Ethical Ads

We believe that advertisement should be an engine for doing good. We provide a platform for “ethical advertising” to champion good consumer choices and to help foster a marketplace where people “buy for good”.

How do we inform consumers of the best and most responsible choice for products and services?

…By presenting to them in a dynamic way an array of options for choosing to “buy for good”. As we have discussed in other places, that dynamic presentation comes as a well publicized list of corporations that make a “P” Ethic impact. Now it is also weaved into the way we navigate publications, websites, and blogs that feature ethical ads.

EthicalAds is the partner of Propellers.social that will bring ethical advertisement to our experience of the web. All publishers, website owners, and bloggers have the option of using EthicalAds to support marketing on their platform that is meaningful and that champions consumer choice for doing good.

We hope that online publications, websites, and blogs will choose to take the high road and foster ethical advertisement. We hope that consumers will value and appreciate advertisement that ensures privacy, relevance, and that takes up minimal space. We hope that consumers will support publishers who they respect for taking a positive stand. We hope that the cycle continues to spin…responsible corporations, responsible marketing, responsible consumption that all generate value for our society and our environment.

The “P” Ethic stamp of approval applies to publications that feature EthicalAds. The “P” establishes that this site is responsible for helping people “buy for good”. That contribution deserves to be publicized.

Invasive ads that feature meaningless products will be less and less tolerable and more and more annoying compared to advertisement that delivers a message about society, the environment, and the world we live in. The content of publications will be complemented by ads with meaningful messages that will make these ads seem not invasive at all, but a kind of content itself.

Our partner tailors ads to be relevant to you, but we believe ads should also complement content. Every advertiser and publisher is hand approved to ensure that every ad is relevant and interesting. We focus exclusively on advertising that shows a single high quality ad on the sites visited. We allow targeting by topics and geography, so that publishers can reach the exact audience that they want. Our privacy-preserving targeting gets great results for the ethical businesses that advertise and more money for publishers.

The “P” Ethic in all its forms, may in the short run require sacrifice of the most profitable option. There are methods of advertising online that are more lucrative. But as the “P” brand evolves and becomes more and more recognized as important, we believe that it will actually become more lucrative to do good than to pursue a publisher or a company’s narrow self-interest.

The reason for this is that people care about where their money goes. People want to support the democracy of the marketplace. People want to spend responsibly and they will spend more if it contributes something positive to the world. When it is cheaper to go for the lowest bidder, we may lose those who do not have a lot of money, and rightfully so, they cannot be blamed. But if it is the difference of a narrow margin, people who do care enough are likely to pay a little extra. That consumer choice gives social and environmentally sound businesses a profit margin that allows them to succeed, and it allows them to continue doing good for society and the environment.

“Buy for good” is only possible if we have the information about which companies are socially and environmentally responsible. The “P” Ethic for publishers signals to consumers that when they see an advertisement it is not to enrich a company that does not give anything back. This advertisement is for a purpose and your choice as a consumer matters.

It starts with you, this cycle starts with you. You have the power to choose. You are the demand. If you do not “Buy for Good” then the supply of social and environmental businesses will go under. Without your buying power for doing good, the marketplace will “race to the bottom” and the businesses around the world will sacrifice doing good for narrow profit.

Propellers.social tries to put the right choice in your hands. But it is on you.

Beware of false ethical marketing

Without standards for ethical marketing, consumers can be fooled into thinking they are supporting a socially and environmentally responsible business, but they are not. They are serving the interests of a corporation that makes claims to be ethical, but in many ways it is actually just a tactic to improve profits. The business appeals to the consumer’s identity to associate a positive feeling that they are supporting a good business, when in fact they are just buying a sweater that contributes very little to society or the environment.

Above is a manipulative advertisement to recycle clothes, but the intent is to sell the jacket they tell you not to buy.

Only 1% of Patagonia sales go to the environment.

People are willing to spend more for this companies’ products than competitors who offer products for less. The difference is that companies like Patagonia tell a story about how much good they are doing, while other companies do not tell such a far-fetched story about how much they contribute to the world. They simpy do not claim to do so. Despite the bottom line, many people pay more because their identity is wrapped up in the business: Patagonia protects nature, and so do I, and I am going to buy this overpriced sweater–not for me, but for the environment. Labels and promises to advocate for nature abound in Patagonia’s marketing strategies. But no one seems to actually know how ethical this company is, their claims go uncontested. They have nothing to prove because no one holds them accountable.

