What is ethical marketing?

Words like ethical, sustainable and responsible have grown in popularity when it comes to business. It’s now cool to be all those things and more, and I for one am happy about that. Personally I care about the planet and the people on board, and I wish to protect it in whatever way I can. That is something I cannot shake, nor do I want to.

So why did I choose a career in marketing, you may very well ask? Sure, it’s not well known for being socially conscious and in the traditional sense you’re so often only measured by commercial success. I call myself a marketer, but really I’m a communicator. And I’m drawn to working with business who have a strong purpose, other than their bottom line.

Traditionally, a successful business would be measured by profit and profit alone. Thankfully, this mindset is shifting. Businesses are beginning to understand that you can be both socially conscious AND financially successful. In fact, 88% of consumers want businesses to help them make a difference. So if your brand isn’t helping your consumers improve their environmental and social footprint, then you’re in danger of disappointing a lot of people.

This means that marketing strategies need to change too. Enter ‘ethical marketing’. But what does ethical marketing actually mean?

What is ethical marketing?

What is ethical marketing?

Ethical marketing is more of a philosophy than a strategy. I realise that sounds a bit ‘woo-woo’ but stay with me!

It’s the development of a mindset, that questions the moral standpoint of every marketing move you make. Put simply, does it benefit people or the environment? Is it morally good? Is it honest? Is it fair? There are no specific rules, as judging what is ‘good’ or ‘right’ is subjective. But having a guiding set of principles to evaluate new marketing strategies against can really help.

Green-washing

In my career I’ve often found that some businesses add communications and marketing to the end of a process, which is where problems can arise, especially when a business decides to jump on the ‘ethical’ or ‘sustainable’ trend because they’ve seen how well that’s doing.

This is where green-washing occurs, which can be super damaging for a brands reputation. Of course, there is nothing wrong with pivoting to a more green or sustainable model, but be honest about it. And acknowledge that it’s the start of a journey for you. Don’t just add a range of organic cotton t-shirts to a retail line, when 95% of the other stock is made in some sweatshop in India.

Putting people and planet before profit is a huge leap for some businesses. You can’t apply ethical marketing to just one area of your business without looking at and recognising other areas. It’s inauthentic and it just doesn’t wash.

I believe having integrity and a desire to do good with your business is key to success. A strong set of values underpinning your businesses mission is paramount. Communicating those values is where someone like me comes in, and getting your ethical communications team in at the start of a process means you’ll already be on the front foot. A company might ask ‘will this sell’? We’ll be asking ‘should we sell it?’

Companies that genuinely care about their impact on the environment or society rather than dedicating themselves solely to their bottom lines see huge support and financial success. Of course, a balance needs to be struck between telling your story and being too self-congratulatory.

Companies with a conscience

Here’s a selection of companies with a conscience, running ethical marketing campaigns I admire:

The art of writing a letter

The National Trust

A British institution, yes, and they are non-profit so of course they have a strong cause at their heart, being Europe’s biggest conservation charity. What I particularly like right now is their Lockdown Letters campaign, asking people to contribute their lockdown experiences for their national archive.

Whilst people can’t visit National Trust properties right now, they can engage with the brand and be part of history.

The Body Shop are against cruelty to animals

The Body Shop

An oldie but a goodie, The Body Shop has had a strong set of values from the start and is the mother of conscious and ethical beauty. Against animal testing, campaigning against sex trafficking and modern slavery, workers rights and the gender pay gap, social activism is a core part of The Body Shop brand.

The original one for one business

TOMS

TOMS are the original one for one company and are now dedicating a third of their net profits to a giving fund, so they can support more vulnerable people around the world. For every £3 they make they give £1 away , giving almost 100 million shoes to those in need.FYI my husband is a big fan of his TOMS canvas slip ons.

Yvon Chouinard's book on Patagonia's beginnings

Patagonia

With a fascinating back story behind the brand (do yourself a favour and have a read of Yvon Chouinard’s ‘Let My People Go Surfing’) Patagonia are in business to save our planet, using their business (selling top quality, ethically made outdoor wear) voice and community to do something about the climate crisis. I particularly like their Worn Wear model - extending the life of your gear rather than pushing consumption. A novel idea for a retail business – buy high quality but buy less of it.

Coffee can be life changing

Change Please

An ethical business that I’ve had the pleasure of working with when I worked with Borough Market, Change Please use the profits from the sale of their coffee to train people experiencing homelessness to be baristas and give them a Living Wage paying job. It’s great tasting coffee too.

I’m a strong believer in ethical marketing, grounded in providing a service or product that positively benefits not only the customer but the world we live in. Business has the power to do good. And I believe it should.

If you would like help with your ethical marketing, do get in touch ellie@elliejanecomms.co.uk