterday I alluded to my concerns that banning trans fat would not necessarily make life better. (As a side note, I like my glazed Krispy Kreme donuts just the way they are, trans fats and all. When I want something healthy, I’ll eat a banana. When I want to indulge, I don’t want to compromise on a trans fat free sugar free glutten free taste free donut!) Part of my rationale against the trans fat ban is a firm belief in the law of unintended consequences. Banning trans fats will result in the consumption of other fats which may or may not prove to be healthier, which may or may not promote increased weight loss. Undoubtedly one of these other fats will create problems for some consumers that were unexpected and suddenly new lawmakers will be wondering what is good, too. Peanut oil, for example, doesn’t have trans fats and works well for high temperature frying but lots of kids are allergic to peanuts, so that “good” wouldn’t be so “good” for some people.

This notion became particularly clear to me after reading an article on the first page of the 12/5/06 Wall St. Journal. Titled “As Alternative Energy Heats Up, Environmental Concerns Grow,” it also includes the telling subhead “Crop of Renewable ‘Biofuels’ Could Have Have Drawbacks Fires Across Indonesia.” The article described how the need for more palm seed oil for the processing of “renewable biodiesel” in the US was leading to the burning of forests in Borneo which was causing really bad air pollution over there. Here we were thinking that “renewable biodiesel” was a no-brainer “good” since we’d have cleaner air for our cities and the next thing we know is that that “good” turned out to be bad for Borneo. If you didn’t appreciate the law of unintended consequences before surely this example will help you appreciate its validity now.

So, where does that leave us marketers looking to make life a little bit better? Should we give up because we might cause bad as we try to do good? Not on your life. All we can do is try. That’s why I’m forgiving of marketers who align with non-profits for blatantly self-serving purposes. Even if their motivation is ignoble, their actions might help raise some money that will definitely make someone’s life a little better. For example, it only takes about $6k for the Moravian Open Door to house an elderly homeless person for an entire year in New York City. That’s not a lot to ask from a marketer who wants to do a little good, tainted or otherwise. Let me know what you think is “good”.