• Ad Age, Monday, March 3, 2008 11:15 AM

Nothing indicates the growing importance of "ethical marketing" more than the concept's growing embrace by Procter & Gamble and Unilever, the world's two biggest spenders. While both have been engaged in such efforts for years, they're talking about them--and particularly advertising them-- like never before.

Bill Gates recently mentioned Unilever as a top-of-mind example of a company involved in sustainability efforts. The same day as Gates' statement, P&G indicated it would make communication about its own sustainability efforts--defined to encompass a broad range of community-betterment programs--a much bigger priority in 2008.

Though both P&G and Unilever see prospects for substantial gains from such efforts on their bottom lines and for the communities in which they operate, both acknowledge that much of the effort is for internal consumption. Simply put, it's getting impossible to attract or retain marketers without a solid reputation for ethical marketing. Cause-marketing efforts have "a big motivational impact," says P&G global marketing officer Jim Stengel. "It fires the agencies up, too."

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