Ethical Advertising Policy

(Ben Green) #1

I know the concept of Ethical Banking has been discussed in numerous places around the Monzo community, the blog and even has it’s own page on the Monzo website, but I’d like to know the Monzo stance on where they intend to advertise in the future?

At lot of talk has been happening lately with regards to advertising in certain newspapers. It’s becoming increasingly viewed as largely unethical to advertise a brand alongside or even in the same publication as a highly controversial article that has absolutely no effect other than to cause offence to and encourage hate towards minority groups.

Within recent months brands such as Paperchase, Centre Parcs and Southbank Centre have all withdrawn their advertising from certain newspapers because of the hateful content with which their adverts were placed alongside. There’s also a growing campaign called “Stop Funding Hate” where consumers will cease shopping with certain brands that advertise with those publications after they fail to respond to calls to withdraw their adverts.

If Monzo agree that it would be appropriate, perhaps you could create an Ethical Advertising Policy and review recent content published by any newspaper, magazine or website before allowing your brand to be seen associated with them?

EDIT:
A similar concept could even be taken to Marketplace in order to prevent Monzo from be associated with unethical brands.

(Allie) #2

I love this idea! Can they start with C&Ding the Instagram adverts for sketchy processor comparison companies?

(Simon B) #3

We’ve reached out to the company in question and asked them to remove our card from their adverts :grinning:

(Peter G) #4

What does this mean?

(Allie) #5

To send a cease and desist letter.

(Simon B) #6

With regards to the topic… I think this is definitely something we’d consider doing further down the line. We don’t advertise enough at the moment to make it worth putting together but the idea is valid and is present behind the decisions we have made regarding advertising, just not in a formal structured way.

There’s no way we’d spend marketing money on any newspaper or magazine that promotes hate, racism, transphobia, homophobia, etc. It just wouldn’t happen. We’re incredibly proud of being an inclusive, diverse company, and our support of the entire LGBTQ+ community is incredibly important to us. We won’t stand for anything that seeks to target them - these are our friends, family and colleagues.

If there was anything that could be determined as borderline, we’d almost certainly put it to a company vote.

With Marketplace, the idea is that it would be quite highly curated anyway.

(Ben Green) #7

Would you mind if I link the SFH campaign to this post so they’ll list Monzo as an ethical advertiser, or at least quote you to them?

(Ben Green) #8

I’ve taken @simonb’s like of my above post as approval. Here’s my tweet to StopFundingHate

#9

I’m totally behind this, as long as it genuinely targets hate articles. An article that you (or I) don’t personally like is not necessarily hate etc.

As Marge Simpson once said

“Call me a killjoy, but I think that because this is not to my taste, no one else should be able to enjoy it”

(Ben Green) #10

Absolutely spot on! :smiley:

A controversial article might not necessarily be stirring up hate and still be well within the bounds of free speech/thinking. While I have no interest in continuing to read an article I disagree with, if I just merely disagree with their view then who am I to say they should stop writing such content.

However, the articles that certain newspapers write are genuinely divisive and step beyond the bounds of free speech into the realms of inciting hatred and some readers will act upon those words with violence towards members of the intended minority group. Those papers might silently retract their article later on in small print towards the back, but the damage will have already been done and they will have sold millions of copies of the back of it.