Each ethical brand is activated in a few basic steps. During registration you'll need to decide which of our three entry level Service Plans you would like to enrol in. Our basic services plan is free and all service plans include a Limited License to display the ethical brand Identity® on your web site or professional profile.

• Step 0: Readiness Considerations
  • Are you ready?

    If you're a Sponsor with real confidence in the commitment and ability of your organisation to 'do the right thing' then you are ready for Step 1 - Generating your eb Profile. However, if you're not quite sure if your enterprise is ready for ethical branding and you're thinking that a little time is required to work out what the operational or other commercial implications of becoming an authentic ethical brand might be, then there is a possibility that you are struggling to decide whether or not yours is actually an ethical brand.

    You can bottom out this issue by asking yourself whether or not your organisation tends to respect the relevant needs, interests and concerns of all its stakeholder communities and giving yourself an honest answer. If the answer is 'No' or 'only sometimes' then ask yourself this question: Does it have the potential to do so most of the time? If you can answer 'Yes' to that question then yours is probably an ethical brand that needs a little, perhaps even a quite lot of help to lay the necessary groundwork.

    However, if there is a commercial case for NOT adopting ethical brand that keeps inhibiting the prospect of your doing so, then you almost certainly have a serious reputational risk on your hands and we strongly recommend that you address this prior to going live with your ethical brand. By all means register, but don't activate your ethical brand until you have discussed your situation with our CEO in the strictest confidence, as he is an expert at reconciling these types of strategic conflicts.

    Being an ethical brand is not something an enterprise suddenly becomes as a consequence of registering as an ethical brand. Registration is merely the formal indication of intent and not necessarily the acknowledgement of an existing truth. For some ethical brands the initial experience of going public as an ethical brand is like learning to ride a bicycle. The potential exists, but no serious effort has ever really been made. From plucking up the courage to get on and then on to realising just how easy it actually is, to falling off and getting back on again... we are here to help steady you and your organisation you apply your best efforts to 'doing the right thing'. After all, it is the measure of this effort that ultimately distinguishes the authentic ethical brand from all others.

    
    
  • Confidentiality

    Details of all new registrations are held in strict confidence. We do not publicise the fact that an organisation has registered as an ethical brand. The name of your enterprise will not appear in the validation search until you have formally activated your ethical brand account, which is to say until you have been formally granted your Limited License to display the ethical brand Identity® and you have implemented the link from your website to your dedicated eb Profile Page or eb Extranet .

    We have adopted this approach because Sponsors may encounter some sensitivity, including some internal resistance, which is entirely consistent with the promise of change. Our approach allows Sponsors to pre-empt these types of issues and avoid causing any unnecessary anxiety while the vision for the ethical brand is fleshed out and communication plans prepared to ensure the controlled disclosure of information concerning the initiative to key stakeholders in order to reduce, if not eliminate any possible confusion, apprehension and misunderstanding.

    
    
  • Post-Registration Support

    The process of going public as an ethical brand can uncover some challenging sensitivities that are best dealt with prior to formally implementing the ethical brand Monitoring Program™, or going public as an ethical brand (activation). We do not service requests for support from any entity that is not registered as an ethical brand. You should register your ethical brand at the earliest possible opportunity in order to ensure access to support from Ethical Brand (International) when you need it and to obtain the best insight and advice from us. The sooner we are aware of your intentions to implement an ethical brand, the sooner we will come to know and understand your challenges and opportunities.

    Some larger enterprises may need to interview key stakeholders and conduct workshops to introduce them to ethical branding, as well as to solicit and capture their ideas, suggestions and opinions. It is important for Sponsors to engage key stakeholders as early as possible prior to activation in order to ensure that the organisation has the opportunity to clarify and take ownership of what being an ethical brand means and to express their opinions, concerns and ideas.

    We do offer a consulting service, which includes a Pre-Activation Disagnostic service, which is particularly useful to those organisations that want to ensure that the introduction of ethical brand is well received, widely supported and that the organisation is adequately prepared for ethical branding - that there is no ambiguity concerning what 'doing the right thing' means. You are not obliged to use Ethical Brand (International) for any of our consulting services, although we do highly recommend the ethical brand Associate Professionals™ network for all your post-registration ethical brand support. A directory of these members will become available shortly. In the meantime we will be happy to put you in touch with members that are best suited to your needs.

