The Power of Purpose: How Conscious Marketing Shapes the Work We Do
This article was originally published in Anna Madill's "The Conscious Marketer" LinkedIn Newsletter on September 19, 2023.
There’s a belief that advertising’s sole purpose is to mislead consumers and make more money. It’s smoke and mirrors, a sham with suspicious morals and practices that do more harm than good. In a capitalist world where only a handful truly reap the rewards, how can a company seeking to make a difference function, let alone thrive?
For us at Avenue, it began with a conviction held deep in the core of our being: to empower transformational change. From practicing conscious marketing to our certification as a B Corp, we seek ethical ways to support our clients, tell their stories, and make fundamental, lasting change. Thanks to this unique view of our industry, we can offer insights and perspectives that lead to better outcomes for our fellow marketers and their clients.
What is Conscious Marketing?
Conscious marketing is a technique that allows a brand to align its values and mission with every aspect of its business, including its external and internal relationships, processes, and people.
Conscious marketing is not defined by a cause or a sector, and a for-profit company can still practice conscious marketing. It also goes beyond a single act of kindness or Corporate Social Responsibility statement. Companies that practice conscious marketing tend to have a few things in common:
They are driven by a robust code of ethics, with a desire to create work that is more inclusive, respectful, and kind
They seek to make more meaningful connections with their customers, their peers, and each other
Conscious marketers demonstrate their devotion to their purpose through action, internally and externally
Our Values Are Our Foundation
For us, creating impact is not an end goal, but a catalyst. It’s the driving force behind our best ideas and our best work. This deep desire is the basis for Avenue’s three core values:
Build community together
Fearlessly do what’s right
Leave it better than when you found it
These guiding principles inform the work we do and the clients we work with. They also inform the way we operate as an agency. To create lasting change for our clients, we must treat teammates (and ourselves) with integrity and care. For us, this begins by practicing conscious marketing.
Marketing as ‘a Force for Good’
From Avenue’s earliest stages, we were inspired by how B Corp companies could measure their impact—not just in feel-good stories, but with actual data. They regularly put their values into action, investing in initiatives that make a difference to their clients, their clients’ customers, and the world. They strive to build stronger communities, more inclusive and equitable companies, and a healthier planet. Acting as “a force for good” drives every aspect of their culture and work.
As our company took flight, we discovered that our personal and professional values aligned well with the B Corp standards. Empowering transformational change was our ethos, and soon became our mission statement. We decided early on that earning our B Corp status would be a significant cornerstone of our business.
Avenue became a certified B Corp in 2017, a full year earlier than planned. The rigorous certification process looks at critical facets of a business, including its overall mission, engagement around its social and/or environmental impact, ethics, and transparency. To stay relevant and up-to-date, B Corps must re-certify every few years and continue education and growth amongst its team members.
We use our B Corp status as a foundation for our work, our clients, and the movements we champion. These standards help us challenge ourselves to improve our impact a little every day, one project and one client at a time.
What Impact Can Look Like
Purpose-driven marketing can take many forms. It’s about aligning our internal processes and practices to our values and partnering with like-minded clients.
We track our progress through Impact Reports (you can read last year’s here). Here are a few highlights from our 2022 Impact Report that we’re incredibly proud of.
One of our best tools in ensuring our mission remains actionable is our ‘Mission Lock,’ which means our Impact Business Model is designed to create a positive outcome for one of our stakeholders—our workers, customers, environment, and/or community.
95% of our clients are B Corps, credit unions, women and BIPOC-owned businesses, purpose-driven, social impact-related or nonprofit organizations who serve diverse customer bases and communities
On our way to distributing $180,000 in grant funding to women and BIPOC entrepreneurs
We supported anti-racism efforts through internal study halls, meetings, our digital bias research project and by participating in ongoing training with our DEI partner
Over 15% of our profits were distributed to non-executive team members as bonuses
$25,000 worth of services were offered pro bono to support our Charities of Choice
1% of annual gross revenue was donated to local organizations
We’re so excited to continue this journey, growing and learning as an industry and pushing for advertising that is better for everyone. Join us. Let’s do the work together.
