Our Ethical Marketing Pledge
We respect you and your privacy. We will help you make the best choice for your needs.
We put the person before the sale.
We will not confuse you or hide information from you. We will help all audiences feel welcome.
We communicate inclusively, truthfully, and clearly.
We recognize the need to break the cycle of consumerism. We will continuously review our sales and marketing to ensure they benefit the common good.
We count on you to hold us accountable. Please connect with us if you see us not honouring our pledge.
We take responsibility for our part in changing the marketplace.
Here is a list of tactics we deem manipulative and will not be using:
A ‘secret recipe’ is when someone claims they have an exclusive secret to success, or a shortcut, that no one else has. There is no ONE solution to a problem, and claiming that there is creates a sense of lack and loss aversion that are hard to resist.
SECRET RECIPE
Woke washing is the appropriation of ethical and progressive values with the intent to leverage image and increase sales, when behind closed doors, the actions and words don’t match the reality (when a brand donates to BLM while exploiting BIPOC in their supply chain).
Not only does this put more attention on the ‘virtuous’ company than the movement or change it is claiming to support, it can inadvertently derail their mission by creating misinformation and indifference. This type of manipulation rides on our need to be seen favourably by our peers: we buy from companies that will create a positive image for us by extension.
WOKE WASHING
Bait and switch occurs when we are led to expect something of value, and what we get doesn’t match that expectation (a webinar turning into an unexpected sales pitch).
Bait is designed to cognitively prime us for receiving value, and once we are lured in and the value item is removed, we become anxious to fill the void with almost any solution that will make us feel whole again. Having value given to us, we feel called to reciprocate – with our time, information, attention, or money.
When we provide value with a pitch connected to it, we tell you in our invitation and introduction how it will be presented, receive your consent, and then deliver our value with you having full knowledge of what to expect.
BAIT AND SWITCH
Lead magnets (freebies, opt-ins) are used to collect email addresses for the purpose of marketing (list building).
We DO use lead magnets in our marketing but we are transparent in our sign-up box that you will receive emails, we make unsubscribing easy, and we provide only content directly related to the subject of the offering. We also never ever share or sell your email address. During promotions, we also give the option to easily opt-out.
LEAD MAGNETS
False scarcity is designed to make an opportunity, product or service seem more rare, and therefore more valuable than it actually is. This plays on consumers’ fear of missing out and loss aversion, rather than allowing them to buy out of genuine desire.
We are always honest about availability. When there is real scarcity, we communicate why (often it is due to not having capacity for coaching more than a certain number of clients at a time, or a live workshop technical limitation for attendees spots, etc).
FALSE SCARCITY
Countdown timers (ticker) create feelings of anxiety and a false sense of urgency: “You have to do it now… or you will lose out forever”. They’re designed to make people make hasty decisions instead of allowing them the time to decide if it’s the right purchase for them.
We know countdown timers can feel high-pressure, but with a global audience across every time zone, phrases like 'ends midnight tomorrow' create more confusion than clarity - and people miss deadlines they genuinely wanted to meet. Since we never extend our promotions (barring genuine technical issues), we use countdown timers to give everyone, regardless of location, an unambiguous end point they can trust.
COUNTDOWN TIMERS
We judge prices based on the leftmost digit of a number. Charm prices use the left-digit-effect to make a product appear cheaper than it is, bypassing the conscious choice of the buyer. They are only created to generate more sales and do not benefit the buyer in the least.
We do not use the number 9 in our price endings.
Our prices are exclusive of tax - which is always clearly added and communicated at checkout for countries where tax does need to be charged.
We have clearly recognizable currency on all our prices (ie AUD$ or USD$ vs just “$”).
