Why is ethical branding important?
Ethical branding is a crucial aspect you need to consider throughout your marketing.
However, this can cover a wide area, such as offering transparency to customers regarding where a brand’s products come from and the conditions they’re made in.
A big plus for ethical branding is that it’s great for corporate social responsibility (CSR), showing customers that the brand they’re buying from truly cares. And with that comes rewards for you! People are more likely to buy from brands that demonstrate genuine care – you can learn all about that in our product sustainability blog.
So what principles should you prioritise to certify your brand as ethically on-point?
What makes a brand ethical?
Ethical branding is all about transparency. Who, where, and how you make your products, assuring they’re causing no harm to anyone throughout the process is essential.
A brand that displays this to its customers is taking ethical branding seriously. Okay, it’s all well and good to say that, but we want to go the extra mile today, breaking ethical branding down and looking at what you can do specifically. Ready to take some notes?
1. Creating a mission statement and setting out your values
No one wants to support a brand whose morals are sketchy and vague – having crystal clear morals is the springboard to ethical success.
Let’s look at good old Meta, for example, who hasn’t made the most morally sound decisions in marketing.
In 2019, accusations against Meta flooded in after the company allowed advertisers to discriminate against people seeking housing by limiting who could see specific ads using race-and-religion-based targeting methods.
Since 2019, Meta has made changes for the better – better late than never…
In a statement, Meta announced – “we will remove Detailed Targeting options that relate to topics people may perceive as sensitive, such as options referencing causes, organizations, or public figures that relate to health, race or ethnicity, political affiliation, religion, or sexual orientation.”
Although Meta has had pretty poor morals in the past, they appear to be turning it around. However, the damage is arguably already done; Meta tends to be the butt of the joke when discussing ethics.
The key takeaway here is to be upfront about your methods. If you think your marketing tactics aren’t socially acceptable, they’re probably not.
Furthermore, be upfront about how you conduct business. As we mentioned, transparency is key here – your audience has a right to know how you gather audience research and advertise to them.
2. Don’t just say it, do it!
Brands must cause no harm to people, animals or the planet. You can’t exactly be an ethical brand if you don’t pay your workers a living wage or are releasing harmful chemicals into the environment.
When it comes to this guideline, it may seem like a simple task. However, many companies fail to achieve this side of ethical branding.
An example of a brand with good ethics written all over it is a Brighton-based clothing brand called Lucy and Yak. The brand’s morals are great; creating eco-friendly comfy clothes for customers whilst also supporting the planet and its people. When it comes to ethical branding, they have it down to a T.
Lucy and Yak have an entire page dedicated to their employees who make their clothes, with a photo and description for each member. They put a face behind their clothing. They care for their workers, paying four times the state minimum.
Additionally, they have several commitments where they contribute to society – such as commitments toward anti-racism and donating money to help pay for girls in India to go to school.
This brand is a perfect example of how ethical brands should be. If you’re looking to make branding more ethical, take notes. They have all the guideline boxes ticked – it’s time more brands did the same!
3. Make a difference
Contributing to society is a big part of being an ethically responsible brand. A brand that has this ethical guideline covered is Clipper teas.
On the website, Clippers teas say, “Creating opportunities and providing a bright future for the children of the tea workers is of utmost importance to the communities of Welbeck, Dunsandle and United Nilgiri.” Clipper teas are fairtrade, which means that the company cares about its worker’s rights, ensuring safe working conditions and fairer pay.
Clipper’s workers have access to affordable healthcare, and their children have education and employment opportunities. The children are offered bursaries funded by both the company and the Fairtrade premium – this helps pay for higher education courses.
Clipper teas contribute to society in many ways, improving the lives of their workers and their families. This shows they’re not just interested in making a great product; but also keen to better the lives of their workers.
Your brand can contribute to society through various unique tactics. By spotlighting community news across social media or supporting your hard-working team through company perks, you’re helping to make a real change.
Key Takeaways
For starters, don’t be like Meta. It’s a perfect example of what not to do if you want to avoid being an unethical brand. That’s all the shade we’ll throw its way for now.
The overall mindset to be ethical is pretty straightforward:
- Don’t have bad and unclear morals
- Don’t cause harm to any living things or the environment
- Try to give back to society
Being ethical is fantastic for everybody all around – it improves your brand’s chances of attracting more customers whilst also helping improve society and the environment – It’s a win-win for everyone!
If you want help making your brand more ethical or want further insights into how you can make your marketing more transparent – contact us and talk to our team.
