More than ever, consumers are aware of how a corporation impacts the world around them. Many millennials are shown to actively seek out ethical brands, and would rather spend their money on a business that proves they aim to do good.
Due to this a lot of brands are taking strides in both becoming more ethical and promoting their social responsibility as a way of positioning themselves as an ethical brand in the marketplace. I think it is important brands promote their CSR and focus on their ethics as it sets a standard for brands around them, and consumers will understand how easy and convenient it is to be ethical.
Here are the top three ethical campaigns from 2018:
1. LUSH
Lush are a brand founded on ethics. All of their products are 100% vegetarian, and they make a point to not test on animals. But their campaigns go further than just creating ethical products. With the power and influence they have as an esteemed brand they work to make a positive impact on the world around them. One of the many campaigns they produced last year was #SOSsumatra working with OrangutanSOS, a non-profit organisation working to protect orang-utans and their habitat.
They used their social media profiles ton promote their campaign as well as selling a limited edition soap shaped as a orang-utan, with the tagline 'when they're gone, they're gone' meaning both the limited stock of the product as well as reflecting on the reality of animal extinction.
2. H&M
Last year, H&M created a social media campaign, using content marketing, called 'Are you a fashion recycler?' In which they promoted their service where you can recycle your old clothes in their stores, in an attempt to create change in the world and lead a change towards renewable fashion.
They call the campaign HM Conscious in which they used recycled polyester to create dresses and fashion lines and aim to continue with this and by 2020 intent to use 100% recycled polyester.
3. Iceland
In a banned Christmas ad that never made it to the TV screens, but managed to gain over 5 million views on YouTube and was shared virally across social media, Iceland made a 'political' statement against palm oil.
Supermarket chain Iceland released a new Palm Oil free Christmas range and plan to go 100% palm oil free as part of their work toward environmental sustainability. They are also working toward reducing their use of plastic.
Part of their campaign against palm oil included partnering with Greenpeace for their 2018 Christmas advert, in which they tell the story of 'Rang-tan' and how humans destroyed his home for palm oil. The charming and emotional illustrated advert, with its rhyming narration shows an honest, and real depiction of the destruction of the rainforest and Orang-utans habitat, using emotional advertising by personifying the 'Rang-tan' and using both the perspective of the child who's room the 'Rang-tan' invades, and the young orang-utan themselves. A great portrayal of how emotional advertising works to raise awareness of such an important cause.
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