We’ve entered an era of increasingly aware consumers. Customers know when they’re trading in their personal data for expectations of convenience, better experiences, and personalised touchpoints with brands. They have made their demands clear: to offer brand loyalty in return for services that mirror their eco conscious conscience, or to commit to being repeat customers, create user-generated content, develop positive feedback loops, and become ambassadors for brands that are ethical, honest, inclusive and not intrusive.
Speaking in an exclusive conversation with Campaign Middle East, Asmaa Quorrich, CEO, Founder, Think/Big Consulting says, “I see both sides of the spectrum. On one hand, some regulations have made it mandatory to ask customers for their consent when providing their data. This helps all of us know what we are signing up for and gives a sign of comfort. On the other hand, consumers also feel they have no choice, as ‘accept all cookies’ and ‘opt ins’ are often mandatory to browse websites. This is neither fair nor transparent,” she added.
Asked what the alternative would be if marketing were to take a more ethical approach, Quorrich replies, “When someone is only viewing content, full cookie acceptance should not be applied. Such drastic disclosure should only be demanded in case of loyalty benefits. Also, the amounts of data that brands collect on consumers make it both super useful in terms of personalisation as well as extremely intrusive when algorithms are over-active.”
Ethical marketing is ‘just the latest tactic to hook idealist consumers’
That said, one would assume that ‘brands are listening to their customers demands’; that privacy and personalisation are sacrosanct. Yet, several industry leaders have spoken to Campaign Middle East about how the realm of ‘influence and persuasion’ is murky and has miles to go before being deemed truly trustworthy or transparent.
Commenting on the state of ethical marketing in the industry, Joe Lipscombe, Partner, The Romans, says, “For much of marketing, ethics is just the latest tactic to hook idealist consumers. And in no way is that irony lost on them — the craft itself is founded on hyperbole and persuasion. Moreover, marketers communicating ethical topics often do not and cannot have full visibility on any internal wholesale changes within the company for whom they’re communicating. One moment they’re posting about International Women’s Day, the next their C-Suite is in the news for harassment and discrimination.”
“My best advice is for marketers to speak up internally and shut up externally until such a time they can communicate ethics with any kind of transparency,” Lipscombe adds.
This does not mean that there’s been no movement towards a semblance of ethical marketing or sustainability in practice. The problem, leaders say, stem from such practices often being perceived as KPIs being ticked off a checklist with negligible long-term, lasting impact.
Muhammad Ali, Executive Creative Director, Leo Burnett MEA, says, “Be it topical posts, one-off partnerships or superficial collabs, a lot of brands tend to play performative roles in their marketing efforts in order to appeal (or pander) to audiences and position themselves as good corporate citizens. That’s the easy answer. The skeptical answer.”
“But, the more meaningful answer is when we see brands putting their money where their hashtag is,” he adds.
Several leaders point to Patagonia
There’s clearly a need to move the needle; to turn a buzzword into buzzing action to truly meet the needs of informed consumers.
“I believe people now want more than just a good product; they expect, and in some cases demand, brands to be transparent and authentic in everything they market, communicate and do, if they are to continue to support them.” Khaled Ismail, CEO, Toughlove Advisors said.
Ismail goes on to share examples of brands making greater efforts to align their marketing with their corporate social responsibility initiatives.
“A good example is Patagonia, which openly shares how they source their materials and the environmental impact of their products. Similarly, brands such as Dove continue to show a strong commitment to body positivity by featuring real people in their campaigns rather than models,” he explains. “What’s changed is that companies now understand that ethical marketing isn’t just about following the rules and ‘being compliant’, it’s about building trust and a strong reputation. Consumers are loyal not only to products but also to the principles and values a brand stands for.”
Looking for more such examples, we found that Omantel went beyond simply talking about communication and connectivity, and created a font for dyslexic audiences to read Arabic online. Dubai Holding echoed the UAE’s sustainable vision by investing in innovation to reduce food waste
and turn organic material to clean energy. This means dinner at our favorite hotels were kinder
to our resources.
EmiratesNBD (ENBD) dedicated significant amounts of its marketing efforts towards financial literacy and fraud protection in both content and inititaives – good for the bank, great for the end customer.
Yet, the exercise of finding truly impactful campaigns feels more like fishing upstream.
“Looking for the positive side, frankly, is like actually trying to find the proverbial needle in an agro-industrial haystack,” says Ramsey Naja, Creative Partner, Das Kapital.
Naja adds, “I have recently come across one global company, a bank, which has been setting KPIs – and meeting them– on an ongoing journey towards proper ethical marketing. So, yes, if a bank can do it, there’s hope. Other than that, and since the Patagonia example – approximately three years ago – and apart from the usual and rather tiresome virtue signaling suspects, this consumer has only seen creative interpretations of frankly vacuous and unconvincing claims, that range from pleasant greenwashing to downright hypocrisy. Wait! It’s now called “reputational laundering” in PR-speak, apparently. But actual initiatives that involve real sacrifice at the expense of shareholder value? Nope. None.”
