For a Lush, ethical World

Virtuous cases of marketing ethics: that was the topic of my latest post, which was dedicated to a French brand – Michel et Augustin. Today, I am going to talk about another example of ethical firm, operating in the cosmetics industry: Lush.

Actually, Lush does not like to be defined as an “ethical firm”: companies respecting the environment, including its inhabitants – people and animals -  should be considered normal businesses, and not particularly virtuous ones.

This company is not massively advertised, but I am pretty sure that you will easily associate its name with the sweet and inviting scent that comes from its shops. 

The perfume is so strong because Lush chose not to package most of its products: the company's slogan is we love it Naked, and its claim is that it is more concentrated on what is inside the package than on the package itself. Moreover, since Lush has a rigorous Green Policy, it prefers avoiding packages in order not to pollute the environment. Lush’s products that cannot avoid being packaged are wrapped up in recycled – and recyclable – materials.  

Lush's naked products

Because of its “green philosophy”, the firm patronises suppliers respecting the environment and animals, and operating locally: «we work closely with our transportation providers to source low-impact and ethically responsible fuels for moving materials and finished products around the globe», the company states in its website. 

Fresh ingredients form the basis of Lush's production process: the company avoids synthetic alternatives and preservatives, preferring fresh fruits, flowers and vegetables bought in farmers’ markets and flower shops. This guarantees the naturalness of Lush’s products, coherently with its environment-friendly standards. Moreover, its products strictly avoid animal testing.

Lush's ethical principles

The company feels the importance of the truthfulness of its message: «in 2011, we started reporting our environmental performance on an annual basis to ensure that our policy delivers on what it promises», it claims. Lush wants to put in practice the beliefs it claims it has, and it seems to be good at doing that: that is why the founder – Mark Constantine - has been awarded with the Observer Ethical Award 2014 as Best in Business. 

The marketing message is honest, transparent – Lush's motto is we mean what we say, and the quality of its products is traced: moreover, its marketing strategy is unusual, since Lush chose not to advertise its brand – e.g. on magazines and TV. Lush is only promoted online – through its website and social networks – and in-store: according to it, a good, qualitative product is the best kind of advertising. 

An aspect of its ethical commitment is charitable giving: 100% of the purchase price of its lotion Charity Pot goes towards supporting humanitarian, environmental and animal rights causes locally and around the world. 

Lush's ethical commitment: the Charity Pot

I am glad to talk about these firms, which are ethical and successful at the same time: they do not need a lot of advertising to triumph, they do not manipulate potential customers with deceptive messages, they do not promote unhealthy attitudes to obtain profits and they do not puff up their products describing them as the “best” ones: quality and respect for the environment – and people in it – are their banner, and that’s the true spirit of ethical marketing and business ethics.  

Carlotta Neuenschwander

Michel et Augustin: a French case of ethical marketing

Good morning everybody,

today we are going to discuss about a virtuous case of ethical marketing in the field of food & beverages: Michel et Augustin.

Michel et Augustin

This is a French brand created in 2005 by Augustin Paluel-Marmont and Michel de Rovira, two brilliant ESCP-Europe alumni. Their brand started producing cookies (Petits sablés ronds et bons), followed by yogurts drinks (Vache à boire) and other products, such as mousses, juices, salty biscuits and so on.

The firm targets young people (between 15 and 35 years old), especially the members of the bobos – the new bourgeois and bohemian class, which represents a mix of the counter-cultural, artistic bohemian and the capitalist bourgeois, and which believes in the values of healthy food, natural products, respect for the environment and ethical standards. 

The firm’s mission is the following:

«The quality of our yogurts (big and small) and yogurts-in-a-bottle, our little round butter cookies, our cookie squares (actually, rectangles), our petits cookies from France and our cookie crackers is the absolute PRIORITY of the ENTIRE Banana Farm. Our production sites respect all applicable health and sanitation norms. And we even go beyond that, because they all meet HACCP standards, too. One site is already certified IFS (International Food Standard) and the others are in the process of certification. We choose simple, quality ingredients for our concoctions (fresh whole milk and crème fraîche, real butter, Guérande sea salt, fresh eggs, real fruit...).And quality ingredients are more expensive than not-so-quality ingredients (concentrated butter, powdered milk, dehydrated eggs…)! It takes good ingredients to make good, healthy products with real taste and little or no preservatives». 

Michel et Augustin: their products

Excellence, a good price/quality ratio – their prices are quite high, but not as high as other high-quality firms – and original packages (with childish, young design) are their philosophy, combined with guerrilla marketing – based on street marketing (events, story-telling, parades and masquerades), social media marketing and world of mouth. 

Michel et Augustin: street marketing

Their innovative communication style – young, funny, even childlike – conveys an idea of naturalness and health; moreover, the products’ origins are specified and traced, in order to inspire confidence and credibility.

To enhance the concept of high quality and selectiveness, the distribution is not massive: Michel et Augustin's products are distributed in food stores and coffee shops, and only later they started being distributed in larger distribution chains (Carrefour, Auchan ...). 

An important aspect is the dialogue with customers: every first Thursday of the month, customers are invited into the Bananaire 3.0 to taste products and give their opinion about them. This improves the company’s credibility and trustworthiness. 

I consider this company’s marketing ethical from a value-oriented perspective: the firm's products are natural, they are environment-friendly and their quality is demonstrated. Moreover, customers can give their opinions and advices: the firm respects the principles of honesty and transparency. 

The company has some values and they are strictly observed: they sell something good, qualitative, and they are open to critics, too. 

This is what ethical marketing should be: promoting as good products that are really good and qualitative, and not something potentially dangerous for your health. 

I thank my French friend Philippine Laroche for the inspiration.