• AP/TVNewsCheck, Monday, July 26, 2010 12:09 AM

From gimlet-swilling adulterers on TV's "Mad Men" to seven-figure fines for deceptive ads touting cold remedies and credit scores, the ad industry could use an image makeover of its own. Industry leaders are teaming up with the University of Missouri School of Journalism, to launch the Institute for Advertising Ethics. Among the research center's goals is to improve the public image of a business that spent $125 billion last year but isn't exactly known for its bedrock principles and unwavering scruples, says AP.

Whether it's the duplicitous exploits of fictional television character Don Draper or the latest penalties levied by the Federal Trade Commission, the ad industry struggles to put its best face forward. A 2007 Gallup survey ranked advertisers among the least trustworthy professionals -- barely beating out lobbyists and car salesmen. A group of the industry's heaviest hitters will serve on the institute's advisory board, including executives from Procter & Gamble, Omnicom Group, Interpublic and Ketchum.

The new research center is intended not just to boost the ad industry's public image but also to elevate the role of ethical decision-making among advertising companies and their clients. Researchers at the Missouri School of Journalism will help develop an industry code of ethics. They will examine the effects of social media and digital technology on the ad world.

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