Ethical Marketing, Advertisement and Customer Engagement Policy

1. Introduction 

  • World of Books Group is committed using its business as a force for good in the world and we take our social and environmental responsibilities seriously. We aim to have a positive impact on society and the environment through good management and by adopting best practice wherever possible. We are committed to ensuring that we look after and care for our planet, and this value runs through all of our internal and external policies and processes.
  • We must aim to create and implement marketing and advertising strategies that take the following into account.  

 2. Accessibility:

  • We are chatty and fun, and we don’t use acronyms or jargon. We want to make sure customers and stakeholders fully understand our mission, values and purpose, and we use language that makes this as clear as possible.
  • We’re on the same wavelength as our customers. We don’t judge, we don’t talk down. We talk about our mission, values and purpose on their level – not as a superior font of knowledge.
  • We use accessible fonts and colours in all marketing materials. This is outlined in our brand guidelines.  

 3. Environment: 

  • We reject “greenwashing” by making sure we do not exaggerate our positive impact to gain a marketing advantage. 
  • We clearly communicate sustainable impact wins and are honest about our progress of meeting targets in order to maintain a high level of transparency (e.g. through publication of impact report).
  • When making claims related to environmental impact, we make sure there is sufficient evidence to back these up. 
  • We regularly promote our backstory as this is critical in cementing us as the ethical choice for buying books and media. It emphasises our impact, our beliefs and what makes us different from the corporates dominating the online landscape within our space.
  • We exist to support charities, protect the planet and make a positive impact in the world by enabling more goods to be reused. We should aim to celebrate these as BAU. 

 4. Diversity: 

  • We have beliefs and we’re not afraid of being outspoken in defence of these beliefs. We are against all forms of discrimination, hate and injustice, and we use our platform to champion important issues in society. Our beliefs aren’t out of the ordinary – they’re common decency. 
  • Our inclusive marketing ensures representation of different demographic groups (e.g. race, gender, sexual orientation), and we celebrate these as BAU in our marketing strategy. 
  • We do not stereotype customers in a negative or dehumanising way. 
  • We commit to cultural sensitivity in our campaigns and BAU. 

5. Partnerships and Collaborations:  

  • If we engage in partnerships or collaborations with other companies or influencers, we make sure these organisations align with our ethical standards and values.    

 6. Data Privacy and Security:  

  • We adhere to strict data privacy and security measures, and make sure that when we collect and use customer information, we do it safely and responsibly. This includes compliance with relevant regulations such as GDPR.  

7. Accuracy & Review:  

  • We will continuously review our marketing strategies, BAU and campaigns to ensure they comply with the above
  • This policy will be reviewed annually and revised as necessary to reflect changes to business activities and any changes to legislation. Any changes to the policy will be brought to the attention of all stakeholders. 

8. Intellectual Property and AI Use 

  • We ensure that all images, videos, text, and other content used in our marketing and social media campaigns are legally owned, licensed, or otherwise cleared for use.  
  • Where AI tools are used to generate content for social media, we clearly disclose this in line with transparency guidelines on social media platforms.