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ANTIDOTE  │ Changemaker Hub

What Is Ethical Marketing?

Updated: Nov 1

Ethical, Sustainable, Inclusive: How to Market with Integrity as a Changemaker

TL;DR 





1. Introduction: It’s time to be honest about marketing and its impact

From the pressure to show up on every platform to the flood of #PurpuseWashing and curated imperfection, today’s digital landscape can feel like a game you don’t want to play. Especially if you’re from a community that has historically been marketed at, but rarely with.


It’s not just a feeling. A 2024 UK report by Deloitte found that over 60% of Gen Z and younger millennials distrust brands they perceive as performative or insincere. Meanwhile, ethical consumerism in the UK has seen steady growth, topping £140 billion in value, driven by a growing appetite for brands that walk their talk, not just polish their image.


Still, too many purpose-led brands are stuck. You want to grow, but not mimic harmful systems. You want visibility, but not at the cost of your values. You want to sell, but without creating unnecessary demand.


That’s where ethical marketing comes in. It's not about hating profit. It’s about rethinking what we sell, why, and for whom, and critically rewriting the playbook of manipulative marketing practices.

At ANTIDOTE, we believe marketing can be a tool for equity, storytelling, and systems change when it’s grounded in care and intention. If you’ve ever felt like traditional marketing doesn’t reflect your values, this guide is for you.


We’ll unpack what ethical marketing really is (and what it’s not), how it compares to other approaches like conscious or sustainable marketing, and give you two tools to start applying it now: our Ethical Marketing Checklist and Ethical Marketing Toolkit.



2. What is ethical marketing?

Ethical marketing centres on transparency, accessibility, justice, and sustainability. It prioritises people and the planet over profit. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make money. It means you do it in ways that don’t rely on manipulation, shame, scarcity, or the exploitation of pain for profit.

At ANTIDOTE, we define ethical marketing as:

“A practice rooted in care, co-creation, and consent. It amplifies impact while refusing to extract from communities, mimic trauma, or exploit identity.”

Ethical marketing is a practice. It’s not just about saying the right things; it’s about building the systems and strategies that back those things up.


It asks better questions:

  • Who benefits from this message?

  • Who might be harmed by it?

  • Are we communicating clearly, honestly, and accessibly?

  • Are we reinforcing harmful norms, or dismantling them?


Ethical marketing rejects the “growth at all costs” mindset that dominates much of the marketing world. It prioritises consent over conversion, and truth over tactics. It doesn’t mean you won’t use strategy, but it means you’ll use it with integrity.


And let’s be real: in a time of climate collapse, mass inequality, and identity-based harm, ethical marketing isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a necessity. Especially if you’re building something that serves or represents communities historically excluded from power.


Ethical marketing doesn’t promise perfection. It encourages progress. And when rooted in accountability and intention, it becomes one of the most powerful tools we have to build trust, foster connection, and spark real-world change.



3. A brief (and slightly nerdy) history of ethical marketing

The idea of "marketing with a conscience" isn’t new. In the 1980s, brands started using eco-labels and "green" messaging. Some meant well. Others were more about looking sustainable than actually being it (hi, greenwashing).


By the 2000s, terms like "corporate social responsibility" and "conscious consumerism" entered the chat. But ethical marketing, as a full-body commitment to justice and care, has mostly been championed by grassroots movements, not multinationals.


In recent years, especially since 2020, ethical marketing has evolved to include not just sustainability but also racial justice, accessibility, and anti-capitalist critique.


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