1. The Components
of Conscious
Marketing
By: Lilly Johnson

2. Conscious Marketing is an approach
to marketing that acknowledges four
key principles: a higher purpose,
stakeholders, conscious leadership,
and a conscious culture. Recognizing
that business is not all about making
money is the biggest component in
this strategy and is something that a
multitude of companies struggle with
even today.
In order to achieve business practice
that will last, implementation of
conscious marketing is almost always
essential. In many different ways, it
can create change in society for the
better. Examples of this could be a
healthier ecosystem and less
pollution, safe and fair work
environments for employees, and
delivering quality to customers who
can trust and become loyal to the
brand in which they are investing in.
What is Conscious Marketing? Why is it Important?

3. Affected Stakeholders Within Business
Before considering implementing any kind of conscious marketing strategy, a company must first take into account who
and what their business practices are affecting, positively and negatively. These are the 4 categories of stakeholders for
any business.
1. Employees- Those who provide for and keep a company running should be top priority for ethical practice. Keeping a
safe and fair working environment for them is a basic responsibility of any firm. Along with this, offering benefits, giving
time off, and upholding child labor laws are all great examples of ethical practices.
2. Customers- While customers do not see the ins and outs of what happens behind closed doors, they will see how
company values affect them and their purchases. Creating loyalty with customers through value is extremely important
for the reputation of a firm. Giving back through charities and repeat customers adds to that trustworthy image.
3. Marketplace- Competition between businesses is and always will be fierce. With the rise in demand for ethical
businesses, putting in place simple, sustainable changes can draw more business. However, it is not all about profits.
Other businesses will catch onto this and create their own strategies, influencing the whole marketplace and changing it
for the better.
4. Society- Finally, our environment and the community suffer greatly from easy but unhealthy production and practices of
businesses. Clearing forests for buildings and burning fossil fuels are to of the greatest factors that harm our Earth.
When firms can give back, it shows they really care about making a difference and not just about money.

4. The Harms of Unethical Practices
BP Oil Spill
In April of 2010, Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in
the Gulf of Mexico, causing oil to gush into the sea.
Unfortunately, initial efforts to stem the flow failed and it
took months for BP to find a solution that worked. By the
time the well was cut off in July, approximately 4.9
million barrels of oil had spilled into the ocean, making
this the worst accidental oil spill of all time.
Volkswagen Emissions
In September 2015, It turned out that the company had been
fitting what some industry commentators described as
‘defeat devices’ to its diesel cars, which included software
that would detect when the cars were undergoing laboratory
testing and turn on controls to reduce nitrogen emissions.
The cars would then appear to comply with the agency’s
standards but, in some cases, were actually emitting up to 40
times the nitrogen dioxide limit when driving on the road.
Apple “Batterygate”
In December of 2017, Reddit user reported that a
software update had reduced the performance of their
iPhone but that this had corrected itself when they
replaced the battery. This post led to a lot of press
coverage, with some commentators suggesting that
Apple was trying to force users to upgrade by
deliberately slowing devices as they aged.
Uber Sexual Harassment
Accusations regarding Uber’s ‘bro’ culture that proved to be
the biggest scandal, and led to the resignation of CEO Travis
Kalanick in June 2017. The allegations included complaints
that senior members of staff had made sexist jokes and
visited a brothel in Seoul. Even though some were not proven,
the claims affected the price of the company’s shares, which
were traded privately at the time.
https://www.ig.com/en/news-and-trade-ideas/top-10-biggest-corporate-scandals-and-
how-they-affected-share-pr-181101

5. Creating a Conscious Marketing
Environment
Recognizing that change needs to or should be made in the workplace is always
the first step to success. But what comes after that? Where does a firm go from that
thought? To ensure that the practices and values that the firms decided to focus on are
applied in all areas of management, a process called the Ethical Decision-Making
Framework can be carried out. This process contains 4 steps, including identifying issues,
gathering information and identifying stakeholders, brainstorming and evaluating
alternatives, and choosing a course of action. In order to get the best results from this plan,
companies are encouraged to ask questions and make adjustments along the way based on
evaluations and new ideas for improvement. Think of this plan more like a marble cake
rather than a layered one in regards to jumping back and forth from one step to another.
Let’s take a look at what each of these steps and the goal that should be achieved within
them all.

