One about Ethics
And why they are so important for people and brands.
Let’s start with defining what this means:
Ethic or Ethics: a system of accepted beliefs that control behaviour, especially such a system based on morals (Cambridge Dictionary, 2020).
And now you are probably asking yourself: what is considered moral?
Morals can define behaviours, values and actions that have everything to do with the concept of good and bad, honesty and fairness (Cambridge Dictionary, 2020). So, for people this means: live a honest life, such as caring about the community, the planet, family and friends; while for brands, it means using honesty, sustainability and responsibility as core values to define their identity, communication strategy and business model.
In my practice as a person and professional in the creative industries, I consider ethics a really important part of the my process and analysis of who I want to work with, because it’s something that is really close to my heart (aligning brands’ values with my own).
In a world where consumerism, fast fashion and even faster consumption are predominant, ethics are often objectified by corporations, brands and even public personalities to represent a better image of themselves, even if practically, this doesn’t relate to their actions. Yes, people like to show they are doing a good job to attract people’s attention. It’s like the classic story of the little guy at school who is trying to look cool in front of his classmates, because he wants him/her to notice him.
Really playing on the fact that some are really easy to be influenced and conditioned.
As a consumer, do we not have the responsibility to fact check and select what we read, buy, eat and interact with in our every day lives? As humans, do we not have a social responsibility to look after one another, to support those in need and to use our voices and platforms to shout about what’s immoral (injustices, minorities and planet — you name it!).
I honestly feel the past few years and most recent circumstances have helped with addressing some of these issues, and as much as I am happy for this conversations to happen and raise right now, I hope it isn’t a justification for some, both as people and as brands, just because it makes a cool square on Instagram or because, as a brand, I need to prove myself.
Don’t be scared to have some morals.