This problem has a solution, that will unfold below…
“5% Off”

“Demand quality, not just in the products you buy, but in the life of the person who made it.”
Orsola de Castro

5% off “P” products

How do we encourage people to ‘buy for good’?

The social economy starts with consumers. If they do not support businesses that make a contribution then there will be no incentive for the business to become a company of equity. If financial gain is threatened by the considerable effort and cost it takes to be truly ethical, businesses will not go to the trouble of taking a positive stand.

For that reason, there is another dimension to social innovation and the empowerment of ethical business, and that is the new way we champion consumer choice.

We need a way to reward costomers for making the choice for “P” Ethic businesses. Consistent support for ethical business needs to be encouraged. We need people to not only make one choice for a ‘good’ business, we need people to be loyal and choose those ethical products and services in all sectors in all its forms. We want people to choose the “P” Ethic across all markets and sectors of the economy.

That is why we provide the option to buy a $50 gift card to only be used for “P” Ethic products and services. This gift card will give consumers a discount of 5% off all the items from businesses that we have designated and approved as meeting our “P” Ethic standard.

In this way, we encourage loyalty to our “P” Ethic branding, and offer consumers a strong financial incentive to ‘buy for good’. In turn, the businesses that do the most good will succeed, receive a greater share of the market, and profits earned can be funneled back into doing more for society and the environment.

That is a powerful way to address the .social in which profit and ethics go hand in hand, and people have the information and the incentive to participate in the democracy of the marketplace as both citizens and consumers.

The ethical business has the incentive to not only be recognized in the marketing and communications of their products, they have the possibility to undercut the prices of competitors with that 5% discount.

This gives rise to a competitive dynamic with businesses seeking the “P” Ethic approval to get that discount and earn more profits. In combination, Propellers and collaborating companies will absorb the 5% discount with endorsement and finances that come from the assessment of companies. It will pay back as more and more businesses choose the high road and become social and responsible. This cycle operates by financial self-interest and because business owners want to do good, but may not have been able to in competitive economies where the pursuit of narrow profit was the only option.

A $10 bottle of red wine from Spain that grows grapes sustainably and organically, will cost 5 percent less with the “P” Ethic Gift Card. This could be just the edge over competitors that this ethical company needs to be profitable.

Consumers should not have to pay more for positive buying, they should not have to lose money by making the ‘right’ choice. The choice should be clear. The discount and the socially responsible choice should be made together.

Propellers.social tries to put the right choice in your hands with a strong financial incentive so buying for good does not cost extra. But it is on you to make the ‘right’ choice.

The eGift card company Giftya, “The thought that counts”, is our platform for putting the 5% discount in your digital hands when you purchase with “P” Ethic businesses. In collaboration with Propellers.social, the eGift card company will credit consumers with the 5% discount directly to your Visa or Mastercard.

Pay $50. It will come back to you as savings right in your pocketbook. It is a smart choice for reasonable prices on ethical products and services and the ‘right’ purchase for the world.

This is an eGift that can be used at any grocery store. It is not just another Starbucks gift card. It is a way of supporting an extensive set of brands that have a “P” Ethic stamp of approval. The card gives consumers access to these discounts under one unifying proof of ‘good’ business.

Purchasing the $50 eGift card is a smart move for investing in savings for yourself on a wide array of products. It is even nicer as a gift for someone else whose tastes you may not know. They may not go to Starbucks, but they might be interested in an ethical beauty supply company or a cooperative lingerie brand that uses natural products. It could be a ride share or a carton of milk or a pair of socks or a lemon.

You make a payment and we give it right back to you in savings. For every $50 eGift card you spend, you come away from the experience with the knowledge that you are supporting products and services that matter.

Giftya, “The thought that counts”, is our business partner in developing the technology to achieve this special kind of eGift card that puts discounts directly into your hands. Soon with this card, we will be able to offer you all kinds of products and services across a diverse selection of brands and merchants, all for you to choose from.

The bottomline is simple.

Invest in the “P” Ethic and support our businesses and be rewarded with savings for doing the right thing.

Thank you for your support!