Ethical Marketing Policy

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Spotlight is a people-centric brand with a vision to ensure everyone’s basic core needs are met. As such, health, ethics and planet justice sit at the heart of Spotlight's business and should be reflected in everything we do – including our marketing.

Commercialization of causes is often a key component to advertising campaigns. Although often meant with good intention, those efforts, impacts, and commitments can be inconsistent – leading to unethical marketing practices. 

At Spotlight, we aim for ‘trustful’ marketing – building strong relationships with our community with aligned values and shared vigor to deliver positive outcomes from every dollar, time, and energy contribution.

We want our product to provide utility to our customers, but also how to regenerate people and the planet at large. Technology shifts paradigms, and we see it as our burden and challenge to use technology to move intimate interest to collective doing in a way that brightens the world with people’s words, ideas, and actions. Building proper channels to inspire action with honest and ethical marketing efforts is a top priority.

Ultimately, the public has the right and power to information on how Spotlight does business. We provide our method and responsibility to hold us accountable..

2.0 PURPOSE

This ethical marketing policy (the ‘Policy’) sets out Spotlight’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 Spotlight.

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 organization that Spotlight contracts for work, including but not limited to suppliers, contractors, and agencies paid for marketing services.

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 Spotlighters (users of our app) and society.

Respect the privacy and confidentiality of Spotlighters and 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 trust with Spotlighters and customers by being honest about impacts and shortcomings.

Take all reasonable care to avoid overstatements in all advertising and public statements.

Strive to communicate with clear and understandable language.

Do not imply that expressions of opinion are objective claims or make any subjective claims that might mislead Spotlighters. .

Hold documentary evidence to prove claims and cite evidence when possible from resources with proven track records for good journalism and non-misleading research.

Do not clickbait with a shocking claim or image just to attract attention.

4.3 PLANET

Create advertising consistent with the social, economic and environmental principles of sustainable development.

Ensure the basis of environmental claims are clear, not misleading, and rooted in science. Do not make unqualified claims and any absolute claims must be supported by a high level of academic and scientific evidence.

Measure environmental claims over the full life cycle of an advertised product and make clear any limitations, methodologies used to calculate the outcome, and any changes over time to improve statistics.

4.4 SOCIAL JUSTICE

Understand that there is no ‘average person’ and that every individual has a unique perspective from lived experience.

Acknowledge that there are groups who are vulnerable and who deal with racism and bias. Any advertising and its effects on people should be understood prior to release to ensure thoughtful consideration that is fair and just and always acknowledges the basic human dignity of Spotlighters.

Avoid stereotyping Spotlighters or depicting demographic groups e.g. gender, race, sexual orientation in a negative or dehumanising way.

Practice active listening to make all reasonable efforts to monitor and improve their satisfaction on an ongoing basis.

4.5 RIGHTS OF CHILDREN

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. Children will never be exploited by displaying them in hazardous situations for profit or gain. 

Children in vulnerable situations will have their needs adequately presented in order to advocate for their wellbeing and core needs. 

5.0 RESPONSIBILITIES

The senior marketing team, led by the CMO, have the ultimate responsibility and accountability for ensuring compliance with this Policy.

Compliance with this Policy extends to our marketing partners and suppliers, including ambassadors. Spotlight 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 relates to, will be required to understand and agree to this Policy.

6.0 COMMUNICATION

All Spotlighters and employees will have access to this Policy via a shared online portal.

7.0 MONITORING & REVIEW

Spotlight 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.

8.0 REPORTING

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