Transparent targets, regular reports, positive progress
While ESG has moved from a ‘nice to have’ to a mandate as part of nation-building exercises across the Middle East, the same can’t be said about ethical marketing.
Naveen Chacko Mathews, General Manager, Havas Media Middle East, explains, “Ethical marketing remains significantly underdeveloped in our region. Both global and local brands have yet to fully prioritise ethical practices, leading to slow adoption. The absence of robust tools to measure the impact of ethical marketing on key KPIs further hinders progress.”
Mathews adds, “While there are some attempts at sustainability-driven marketing, such as measuring carbon footprints from media activities, these efforts remain limited and rudimentary. Implementing global ethical standards here is challenging without tailored frameworks and deeper metrics. We must build stronger recognition of the critical role ethical marketing plays in fostering long-term consumer trust. Until the region catches up, brands will miss out on the lasting loyalty that only ethical practices can secure.”
And that brings us to the key discussion: where there’s challenge, there lies an opportunity.
Sholto Douglas‑Home, Chief Marcomms and Sales Officer, Expo City Dubai, says, “The cultural, behavioural and communication shifts driven by ESG have offered new opportunities to build trust and credibility, while also intensifying MarComms’ role as an organisation’s reputational custodian. Accusations of greenwashing can inflict lasting damage on a brand’s reputation and MarComms has become a crucial protagonist in separating the positives from the pitfalls.”
It’s important for brands, advertisers, and agencies to accept that merely exaggerating or putting a ‘spin’ on their environmental efforts is not going to work with consumers anymore. The future will need a long-term approach to sustainability, with transparent targets, regular reports, published and audited data, and measurable progress.
Can we be better in terms of ethical marketing?
What’s next? Campaign Middle East asked leaders what could be done to legitimately move the needle on ethical marketing, sustainability, and impactful CSR.
Das Kapital’s Naja responded in two words, “Honesty, perhaps?”
Leo Burnett ME’s Ali went a but further, explaining, “Being upfront about where you operate and the communities you invest in has never been more important to audiences and brands in the region. Thanks to social media and internet investigators, brands can’t hide behind secrecy or vague claims anymore. You either tell the truth or risk the public telling it for you.”
However, consumers have also pointed to concerns beyond fixing foundational trust and transparency to make bridge growing apprehension and break the bias against marketing and advertising.
“Beyond transparency and honesty, several other ethical concerns need priority. Data privacy is paramount, with brands responsible for collecting and using consumer data ethically, without overreach or exploitation,” Havas Media’s
Mathews explains.
He adds, “Consumer vulnerability is another issue – brands should avoid targeting vulnerable groups, such as children or the economically disadvantaged, with manipulative and misleading tactics. Cultural sensitivity is another aspect that is essential: ensuring marketing content respects diverse cultures and avoids harmful stereotypes. Lastly, authenticity in influencer marketing must be prioritised, ensuring transparency in paid partnerships, and aligning influencers with brand values. Addressing these concerns will foster deeper consumer trust and strengthen long-term brand loyalty.”
Toughlove Advisors’ Khaled Ismail also called for brands to address inclusivity and representation “beyond being clear and honest about their products.
Ismail explains, “With marketing shaping societal norms, it’s crucial that brands show diversity in a way that feels genuine and avoids reinforcing stereotypes. For example, brands such as Nike, featuring athletes from different backgrounds and abilities in its campaigns, show how brands lead by example.
“Another pressing issue is the ethical use of AI in marketing. Brands need to be transparent about when and how AI is being used – whether it’s in targeting ads or creating content. There’s also a risk that AI can unintentionally introduce biases, so companies must ensure that their technology is fair and equitable.”
Clearly, the time has come for AI-orientated data privacy protocols to be embedded into organisations’ internal behaviour and systems to prevent (ab)use of personal data and ensure the productivity gains Gen AI can unleash aren’t crushed by the reputational damage from a breach in consumer trust.
Responding to ethics within the use of AI in marketing, Douglas-Home adds, “Gen AI is another tricky balancing act. Brands that manage to stay abreast of ever-increasing regulations will maintain or even build consumer trust – in contrast to those who flout the rules and operate irresponsibly. Organisations must adopt clear practices to disclose wherever they are using AI or synthetic creative techniques – from watermark icons to explaining from the get-go that AI is being used in a chat function.”
All in all, what does the industry truly need in terms of ethical marketing?
Naja sums it up well, “A genuinely ethical person doesn’t boast about his or her ethics. He or she lives by them or at least does their best to mitigate the trespasses that their livelihood forces them to commit. It is one thing to claim a holier-than-thou standpoint, but quite another to be an ethical company (Patagonia, again). What it needs, to quote Elvis Presley, is ‘a little less conversation a little more action please’.”
