An agency CEO and I were talking recently when she just learned of a dilemma. About 100,000 brochures had been printed and delivered for one of her clients. Even after an exhaustive approval process prior to print, on both the agency and client side, an AE discovered an error. It was a small error and difficult to detect. The printer suggested letting it go that it would not be noticed. Besides the client approved it and reprinting would be out of the agency’s pocket. The CEO finally said, “I don’t know why I’ve been wrestling with this decision. Even if the client doesn’t know, I know. I’m going to have them reprinted.”
“When you are at a crossroads and you don’t know what to do. Do the right thing.” – Rick Warren
If your company was a sinking ship then you would have to ignore the error. If on the other hand your company wasn’t a sinking ship then the correct decision would have been to get the brochures reprinted. I agree.
For some added info, the “sinking ship” agency, when faced with a similar ethical decision, chose to ignore the error. But that was the culture established by the partners. Clients want to work with agencies that they trust.