It’s not a principle until it costs you money
“It’s not a principle until it costs you money.”
–Bill Bernbach
Bill Bernbach was an advertising executive in the 1950s through the 1970s. In that time, cigarettes were big business, which means advertising cigarettes was also big business. But, in 1964, when the U.S. Surgeon General issued a warning about cigarette smoking, Bill Bernbach decided he wouldn’t be in that corner of the business anymore. He left many, many millions of dollars on the table by choosing not to advertise a product that gave people lung cancer.
It’s not a principle until it costs you money. This is a fascinating idea in the era of the keyboard warrior and the era of the influencer. You can’t open a social media app without seeing someone advocating or boycotting something. Moral posturing is at an all-time high. Influencers share their principles on their Instagram stories, then take brand deals from companies that harm those principles.
In moments like these, I’ve started to wonder: does this stance cost this person any money? I ask this question, because I’ve seen my own hypocrisy. I’ve been amazed at the stances I’ve abandoned once a client offered me money. Industries and companies and products that I once might have said “I would never work for” to increase my perceived moral status, I eagerly jump on the phone with if there’s money on the table.
Many people work jobs in which they aren’t forced to consider these things. They don’t have to choose between making money that month, and working with a company they don’t completely align with. Mostly for my own mental health, I’ve started talking folks’ digital moral posturing with a grain of salt. Does this stance cost them any money?
I’ve also started to more closely consider the companies I work with. It’s a constant battle that probably says more about how flush my bank account that month than how morally bankrupt I am. But alas. It’s not a principle until it costs you money. I’m hoping to spend more on my principles in the coming years.
