Marketing Integrity Manifesto

The foundation of marketing integrity is communicating and interacting with the public and/or consumers in a manner that is consistent with the true nature of the organization, it’s services, and/or it’s products. Upon this base of truth and transparency is a clear, congruent pattern of behavior in which consumers are treated as stakeholders.

The Golden Rule, which is essentially the definition of “marketing integrity,” shouldn’t be groundbreaking…but, sadly, in marketing it’s quite radical.

Entrepreneur said, “Only ethical marketing will stand the test of time.”¹ Accordingly, marketing integrity is a movement, not a “method” or “strategy.”

Additionally, Bryan Kramer, author of the book There is No B2B or B2C: It’s Human to Human, coined the term H2H marketing in 2017. His concept is at the center of marketing integrity. On the other hand, one of the biggest concept bastardizations currently happening in marketing is “authenticity,” “ethics,” and “social responsibility” being used as creative brand and content strategies. 

For example, HubSpot’s 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵² identifies authenticity and ethics as current “trends” based on their user survey. The report states that “authenticity resonates” and that “focusing on the customer and their experience with your brand became more important.”

“Authenticity resonates” stands out as misguided, surface-level logic, despite being a well-accepted marketing philosophy. Merriam-Webster defines “authentic” as “being actually and exactly what is claimed.” That is integrity. The public wants companies that act with marketing integrity, not more pictures of the office dog or the CEO’s crazy tie, which is how most brands implement “authentic” content–they read it as less “professional,” quirky, less stiff, silly.

In fact, while googling “authentic” just now, I notice Authentic.com is a shopping platform promising “your favorite brands,” and Authentic.org is a digital marketing agency. Why has marketing taken over the “authentic” space? And, by the way, nothing says “being actually and exactly what is claimed” like a for-profit business with a .org domain, which brings home the point even further.

“Authenticity” is not a creative strategy to boost engagement and generate leads; it’s the removal of a corporate veil the public is no longer willing to tolerate.

Additionally, the term “trend” in HubSpot’s report often implies temporary popularity, such as a fad. Americans have valued authenticity since we threw the first crate of tea in Boston Harbor in 1773³. These themes are only becoming more prominent now because companies have become increasingly insidious with unethical practices.

Present day corporate abuses like child labor, poor or non-existent customer service, deception, sweat shops, pollution, and the modern slavery system that is the global supply chain would have no doubt enraged consumers in any era⁴. The public is only “trending ethical” now because we are becoming increasingly aware of how deep the corporate deception runs.

Unfortunately, many organizations are out of integrity today, promoting authenticity, ethics, and social responsibility while simultaneously failing to uphold their legal responsibilities. HubSpot is a perfect example of that double standard.

As a neurodivergent grad student who has to take HubSpot’s digital marketing certification for my M.S. in Strategic Marketing, I have the legal right to test accommodations through the Americans with Disabilities Act. HubSpot offers no ADA liaison for its students. Their community forum is littered with unanswered posts dating back many years of both students and professors asking for ADA test accommodations. These posts, of course, are only necessary because HubSpot makes zero contact or support info available for their courses. Listening to HubSpot course presenter, Christina Lee, share Brene Brown quotes and champion “offering solutions that genuinely resonate with your audience’s needs” feels like gaslighting⁵.

Yes, marketers can ensure content is accurate and fact-checked (“authentic”), but their messaging can only reveal what a company truly is. For example, Lee probably has no idea HubSpot has no ADA compliance team for the marketing courses she’s teaching. Her “value-driven content” is only as powerful as the brand she’s standing in front of.

Finally, ethics, authenticity, and social responsibility do not function as stand alone sales tactics; they must be embedded in organizational DNA. When companies treat ethics as a “trend” or authenticity as a “strategy,” they commodify trust itself, eroding long-term customer loyalty and over-all faith in humanity.

The wise Seth Godin says, “The entity that gets the most trust will get the most customers.”⁶. In that vein, the future resilience of any brand depends on 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 better, not on 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 better.