With the environment and business ethics such crucial and pressing issues in the world today, the marketing landscape is shifting. Consumers are rightfully concerned about climate change, rising inequality, ethical business practices and the exploitation of workers in many industries. Brands can no longer afford to be about profit at all costs. Ethical and sustainable marketing and business practices are in favour, especially among younger demographics.
According to recent polls, 75% of millennials consider sustainability before purchasing, and 73% of Gen Z respondents are willing to pay more for sustainable products. Customers are looking for more than catchy slogans and false promises; they’re looking for brands that share their values and are willing to take a stand on the issues. But you have to be genuine about it. Authenticity is a currency these days, but a savvy consumer can sniff out a phony.
Anchor’s approach to ethical marketing and sustainable business practices will help you build a consistent strategy from the ground up. As a full-service creative marketing agency in Brisbane, we can help you grow your business ethically and sustainably. We’ve helped purpose-driven brands on the rise to reach their goals, sharing their stories with the world and never compromising their principles along the way.
If you want to grow your brand while doing good in the world and keeping your conscience clear, this is your moment. The Anchor team can create a sustainable, ethical marketing strategy that represents you and everything you stand for.
What Are Sustainable And Ethical Business Strategies?
Sustainable and ethical business strategies are focused on qualities like caring for the environment, social responsibility and ethical production methods. Today, being ethical and sustainable in your business practices and marketing efforts is no longer an optional extra. It’s important for long-term success, and there are consequences for acting unethically, including damage to the company's reputation, penalties and legal scandals and a high employee turnover rate.
In business, sustainability and ethics refers to the impact that a brand has on society and the environment. Sustainable marketing and business practices refer to actions and strategies used to address some of the most important issues around the world right now. Issues like global warming, poverty, human rights abuses, fair working conditions, the depletion of natural resources and gender or racial discrimination.
Being sustainable and ethical is more than a public relations strategy; it’s an advantage in a competitive marketplace. There are many ethical and sustainable marketing strategies you can employ with positive results.
Why Sustainable and Ethical Marketing Is Rising
While ethical business practice is nothing new (its origins can be traced back to political unrest in the 1960s and even further back to the Industrial Revolution), it has been growing in recent decades. The globalisation of the 1990s ushered in a shift towards corporate social responsibility (CSR), the concept that corporations are responsible for the environmental, social and economic outcomes of their operations.
With the internet now such a common part of everyday life, consumers have a great deal of information at their fingertips—and a great deal of choice. Customers have instant access to information about scandals and human rights abuses. Plus, millennials and Gen Z, who are generally strongly committed to environmental and social issues, have a great deal of purchasing power.
While businesses need to have standards in what they practice, ethics in marketing are important, too. Gen Z values ethics and authenticity in marketing and is unimpressed by manipulation and “greenwashing” (making your products out to be more sustainable than they actually are). For the best possible results, what you say and what you sell must be aligned.
How to Employ More Sustainable Principles and Ethical Strategies
You may have heard of the “five sustainable marketing principles” that guide sustainable marketing practice. These include being consumer-focused purpose-driven, emphasising your values, emphasising societal benefits, and finding innovative approaches to challenges. Some ways you can put sustainable business and marketing principles into practice include:
Provide sustainable products or services
Greenwashing or making spurious claims about your sustainability won’t cut it with a generation that can fact-check you on their device in seconds. Genuinely offering a more environmentally friendly option is the only way to achieve success in sustainability. Examples are environmentally friendly materials like bamboo and organic cotton.
Use recyclable or biodegradable packaging
Using cardboard or other biodegradable materials that can be reused or recycled prevents more rubbish from ending up in the world’s landfills. This may involve using eco-friendly substitutes for plastic or compostable or plant-based packing materials.
Use energy-efficient business practices
You can reduce your carbon footprint by reducing your energy use in day-to-day operations. You can do this by switching plans to a provider that offers renewable energy, getting an energy audit, or optimising your heating and cooling systems.
Support environmental causes
You can partner with influencers that promote a more sustainable way of life or team up with environmental groups and throw your support behind their efforts. If your support is backed up by action rather than being purely performative, you can win a lot of new support of your own.
Hold workshops or educational events on sustainability
Businesses can organise workshops or events in order to educate the public or other professionals about the benefits of sustainability and how to work towards it. Potential topics are sustainable business development, the circular economy and, of course, sustainable marketing.
Build an Ethical Marketing Strategy at Anchor Digital
Self-awareness is essential for personal and business growth. Anchor can ensure that your ethical marketing efforts accurately reflect every part of your brand identity and personality and share your story with the world.
Anchor’s brand identity and communication work starts with the simple question, “Who are you?” From there, we help you not just sell yourself as an ethical and sustainable brand but to become one. You don’t have to compromise on your long-held values for success. In fact, embracing these values and your natural personality and representing them through every aspect of your branding wins people over. Anchor can help you with in-depth market research, brand design and assets, a clear tone of voice and a logo that makes a striking first impression.
With our marketing strategy work, the Anchor team helps you clarify what and how you want to communicate it and then finds the best techniques for the task. Our services include workshop facilitation for discussions and brainstorming, brand positioning work, brand strategy, customer and market research, and acquisition and retention planning. We’ll provide every customer with a pleasant experience and help you connect with them in a genuine way so they’re motivated to return.
A creative digital agency for ethical, purposeful brands around the country, we bring a wide range of skill sets to the table that allow us to nurture your project from beginning to end: digital marketing, business growth, content creation, SEO and web development.
Whether you need more information about ethics in marketing or you’re already itching to become even greater at what you do, contact the Anchor team.
