Responsible Marketing Frameworks don't cover all the issues | WARC | The Feed

Responsible Marketing Frameworks don't cover all the issues

Most of the world’s biggest companies have Responsible Marketing Frameworks in place and recognise their growing importance but few have policies which cover all key areas, according to new research* from the WFA.

By the numbers 

• Eighty-eight percent of respondents have a Framework or set of policies in place and 87% agree they are critical to their longer-term licence to operate. But only 47% link their frameworks to ESG goals. 
• The most covered areas are marketing and children (83%) and influencer marketing (75%). The least covered area is environmental sustainability (65%).
• Key areas of priority in extending coverage in the next year include environmental sustainability (69%), diversity, equity and inclusion (61%). Responsible media and privacy and data ethics are both at 58%.
• Less than half (47%) of respondents have metrics to assess compliance with the frameworks as part of their marketing toolkit. 
• Fifty-one per cent of respondents are not aware if their company is a signatory of DEI industry commitments, 26% don’t know if their company is a signatory of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, and 23% don’t know if their company is linking their marketing policies to their ESG credentials. 

Why it matters

Such frameworks give teams clear guidance on how to ensure that marketing is aligned with fast-evolving consumer and societal expectations. For example, 68% of brands address greenwashing in their marketing codes, 75% address diversity and inclusion, and 79% mandate GDPR-like rules, even where it is not the law.

Key quote

“Responsible Marketing Frameworks are a key enabler to deliver better marketing that drives sustainable growth; marketing that’s better aligned with what people and society want and expect from us but still delivers on the bottom line” – Stephan Loerke, CEO of WFA.

*Results are based on 51 respondents, a third of whom were global CMOs, and the rest in senior global marketing, media and policy roles from 38 companies, representing around $95bn in global marketing spend. Responses were collected in January and February 2023. 

Sourced from WFA