"Ethical" now means nothing.

[Nuno]

Do you remember how first "green" and then "organic" were taken over by muppets who climbed onto the 'greenwagon' marketing buzz? The true meaning was destroyed and if you wanted something green or organic you had to really check it wasn't just old marketing blurb you were buying.

Well the same thing seems to be happening to "Ethical".
I got an unsolicited email from an "Ethical SEO" company thanking me for a tweet I never made. What's more they didn't have an unsubscribe facility on the email either.

Shame really. It was quite a nice word.

 

[David Griffiths]

"Ethical" now means nothing.

Doesn't it mean that you're from Essex?

 

[owas]

After 6 years of working in the so called organic / ethical market, trust me its one big lie.

 

[TheBigCheese]

Oh don't just leave that hanging...

Tell us more!

 

[JandJC]

eth·i·cal/ˈeTHikəl/
Adjective:
Of or relating to moral principles or the branch of knowledge dealing with these.
Morally correct.

See your "wrong", Ethical means the above!

 

[thelegalstop]

It depends, many people/companies use the word ethical as a marketing strategy but there are few that truly believe in being ethical all the way. When I set up my company I met many scammers but also few people that work hard and believe in honesty and even if they are just few they are the ones that have been running a successful business for many years. The truth is that unethical people/companies run a business for 5-7 years and then it collapses or they have to rely heavily on marketing to carry on. Honest companies and people run a business for life and they do not need marketing but just word of mouth.

 

[Moneyman]

Organic does actually mean something...mostly rubbish tree hugging non-science but there is a principle behind it.
ethical and green are just aspirations.

"do no evil" loved that one. have you seen the terms on google cloud service....all you have uploaded is ours...

 

[Chris Ashdown]

"Only contains natural ingredients" ofton found on ladies makeup

Uranium, Lead, Deadly Nightshade, Arsnic, etc

 

[TheBAB]

Just goes to show that you can say what you like, but to avoid the scepticism you have to walk the walk. Ethics shouldn't be a marketing message, but part of your business. In the way same businesses declare they are going "to be more sustainable", it should be part of the fabric of your business in the first place.

When it comes to ethical SEO, it is a claim they meet the Google guidelines. However, in truth, having outsourced SEO not many actually do this. In fact, i would say it impossible to get fast results without bending the rules somewhat.

However, that is a customer driven problem. No one goes to an SEO company, is told it will be about a 5 year plan and then says "that sounds great, where do i sign up!"

 

[herbaltea12]

I have to be careful on what I drink. Caffeinated drinks and milk give me acid reflux, and water gets boring. Just wondering if anyone has any recommendations on some good Day Spa Sydney.

 

[owas]

Okay as in organic ethical products in a certain market. The 5 biggest companies in this market, "we sell / make organic, ethical products or made in the UK". For a fact the products are made in Turkey and India, a percentage is made in the UK giving them the made in the UK claim. The factory's in India awful standards, turkey just as bad, lot of out sourcing!
All 5 of these companies are part of an alliance, which are paying a lobbying group to basically bribe MP's with gifts (all above bored, although not morally in my opinion) and to promote the organic, ethical market, as in there own words will push up sales of the products.

 

[webgeek]

Just because someone labels themselves as something they are not, doesn't mean the word means nothing.

It simply means they're selling snake oil.

About the time you received an unsolicited commercial email, you probably knew it was snake oil, even before reading it...

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

"Ethical" basically means "morally good".

I don't know what sort of world we live in these days where making a point that your services are morally sound has become some sort of selling point?

 

[SBlundell]

"Ethical" now means nothing.

Doesn't it mean that you're from Essex?

HEY!

 

[Floyd Pink]

"Ethical" is non quantifiable, therefore is open to interpretation and abuse.

One person's ethics may not be the same standard as another, it doesn't mean that either party should or shouldn't consider themselves ethical.