    
    
• Step 1: Generating your eb Profile

  Register your ethical brand. This generates your basic eb Profile Page, which not only declares that you are an ethical brand, but provides independent recognition of this from Ethical Brand (International) and as such you are licensed to display the ethical brand Identity®. Your ethical brand is activated when you establish at least one external link to your eb Profile Page.

  If your ethical brand is a commercial entity or any other type of organisation then the link to your eb Profile needs to be established on its' website. Your license to display and use the ethical brand Identity® can NOT be formally confirmed without a website, which must meet minimum quality standards. We cannot authorise the display of the ethical brand Identity® on any website that does not reflect basic commercial grade qualities. That does NOT mean it needs to be fancy, but it does need to inspire commercial confidence.

  If you're registering as an ethical brand Associate Professional™ you can activate your ethical brand by creating one or more links to your eb Profile, either from your website or from your profile on any one of these professional networks: LinkedIn, LinkedIn, Spoke, Xing, Plaxo, Marzar, TooStep, Ecademy, FastPitch and Diigo.

  • Key features: eb Profile Page

    • Basic profile information collected during registration uniquely identifies your enterprise as an ethical brand.

    • The standard ethical brand Statement of General Principles appears just above the feedback button and sets a baseline commitment that is common to each and every registered ethical brand.

    • Access to a standard, two-part feedback form, which is precisely the same throughout the global ethical brand network.

    • The page header may include your logo (240px x 100px). If this is not provided then the text of your trading name, or brand name will appear there. In either case this will link to your main website, unless you're registering as an ethical brand Associate Professional™ and don't have a website of your own. In that case this may be linked to your public profile on any of these networks or on your employer's site. You may also use the entire header (left to right) at the top of the page, but you will need to furnish artwork following registration. Formats: .jpg .gif .png or .swf Dimensions: 700px x 100px.

    • The URL of your eb Profile Page will be something like http://www.ethicalbrand.com/home/directory/yourco.

      Note: If you register for our Full Service Plan your eb Profile Page will be set up at an extranet url, in a sub-domain of ethicalbrand.com, such as this http://yourco.ethicalbrand.com page - but only when you activate the extranet option via your account.

      Our Full Service Plan also provides for your own dedicated eb extranet such as our own, so that you may fully express the qualities of your ethical brand. You may even use this for relevant promotional, response tracking and survey purposes. The possibilities are not at all limited.

    
    
  • If You Need a Website

    Commercial Enterprises

    If your commercial enterprise does not have a website, or your current website does not meet basic commercial standards, then your ethical brand can NOT be activated, or implemented until you have one. If you want to register as an ethical brand you need a website. You can do this simply by subscribing to our Full Service Plan and we will produce and host your website for you. Here is an existing client website using our standard eb design. During registration you must indicate that you need a website by selecting the relevant option.

    We can introduce your identity / logo / colours etc. into our standard eb design at no extra charge. However, you may also choose a custom design. If you have any particular styling, or functionality requests, just ask. We may need to charge you extra for customised designs and functionality, in which case we will agree the scope of the work and the price with you once you have registered. In any event, if we produce your site for you all of the essential components of your eb Profile Page will be integrated directly into your new website, which will also be search engine optimised.

    Professionals

    If you are registering your professional profile as an ethical brand - that is you personally by name and not the name of your business, or company then you don't need a website, but you will need to publish a link to your eb Profile Page from your professional profile on any one of the following social networks: LinkedIn, LinkedIn, Spoke, Xing, Plaxo, Marzar, TooStep, Ecademy, FastPitch and Diigo.

    Not-for-Profit

    Registered Charities joining the ethical brand Affiliate Network™ may register for our Full Service Plan free of charge and receive all of the benefits of this, including a free website if you need one. Charities not wishing to join the ethical brand Affiliate Network™ are welcome to register for our free Basic Service Plan or our Full Service Plan.

