Surface Matter Ethical marketing policy

We believe all our marketing communications should create real value for our target audience. Our marketing focuses not only on how our products benefit our customers, but also how they benefit socially responsible and environmental causes. Our marketing strategies are based on a belief that marketing should be honest and that we will not take advantage of anyone’s personal data. This policy statement lays out the ethical marketing practices we follow at Surface Matter and the commitments we have made to ensure that our work meets or exceeds the highest ethical standards of our industry.

Realistic and honest marketing communications

We commit to absolute honesty in our marketing and we pledge to only use words that are realistic descriptors of the products we are promoting and never to use dishonest marketing tactics including:

• False advertising – exaggerating the qualities, values or benefits of our goods or services
• Fake or heavily doctored images, case studies, reviews or testimonials
• Inflated analytics or results
• Cherry picked data points not reflective of our overall impact.
• Withhold negative information or data to protect a brand’s image.‍

Marketing strategy

We try to always ask ourselves the following questions when planning and executing a marketing strategy:

• Are we clearly communicating our product’s value without exaggerating or misleading our key audiences?
• Are we using language that honestly communicates the features and benefits of our products?
• Is our use of data and examples honest and accurate when promoting our features, benefits, or the impact of our products?

Rejecting Greenwashing and Impact-washing

Greenwashing and impact-washing happen when a business exaggerates their positive and environmental impact to gain a marketing advantage or uses feel-good marketing to cover up or distract from negative outcomes that the business has in other areas. This includes:

• Exaggerating impact by inflating numbers, cherry-picking data or focusing on stories that aren’t representative of overall outcomes.
• Communicating false promises or making unrealistic claims
• Sharing stories or creating impact initiatives that aren’t rooted in an authentic mission or intention for good–but purely for the marketing benefits.
• Using a social initiative to distract from negative social or environmental problems caused by core processes, products, or services.

We pledge to be fully honest and transparent about our social and environmental impacts. We will constantly review communications strategies to make sure they are not greenwashing or impact-washing.

Permission-based email marketing

We commit to:

• Creating and sharing valuable content (including videos, blogs, online resources, online classes, social media posts, etc.)
• Being compliant with data processing and privacy laws, including GDPR.
• Allowing subscribers to manage, update and remove consent.
• Maintaining trust by respecting unsubscribes and restricting messaging to the original opt-in intent.
• Never sharing, selling or buying data or email lists.