The Ethical Good, Bad, and Ugly

A discussion about technology, transparency, and trade equality with industry leaders, social entrepreneurs, and hopefully, you.

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The Ethical Good, Bad, and Ugly

Groupon

For once I’m not sure I agree with my co-blogger Kris Gryte’s last post—Why Ethical Deals Send the Wrong Message. I mean, I do agree with it on all the fundamental levels, but I think there are some key points missing. As someone with a lot of marketing experience, I think Kris’ sentiment represents a Pie-in-the-Sky argument that isn’t necessarily realistic.

If consumers are even moderately aware of ethically sourced goods, I believe they are keeping all this in mind. For instance, if you are invested enough to be reading this blog, I’m confident you are already aware of the nuanced balance between fair trade and free trade and do your best on a purchase-by-purchase basis to do good. The challenge comes in moving the much larger portion of the consumer market away from the dark side.

Ultimately it is a language barrier. The larger market forces have created the language: daily deals, holiday sales, doorbusters, discounts and coupons, oh my! Sites like Groupon and Living Social use these linguistic gymnastics to stress one thing—that price is the most important thing consumers can base their purchasing decisions on. When ethical brands try to push the idea that (surprise) ethics, and real people and experiences behind the products might be more important, the message is quickly drowned out by the other 90% - Sale! Cheap! market noise. The market is shifting, there’s no doubt about that, but the ethical message is still no more than a whisper.

Understanding the larger language issue puts the marketers of ethical goods in an awkward spot. If they only focus on transparency and ethics, as Kris suggests, they are preaching to the choir, the portion of the market that is already listening very intently for that whisper of ethics. If they buy into a daily deal or push holiday sales, on Blissmo, EthicalDeal, ecomom, GreenDeals, and Fair Trade A Day, they are using the dominant language to possibly shift a tiny percentage of the market, who in turn, might start listening a little closer next time to the ethical message.

I absolutely agree with Kris’ message:

So, as this holiday season comes to a close, let us step back, reflect, and realize the true impact of purchasing decisions. Think twice about that ethical ‘deal’, but rather spend your money consciously, wisely, and ethically, endeavoring to build a sustainable relationship between you, the good, and the producer who brought that good to life. What is not so important is how great a deal we offer or find, but doing our bit of good by remaining true to our core values and ensuring a brighter, greener, more transparent, and ethical future.

But I’m sure if you are reading this, you were planning on doing that anyway.

Gabe Scelta is the Innovation Director at Ethicodes and Research Associate at the Ethiopian Global Initiative. A fellow at the Emerge Venture Lab, Gabe’s deep knowledge of the technology industry keeps Ethicodes pushing the frontiers of the fair trade industry. He holds a master’s degree from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies and a bachelor’s degree from Boston University. He lives in New York City.