    
    
• Step 2: Limited License Grant

  For quality purposes all registrations are routinely reviewed by Ethical Brand (International) to validate contact / identity information and to screen out Non-Starters. Your account may be ready for use in 24 hours from the time you register, but can take up to 72 hours. We prioritise Full Service Plan customers so please be aware that during busy periods it may take up to 7 days for us to complete the setup of other accounts. If we are experiencing delays longer than those described above we will endeavour to make you aware of these immediately following your registration.

  • Stage 1: Acknowledge & Review

    Once you have registered, one of our staff will personally conduct a basic review of your registration information for quality purposes. This usually happens within a few hours, but can take up to 12 hours depending on the volumes we are currently dealing with. We will then contact you via email and:

    • Acknowledge receipt of your registration information.

    • Raise any queries or concerns relating to the registration.

    • We may request that you follow a simple online procedure to confirm your identity.

    • We may request an arrangement to contact you via telephone to obtain verbal confirmation of your identity and authority.

    • We may request other information that is relevant to your registration.

    • If you have chosen to subscribe to our Full Service Plan you will also receive an invoice and be directed to a secure payment processing site where you will need to make your payment using any major credit card.

  • Stage 2: My eb Account Activation

    Once everything is in order with your new account and we have confirmed receipt of any payment due (Full Service Plan only) then we will contact you via email and:

    • Formally notify you that the entity you registered has been granted a Limited License to display one of these (the one you chose during registration) on your website, which must link to your eb Profile Page;

    • Send you the simple html code for you to copy and paste into your site in order to complete implementation of the above;

    • Provide you with a personal Invitation Code, which you will need (together with your username and password combination you chose during registration) to activate and start using your My eb Account. Your invitation code will also allow you to generate an invitation to another person to join your account group (Full Service Plan only). It has a number of other security related uses, which are explained when you activate your account.

    
    
• Step 3: Activating your ethical brand

  Activation is what happens when your registered ethical brand goes live, which involves:

  • Installing one of these linking your website to your eb Profile Page.

  • Notifying us that this link is now active, via your login account.

  • We confirm that the link from your website (or professional profile) to your eb Profile Page is working.

  • General Notes

    Activation: Your ethical brand is Activated and your initial Qualifying Period formally commences when all of the above steps have been completed.

    Time Limit: From the time you register you ethical brand there is no time limit on when your ethical brand needs to be activated by. You do this when you are ready.

    Up Time: We undertake routine, automated monitoring of the link from your webiste to your eb Profile Page to ensure that it is active. If lengthy disruptions of service from your website are detected and the sum total of these service interruptions exceeds 24 hours at any time during the Qualifying Period, the Qualifying Period clock will be restarted.

    Seeking Assistance: Once your login account is activated you will find numerous help options, including a high priority support request system for Full Service Plan Sponsors.

    Customised Links: If you are subscribed to our Full Service Plan and would like to personalise, or customise the link from your website in some way you must request permission using the support tool available via your account and include a visual of your proposed design. We will look favourably upon any such request provided we feel that the look and feel of the design is of a sufficiently high quality; that it does not in any way misrepresent the current license status of the registered entity; and it is unlikely to have any detrimental effect on the analytical objectives of the ethical brand Monitoring Program™.

Caveat Emptor We are not in the business of reputation management, but integrity management. You should resist the temptation to register your enterprise as an ethical brand to enhance a poor reputation - unless of course, you are ready to address the issues behind that. If you're looking to engineer a transition in attitudes and performance then this is likely to be the opportunity you have been waiting for, but be prepared. On some days, leading even the most authentic ethical brand can feel like you're standing in front of a mirror on a bad hair day. Becoming an authentic ethical brand is fundamentally about respecting the needs, interests and concerns of your stakeholders and enhancing dialogue with them. It is not about being perfect, but attentive and considerate because if there is such a thing as the typical ethical brand experience, then it is attentiveness and consideration that define it. The market is ready for change. Most people are fed up with 'Take a Chance, Take a Number, Have a Seat but We Don't Really Give a Damn Incorporated'; being lied to, pushed around and generally taken for granted. Each registered ethical brand stands against that culture.Θ