Ethical Marketing Policy

As part of our mission to become a brand with the highest standards of social performance, it is important for us to adopt ethical marketing practices. This policy aims outlines our marketing principles so that we are able to serve our customers in the most ethical way possible. 

Honest Marketing

We vow to commit to absolute honesty within our marketing.  As a company producing products that inherently do still have some impact on our planet, we must never use language that would imply to the consumer that we are the perfect sustainable solution. The perfect solution doesn’t exist and we must instead educate the customer around the complexities of sustainability. 

If a claim we make is complex, we must provide material and content on our website to further explain our reasoning and educate the consumer, giving a balanced opinion on the subject.  

Project reflections

The following questions are designed to help ensure our marketing efforts are ethical during a marketing campaign.

  • Are we clearly communicating our product's value without exaggerating or misleading our key audiences?
  • Can the claims made be backed up with 3rd party verification?
  • Does the graphic design mislead or over exaggerate the product benefits?
  • Are the words used appropriate? 
  • Do the claims omit or hide important relevant information, 
  • Are the comparisons fair and meaningful?
  • Are the claims considering the full life cycle of the product or service?
  • Are the claims substantiated?

Impact Washing

Impact washing is similar to greenwashing and happens when a business exaggerates their positive impact to gain a marketing advantage or uses “feel good” marketing to cover up or distract from the negative outcomes that their core business model is having in other areas - socially or environmentally.

We therefore commit to being fully honest and transparent about the social and environmental impacts of our work. 

Cultural Sensitivity

Advertising that appeals to different cultural and ethnic identities has become a vital part of brand marketing. However sometimes marketing can be considered insensitive and could even offend people. We must therefore seriously consider the timing, context and language used in order to avoid being culturally insensitive. It is important for us to include others with better understanding and knowledge within the creative process to avoid any insensitive content being produced. This, for example, could include marketing around cultural events such as religious holidays, landmark historic anniversaries or protest movements. 

Email Marketing

As stated in our privacy policy and in line with new GDPR regulations, we vow to only send emails to customers who have ‘opted-in’. 

Ethical Digital Advertising

As with our other marketing channels, digital content should be made to be honest, ethical and accurate. If an advertisement makes untrue claims about a product or service or clearly misrepresents what is being offered, then it is false advertising, which is clearly an unethical marketing tactic. 

We should not be overly aggressive with our marketing efforts or cause unnecessary pressure to the consumer. We aim to produce products that people truly need, and not cause them to buy something that they don’t want. 

SEO strategy

Meta descriptions, titles and website content should not be misleading and should all be created in line with our mission. 

We do not purchase links. Links should be built organically out of merit and from real relationships and partnerships.

A Continuous Work in Progress

Language

  • Sustainability and social issues are complex and language, meaning and understanding continuously evolve. We must educate ourselves in order to best align with our mission and adhere to ethical marketing

Technology

  • As the industry evolves, new ways to discover, reach and engage audiences will come to market. We must understand and evaluate the ethical pitfalls with any new channel and ensure we always align with our mission. 

Have your say!

Is there something we could do better? Is there anything you’ve seen that you believe is misleading?

Please contact us at info@olivercompanylondon.com