Grappling with the Gray #123: When the sun is out, does the moon-shine?

How far can we stretch truth in advertising?

That's the question that drives the conversation when Christopher Bauer, PhD, CSP, CFS, Nancy J. Capistran, PCC, CPC, and S. Scott Mason join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray.

Here is our ethics challenge:

In Paducah, Kentucky, neighbors called police reporting a 9-year-old who set up a roadside stand in front of his house. He held up a sign advertising not lemonade by “Ice Cold Beer.”

Officers arrived to find young Colton Ray proudly handing out frosty mugs of root beer, grinning like a kid who just discovered capitalism.

“I just wanted people to stop and buy some root beer,” Colton explained. “And boy, did they!”

Local officers applauded the creativity, and sales reportedly tripled after the incident.

Colton told reporters he’s considering a lemonade spin-off next, under the banner: “Locally Sourced Moonshine.” His parents are both proud and slightly terrified.

This story appeared recently in the Paducah Insider, a news satire and parody publication modeled after the Onion and the Babylon Bee. But what if the story had been true?

Was the ad for cold beer deceptive, or did it merely omit enough information and allow people to draw their own conclusions? When we intentionally blur the lines governing truth in advertising, is that just good business, or does it cross the lines into misrepresentation? What other insights might we find in the apocryphal story of young Colton Ray?

Meet the panel:

Christopher Bauer is a Speaker, Author, and Consultant on Ethics, Compliance, and Accountability.

Nancy Capistran is an executive coach, CEO strategic advisor, internationally published author, and Peer Leaders Group Chair with Vistage Worldwide, Inc.

Scott Mason, aka the Myth Slayer, is a speaker, podcast host, and coach working with executives and entrepreneurs to Magnetize & Monetize Professional Freedom by Dislodging Toxic Myths to Ignite the Charisma Within.

#ethics 

#culture 

#accountability 

#leadership 

#communication