let’s face it, impactpreneurs: you can’t build a brand that challenges the status-quo by launching marketing campaigns by the book. remember what happened when shein invited influencers into their factories in china? 

Shein was desperate to rehabilitate their tainted image, owing to various labour law violations and copyright infringements. but the campaign created even more negative backlash for the brand – ultimately, their supply chain, and positioning & therefore brand DNA, was never impact-driven to begin with. it’s almost naive to believe that any fast fashion brand uploading 10,000 new SKUs to their website is impact-driven. the principles just don’t align. 

simply speaking, the impact is not a layer on Photoshop that can easily be applied to your business. unless the impact is a core part of your brand DNA, all you’ll say will be fluff, poof and dissected. 

but, fret not, fellow guardian of the galaxy. we, at wonderwork, take ethics seriously. very seriously. so, let’s show you how to build a brand that is truly impact-driven at its core and what that means across departments, processes, marketing communications and more. 

your ethical culture checklist: 

1. use brand identity exercises such as the Kapferer brand prism to understand the core identity of your brand

generally, this simple but insightful activity is conducted with the founders of the business. each section is filled with attributes to get a holistic view of the brand identity. this helps you gauge what your brand stands for, or what you want it to stand for. if you’re big on impact, it should reflect in your personality, brand culture, and the reflection and perception of your ideal customer. 

for example, the fair-trade British cosmetics brand lush focuses on a myriad of diseases plaguing the beauty industry, namely animal testing, unethically sourcing raw materials, and using customer data provided by the algorithm overlords at the giant black-boxed social media platforms of today. with a brand identity in place, lush understands that customers and other stakeholders want transparency in the 21st century, not to mention the obvious desire to be an ethical business that leaves the world better than it found it. 

2. set clear guidelines

creating specific policies and codes of conduct around ethical marketing practices ensures that businesses can follow what they preach and are held to their own standards. this also helps employees understand what is expected of them and builds trust among customers.

for instance, Ben & Jerry's has detailed sourcing and supplier guidelines aligned to their mission.

3. conduct training

a trained employee is the most loyal brand ambassador there can be. so, educate all teams - marketing, finance, accounting, sales, communication, it, HR - on ethical standards through regular, up-to-date and clear policies. 

the body shop mandates annual ethics and human rights training for all employees. the coolest thing though? they have a supplier map that is accessible to all stakeholders – especially their customers.

4. let the voice matter 

every suggestion is an opportunity to improve. so, implement safe whistleblowing channels to report unethical behavior without retaliation. this encourages your team to be honest about their feedback, without the lurking fear of losing their jobs at the cost of being ethical. 

a great example is the company Starbucks which relies on discreet whistleblowing channels for insight into potential issues.

5. lead by example 

a leader does while a manager yaps. so, be an executive or leader who personifies ethical conduct. our go-to reference for stellar leadership is Toms’ blake mycoskie’s, who has set up hands-on charitable efforts to set the tone from the top.

check out Tom’s impact statement here. 

6. monitor and audit 

what gets measured, gets better. so, regularly monitor business activities and conduct audits to ensure adherence to ethical policies. when it comes to marketing, the same rule applies – if you believe that any marketing communication, platform usage or campaign strategy has not received a good look from an ethical standpoint – monitor your impact and run impact audits. for example, how do you collect data and through which platforms? are you compliant with your country’s data regulations? is your impact-driven marketing message aligned with your everyday business process? 

we don’t know about you, but we don’t care to slap a feminist message on a beauty product because it’s trendy. because hey, a privileged woman buying your product is not equal to the poorly paid day-wage worker you’ve employed in a far-off country.

Trader Joe's does a good job of auditing their suppliers for this reason. they promise products that are good for you and their random audits ensure that suppliers follow their brand promise. 

7. recognize and reward

a pat on the back goes a long, long way. so, praise and incentivize teams and staff that uphold ethical practices. Ben & Jerry's has an annual 'sunshine award' for integrity.

embedding an ethical culture takes time and effort. but pays dividends in the long run through positive brand equity and consumer relationships. to convince you (yes, we’re very persistent), here’s a list of benefits of ethical marketing. 

so, now that you’ve come to the end of this blog, you may be wondering ‘hey how do i begin’? can anyone help me chalk out the roadmap? and maybe guide me in the beginning? and maybe show me how they have done it? and maybe help me sustain it? well, we got your back. hit us up and let us come back to you with a solution. 

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