Ethical Marketing Policy

Genius Coworking ensures that it develops marketing and advertising materials which are both ethical and accurate, and that all stakeholders are provided with clear and factual information, whether this is done directly (including through the website) or by a third party. 

We are committed to ensuring that marketing processes provide an accurate customer perception on the range and quality of services we offer.

Marketing and advertising materials includes all marketing and advertising activities whether produced or delivered:

  • In hardcopy, produced commercially or internally printed
  • Via electronic media
  • Via website
  • Verbally by any of our stakeholders

 

POLICY PRINCIPLES

All of us at Genius Coworking ensure that information, whether disseminated directly or on the company’s behalf, is both accurate and factual, and:

  • Accurately represents the products and services we provide;
  • Only refer to another person or organization in its marketing material if the consent of that person or organization has been obtained.

 

1.0 INTRODUCTION
As a purpose driven brand, this should be reflected in everything we do – including our marketing.
To sell more stuff and make more profit, companies have relied on advertising to convince consumers that buying their product or service is key to happiness – leading to unethical marketing practices.
We however aim for ‘natural’ marketing; treating customers with respect and focusing on long term growth – building strong relationships with our community through sets of shared values.
Marketing in an ethical way focuses not only on how our product benefits our customers, but also how our business is striving to achieve its purpose.

 

2.0 PURPOSE
This ethical marketing policy (the ‘Policy’) sets out COMPANY’S position on marketing practices and efforts to go beyond compliance to ensure honesty, fairness and responsibility in our ways of working.

 

3.0 SCOPE
This Policy applies to all employees and third parties associated with Genius Coworking, or any of our subsidiaries or their employees, no matter where they are located.
The Policy also applies to Officers, Trustees, Board and/or Committee members at any level.
In the context of this Policy, third-party refers to any individual or organisation that Genius Coworking meets and works with including but not limited to suppliers, contractors, distributors agents and customers.

 

4.0 PRINCIPLES

 

4.1 LEGALLY COMPLIANT

  • All marketing communication must be legal, decent, honest and truthful.
  • Prepare all marketing communication with a sense of responsibility to consumers and society. 
  • Respect the privacy and confidentiality of customers, protecting them from unwarranted infringements of privacy.
  • Do not unfairly portray or refer to anyone in an adverse or offensive way.

 

4.2 FOSTER TRUST

  • Seek to build long term partnerships with customers by being honest and straightforward.
  • Take all reasonable care to avoid misleading statements, concealment, and overstatement in all advertising and public statements. 
  • Strive to communicate clearly with all constituencies.
  • Do not imply that expressions of opinion are objective claims or make any subjective claims that might mislead the consumer.
  • Hold documentary evidence to prove claims that consumers are likely to regard as objective and that are capable of objective substantiation.
  • Do not cause fear or distress without justifiable reason. If it can be justified, the fear or distress should not be excessive. 
  • Do not use a shocking claim or image just to attract attention.

 

4.3 ENVIRONMENT

  • Create advertising consistent with the social, economic and environmental principles of sustainable development.
  • Ensure the basis of environmental claims are clear and not misleading.
  • Ensure the meaning of all terms used in advertising is clear to customers.
  • Do not make unqualified claims and any absolute claims must be supported by a high level of academic and scientific evidence.
  • Base environmental claims on the full life cycle of an advertised product, unless the marketing communication specifically states otherwise, and make clear any limitations.
  • Do not suggest claims are universally accepted if a significant division of informed of scientific opinion exists.

 

4.4 DIVERSITY

  • Understand that the ‘average consumer’ might not always be the standard.
  • Acknowledge that there are groups who are vulnerable that must be considered in judging how advertising will be understood and action upon by society in general.
  • Acknowledge the basic human dignity of stakeholders.
  • Value individual differences and avoid stereotyping customers or depicting demographic groups e.g. gender, race, sexual orientation in a negative or dehumanising way.
  • Listen to the needs of customers and make all reasonable efforts to monitor and improve their satisfaction on an ongoing basis.
  • Make every effort to understand and respectfully treat all stakeholders (buyer, suppliers, distributors etc) in our community and the cultures they are from.
  • Make additional commitments to vulnerable market segments such as children, seniors, economically impoverished and others who may be substantially disadvantaged.
  • Do not contain anything in marketing communications likely to cause widespread offence.

 

4.5 CHILDREN

  • Respect that care should be taken when featuring or addressing children in marketing communications and take care when featuring children in advertisements.
  • Ensure marketing communications that are addressed to, targeted directly at or featuring children contain nothing that is likely to result in their physical, mental or moral harm.
  • Do not show children in hazardous situations or behaving dangerously expect to promote safety.

 

5.0 RESPONSIBILITIES

  • The marketing manager, Sophie Crawford, has the ultimate responsibility and accountability for ensuring compliance with this Policy.
  • The owner, Clinton Selby, should be consulted where any key decision points arise or in case of any breach of our Policy.
  • Compliance with this Policy extends to our marketing partners and suppliers, including ambassadors.
  • Genius Coworking will not work with any partner unwilling to comply with this Policy.
  • All employees and third parties who have any responsibility for the activities which this Policy relate to, will be required to understand and agree to this Policy.

 

7.0 MONITORING & REVIEW

  • Genius Coworking will evaluate the effectiveness of this Policy and the implementation of it on an ongoing basis, to ensure that it remains effective and reflects best practice.
  • We will regularly assess internal and external control systems and procedures and encourage feedback from employees and customers in our community on how this Policy can be improved.

 

8.0 REPORTING

  • Genius Coworking will include information on compliance to and continuous improvement of this Policy in interim and annual business reports to ensure transparency of operational practices.