In the latest American Pulse Survey published by BIGresearch, trust is virtually non-existent for politicians and members of the media. What a travesty, here these people should be some of the most credible, and in the end, seven out of ten people over the age of 18 don’t trust either of these two entities.

The other piece of information I found interesting and unfortunate relates to the green movement. No doubt you’ve seen the commercials, company after company and cities and individuals are moving towards a more environmentally-friendly attitude . . . of so I thought. Seventy percent of Americans believe that companies that tout “green” products are doing it simply as a marketing tactic (read the article here, registration required).

How sad, because, although I’m sure a number do it for the image, there are some doing it because they genuinely feel it’s the right thing to do — majority rules.

So how do we regain trust? I guess the pessimist in me says it’s too late. I had a friend that talked about the “penny bucket” as a symbol of trust in a relationship. Every time we do something good, honest or right, we put pennies in the bucket, that way, when we goof up and take pennies out we should always have a reserve to cover the outflow; although we should also watch so that we don’t have a large outflow. Have marketers, the media and politicians gone into the red on their penny buckets?

My Two Cents: We’ve gotten greedy. In our haste to make as much money as possible we’ve sacrificed values — honesty being one of them. I would be interested to know how many companies put up figurative stop signs when an money-making idea comes along that would be unethical or dishonest. Rebuilding the public’s trust is a monumental task that will only occur if everyone is on board; we’re on thin ice as it is. Personally, I think the best I can do is just that, my best.

Seth Godin’s most recent book, The Dip, focuses on being the best and I agree that if you’re gonna do something, and you think it’s worth your time to do it, be the best — you owe it to yourself.

For Mattel, although they may strive to be the best at what they do, it is an important lesson to note that you are only as strong as the weakest member of your team. Sadly for Mattel the Chinese manufacturers are the weakest point of their team and boy what a whammy!

My Two Cents: Surround yourself with people you trust, don’t sacrifice quality and remember that your customers are one of your most important publics.

The need for real Men and increased integrity is even more so today. We’d have a lot less people losing jobs and pensions, and shareholders who do not have to rely on government regulation to ensure they’re holdings aren’t empty (read: Enron).

I think we have a ways to go when discussing ethics in marketing, but this is a step in the right direction: Own your decisions.

The sad fact is that most of us are oblivious to this reality. Day in and day out we read of corporate executives who bend or blur or flat out erase the lines between what is right and wrong and we say, “That is wrong!” and then we go back to our goal of succeeding at all costs. Federal regulations aren’t going to fix the problem, neither are shareholders (although they have a stronger influence on executives). Fixing the people isn’t going to do anything, first we need to fix society.

A recent article on ESPN.com brings to light a serious problem we have in our society: win at all costs. I admit that in this discussion it is very difficult to draw ethical lines, but I think it’s safe to say that we can do better than we’re doing.

Maybe we shouldn’t blame the executives, maybe we should blame the shareholders, or the analysts, or the stock market, or if we take anything from the ESPN story, we should blame the little league coaches. Since when was winning everything? This notion is taught to us in our youth, and we aren’t savvy enough to see that greed and selfishness are driving this problem. We have become a society blinded by success and this vicious cycle isn’t showing signs of slowing anytime soon. I think success is a good thing, we should try to succeed, but when that success is driven by greed and selfishness, and it causes a decline in human decency, then it becomes a problem.

I believe that part of being the wealthiest and most powerful nation on earth is the responsibility to give back — you might call it charity. And although our government spends a lot of money in humanitarian aid, where have all the great philanthropists gone? I agree with Warren Buffett, we need more people to do what he is doing. As much as Bill Gates is despised for his apparent world domination through Microsoft, here is a man who not only runs one of the largest corporations in the world, but also THE largest philanthropic organization in the world.

What’s the value of giving back? I think deep down it reminds us that there are others in the world and that we aren’t alone on an island. Giving back can be more than just monetary. Giving back can be as simple as giving someone a chance they might not have otherwise had.

I also think that there is something to be said for that warm, fuzzy feeling we get when we do help others. I think that helping others, even just a little, would go a long way in helping our society overcome the greed and selfishness that are currently driving us.

My Two Cents: We will do well in doing good. Winning isn’t everything, it’s something, something we should strive for, but not at all costs!

I think the problem with any new media channel is that we don’t quite know how to use it. Like a new born baby figuring out how to use its arms and legs, we know the channel is there and that it works, but it hasn’t been put to the test like many traditional media, i.e., regulated!

The other sad fact is that there are those in our industry who are dishonest–I know, I had a hard time believing it too when I found out. We definitely benefit from the nature of social media which relies on a very symmetrical, all-way communication model. If someone were to abuse a new media channel like Digg or Del.icio.us or YouTube, it is probably safe to say that there are enough of us are opinionated to say something and reverse or stop the abuse before it becomes a trend.

My Two Cents: the ease of use of new media channels does not remove the learning curve–in some cases, like YouTube, the novelty may serve to steepen the curve.

What do you think?