6. In this very first step,
firms take a look at their data and see
where the problems in their
marketing plan lies. Or perhaps the
problem in in the data collection.
Being able to see these issues
whether they be with customers,
within the workplace, or elsewhere,
gives the company a clear starting
point and direction in which they will
make their change.
The second step involves
taking new data surrounding the ethical
issue the firm wishes to tackle and how
the final resolution will affect their
stakeholders. Taking into account the
needs and wants of these groups and the
industry in general will help them create
an even better course of action and take
into account other problems that can be
solved along the way. Being transparent
with stakeholders can allow businesses to
receive feedback to make their plan that
much stronger.
Identifying Issues
Gathering Information and
Identifying Stakeholders

7. Once the ethical issues and
stakeholders have been evaluated, it is
time to think about alternative pathways to
achieve the company’s goal. This step
requires critical evaluation of what the firm
needs in order to move forward in the long
run even if that means setting them back a
little bit first. For example, if a company
has problems with product quality, they
might consider halting production for a
while in order to fix the problems and
ensure quality again. What is really needed
for them to solve the problem indefinitely?
The final step of this
process is for the company to decide
on a course of action to take. After
careful consideration of all the
alternatives from the previous step,
the firm must chose the course that
gives the best possible solution for
their stakeholders and has the
greatest advantages to
disadvantages. Legal problems and
obligations must also be taken into
account in the step.
Brainstorming and
Evaluating Alternatives
Choosing a course of
Action

8. Popular businesses that are Unethical
Nestle
You know Nestle for their
delicious chocolate milk, but
what lies behind their cute rabbit
logo, is genetically modified
ingredients in their food and
unsustainable palm oil that is
included in their products. They
have also been criticized for
irresponsible marketing of baby
milk to mothers.
Shein
This clothing company
that is rising in popularity among
younger generations is cheap and
affordable but. It’s business
practices are far from right. They
are not transparent about their
environmental nor their animal
welfare impact. Since they are a
fast-fashion marketer, they
contribute to the throwing away of
clothing that are still in good
condition.
Amazon
While amazon may be
everyone’s go to website to find
anything and everything you could
want from art supplies to house
decor but, they are one of the
largest unethical brands out
there. Not only do they avoid
taxation, but they also have poor
supply chain management and
environmental reporting.

9. Most Influential Ethical Businesses
John Deere
John Deere is a manufacturer of
heavy machinery and works closely
with farmers around the country. Their
ethical practices revolve around
responsible resource management.
They implement water best
management practices in their water
scarce sites, are working towards
using sustainable and recycled
materials in their machines, and
donate at least 1% of their net income
towards environmental projects
PepsiCo
This beverage and
snack company competes for
popularity with the Coca-Cola
company. However, when it comes
to ethical practice, PepsiCo puts
them to shame. This company
achieves ethical practices in areas
such as racial equality, sustainable
agriculture, sustainable plastics and
equal pay for employees.
Patagonia
This clothing company
goes above and beyond to bring
quality clothing that is made with
organic cotton and recycled
materials. They also practice
environmentally friendly
manufacturing techniques to keep
our Earth healthy. In order to aid in
unemployment and boost the US
economy, they work with american
manufacturers as often as
possible.

10. Conclusion
While ethical practices may not always be the most popular
or profitable, a company can benefit from them in more ways
than one. With a newfound demand for ethical business
practices by younger generations, we may see companies we
know and love changing their practices to fit these
standards. And hopefully we will all reap the rewards of a
better community because of it.