Learn how ethical marketing builds trust, attracts conscious consumers, and supports sustainability — plus how a Marketing MSc can advance your expertise.
Explore the concept of ethical marketing, the key principles that ethical businesses adhere to, and the numerous advantages this approach offers – all summarised in our guide to the importance of ethics in marketing.
What is ethical marketing?
Ethical marketing is a strategy where organisations promote honesty, transparency, responsibility and fair practices within their marketing activity. As part of this, organisations communicate these business ethics in marketing materials, in order to reach target audiences with similar values.
Unethical marketing, on the other hand, sees organisations putting profit above everything else. Unethical marketing tactics include scaremongering, false claims and slandering competitors, for example.
Principles of ethical marketing
Generally speaking, there are four key principles of ethical marketing, which ethical businesses adhere to within their ethical marketing activity:
Fairness: Ethical marketing involves a commitment to fair prices, better wages and sustainable development.
Transparency: Being open and transparent when sharing information regarding business operations, including ethical employee treatment and the environmental and sustainability impact of services or products.
Honesty: Honesty forms the foundation of ethical marketing. Organisations will provide clear, factual and unembellished information in their marketing activity, avoiding making misleading or exaggerated claims about their service or product.
Responsibility: Ethical companies will take responsibility in what they’re producing and how it’s produced. This involves everything, from how the workforce and entire supply chain is treated throughout the making of the product, to supporting social and environmental causes in their day-to-day.
Ethical marketing benefits
In today’s fast-paced global market, sustainability and ethical practices have become far more than just buzzwords and opportunities for companies to ‘greenwash’. When done correctly, ethical marketing can bring huge benefits to companies; not only when it comes to the customers and the workforce, as well as wider benefits within society and on the environment.
Here are just some of the benefits of ethical marketing:
Builds consumer trust: Ethical marketing is centered around transparency and honesty, which customers value and find it easier to trust. Ethical businesses are viewed favourably, which leads to brand loyalty and increased conversion rates.
Attracts socially conscious customers: Businesses that prioritise ethical principles within their marketing appeal to consumers who value ethical principles. This can help with new customer acquisition strategies as it opens businesses up to a wider customer base.
Attracts loyal workforce: Employees who know that their work contributes to the greater good tend to be more engaged, motivated, and less likely to leave, leading to higher retention and job satisfaction.
Ethical factors in digital marketing
Ethical marketing emphasises honesty, transparency and fairness in the promotion of products and services. These principles are particularly important in digital marketing, where businesses collect and use large amounts of customer data, such as names, addresses, payment details and purchase histories.
In an ethical business, this data must be handled with care and responsibility, ensuring privacy is prioritised to prevent unauthorised access or misuse. Any targeted advertising should respect consumer autonomy, avoiding manipulative tactics and should ensure that consumer data is used in a transparent and responsible manner.
Ethical marketing and the environment
Ethical marketing goes beyond promoting products — it reflects a company’s genuine commitment to environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and ethical business practices. At its core, it’s about aligning your brand values with the needs of the planet and society, and communicating this clearly to your audience.
A well-known example is Patagonia, which uses its platform to advocate for environmental conservation. From responsible sourcing to encouraging customers to repair rather than replace their gear, Patagonia’s messaging consistently supports eco-friendly practices and climate activism.
TOMS is another brand that’s built its identity around ethical marketing. Known for its "One for One" model — donating a pair of shoes for every pair sold — the company has since evolved its approach to focus on broader social impact and is now a certified B Corporation. This status reflects high standards in social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.
How an MSc in Marketing explores the importance of ethical marketing
If you’re interested to learn more about the relationship between ethics and marketing, the King’s MSc in Marketing could be for you. Throughout your studies, you’ll examine the current developments in sustainability and ethics and reflect on the role of the marketer.
Looking at case studies of companies that have embarked on a sustainable and ethical journey, you will learn about the challenges of changing behaviour and how to motivate organisational behavioural change.
This course is 100% online, and part-time (over two years), allowing you to fit your studies around your existing commitments.
