Moral framing: Are you getting it right?

If you’ve ever felt compelled to change your behaviour because an ad made you feel guilt, shame, anger or compassion, you’ve encountered the art of moral framing. 

This marketing technique is used frequently to play on people’s sense of right and wrong and, ultimately, inspire action. It’s an incredibly successful tool that can have lasting ramifications.

As the name suggests, moral framing uses messages that appeal to people’s sense of morality. In marketing, it tends to highlight a situation that taps into our inherent need to ‘do the right thing’. 

Anti-smoking campaigns focus on the harm it can cause to an unborn baby rather than the smoker. Charity ads share heart-wrenching messages like ‘no child should go to bed hungry’ and anti-littering posters incite feelings of guilt with headlines like ‘Don’t be a tosser’.  

Using ethical cues in marketing can be incredibly compelling but, if it isn’t executed well, your campaign message can be blamed for virtue signalling, tokenism or green washing.

Virgin Atlantic and Renault came under fire again earlier this year for continuing to mislead people about their environmental credentials. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said they would be proactively monitoring ‘eco-friendly’ claims and removing those that break the rules. 

As well as tarnishing brand reputation and diminishing trust, getting moral framing wrong can lead to fines and other penalties. 

Used well, moral framing can build trust, drive impact, and deepen connection. As a values-led creative agency we know how to strike the right balance between positive action and negative reaction. 

Working with healthcare, public sector and not-for-profit clients means we’ve learnt how to carefully craft messages that resonate with audiences without alienating them. 

1. Find and empower ‘spark plugs’

Research revealed almost a quarter of adults in Greater Manchester were inactive. Rather than simply telling people to move more, we developed a storytelling framework to help healthcare professionals tell their success stories and inspire others. 

2. Listen to your audience, don’t lecture

When initial research for Sheffield City Council’s sugar-reduction campaign highlighted that people were tired of feeling patronised, we developed messages that empowered and galvanised the community, instead of finger-wagging. 

3. Sense check messages and react quickly

After our initial research, we continue to test and refine campaign messages. For instance, we interview patients for our healthcare clients to make sure the language we use is supportive, encouraging and engaging, rather than judgemental. 

Ethical framing is a craft and a responsibility. Done well, it can create lasting, positive change. If you want to create purpose-led messaging that resonates and reflects who you really are, let’s get a call booked in to talk.