Revelation 13:16 “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

Sounds like the same woman who contacted me a while back as well! I told her, “no thanks” too!

But back to your post. Would I market it? Yes, if I knew it was going to be used responsibly. For example, helping seniors or people with health issues in need is a noble cause, and this product could actually save lives.

Would I subscribe? Probably not, unless my health was in danger and I learned more about how this would be used, the dangers of infection or rejection by the body, whether the hospitals in my area had access to this technology, and a host of other factors.

Cheers,

John

Hear…Hear…. I am in total agreement with you on this one! It is very tempting to loosen your morals at times when a huge amount of money is being waved in front of your face….especially when you have bills that need to be paid.

But you have to remember that when it is all said and done will you be able to lay your head on your pillow at night and feel that you have stayed true to yourself?

To answer the question, this blog is about copywriting and marketing. And I wrote this post because it brings up real issues copywriters face.

Only a couple months ago, a guy contacted me about a copywriting project. He was selling a product about “how to break into the adult entertainment industry and become a pornstar.” (His words, not mine.)

Before that, a woman contacted me about helping her promote an info product about how to get into the escort business.

The examples I’ve listed are (to me) clear. I will not support or promote products of that nature.

But some products (perhaps the VeriChip) cross into a gray area. Is the product “right” or “wrong?” Should a copywriter take a fee for promoting such a product? Where do we draw the line?

Lisa writes, “Very provocative. What do you say, Ryan–would you?”

The answer is no. Based on what I know, I would not write copy to promote the VeriChip. Although, it becomes more difficult to make sound decisions when a large copywriting fee is on the line.

Which is why I make an initial decision before I ever find out what the prospect is willing to pay. The answer is “no” from the start. We never even have a consultation to discuss the project. There’s really no point.

Anyway, I hope this specific real-life example gets you thinking about ethics in copywriting… and what you personally will or won’t do for money.

But yeah, it does bring up privacy and security issues. And I also think that if I *did* have health issues…I would still not use it, which should tell me something.

Very provocative. What do you say, Ryan–would you?

I wouldn’t trust the veracity of the security, nor would put it past identity thieves to target this type of device once there were enough out walking around to make it worth their while.

@Jon – this type of product does indeed bring up constitutional issues, or at least freedom issues. It’s impossible to separate them.

Anyway, is this a marketing & copy blog, or a constitutional rights blog? :-)

Most of the time the patient is accompanied by a family member or other individual that is able to give a history.

This is just another scare tactic to try to get people to allow the government and other outside agencies permission to get involved in areas where they have no business being involved.

It’s time to be responsible for yourself. If you have a medical condition that the Emergency Dept should be aware of… wear a Medic bracelet or necklace.

This whole “chip” thing should never be allowed to happen and we as Americans should not promote it.

I won’t market a product that I find morally objectionable. And I find anything that allows for easy stealing of personal data to be morally objectionable.

Heck, if the largest, most financially flush banks and credit companies can’t keep from leaking our data, including Social Security Numbers, onto the internet, there is no way that I think that any other company is going to be able to keep that data safe.

And, personally, I’m for independence and personal responsibility over perceived “security.” (BTW, it’s always perceived security. Nothing can ever be completely, infallibly guaranteed in our human society. Especially data. Everything is hackable. Everything. Never forget that.)

- John