Passed on 7 April, 2025

5. Ethics and legal responsibilities

Digital marketing activities and content creation are governed by regional legislation and should follow certain ethical practices. In this lesson, we’ll look at some general expectations around content creation for digital marketing. However, you must research what legislation applies to the regions you and your customers are based in.

✅ Learning objectivesBy the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:Identify some legal and ethical responsibilities that come with content creation.Apply ethical principles to create inclusive and transparent marketing content.Evaluate digital marketing content for compliance with legal requirements.

Learning objectives

By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:

Identify some legal and ethical responsibilities that come with content creation.

Apply ethical principles to create inclusive and transparent marketing content.

Evaluate digital marketing content for compliance with legal requirements.

Creating ethical and legal content

Let’s find out more about how ethical principles and legislation apply to digital content creation.

Ethical digital marketing practices

Approaching content creation in an ethical way not only protects your customers, but it protects your business as well. Let’s explore some ethical considerations which may arise when creating content.

Be truthful

Honesty is the best policy. The information you share mustn’t misrepresent or mislead people about your products, services, and business.

Share the credit

If you use content, such as images, reviews, or social media content, that others have created or are AI-generated, it’s important to acknowledge the work's origin. You may also need to ask permission to use it.

Make adverts obvious

When you’re creating content to advertise your products and services, it’s important to make it clear that it is an advert and not an impartial review. This is particularly important if you work with third parties, such as influencers. We’ll cover more about this in later modules.

Be clear and conscious of your audience

Some products are complex or require a large investment from the customer. It’s important to keep content clear, free of technical jargon, and easy to understand. It’s also important that your content doesn’t target vulnerable audiences who may not be able to fully grasp the impact that purchasing a complex product or service could have.

Be representative and inclusive

Good digital marketing content targets specific demographics, yet should still include individuality. A good way to craft representative content is to reflect the diversity of people in your target market. Aim to represent diverse ages, body shapes, physical abilities, ethnicities, gender presentation, parental status, and more.

Avoid shock value

Some brands like to shock their audiences. However, this doesn’t always go to plan. If you consider creating content that is experimental or edgy, make sure it meets the expectations of your target audience and upholds your business values.

Creating ethical content

Imagine you own a small boutique hotel. One of your team has suggested a few ideas for content you could use. Read through the different content concepts and decide how to adjust them to make them more ethical.

Ask for permission and give credit to the creator

correct

Add a caption to the image so it isn’t misleading

correct

Include creators from diverse backgrounds to reflect a broader audience

correct

Submit

Submit

Yes.It’s important to ask for permission and give credit when using other peoples’ work, caption product and service images so they are not misleading, and include a diverse range of representatives for your brand.

It’s important to ask for permission and give credit when using other peoples’ work, caption product and service images so they are not misleading, and include a diverse range of representatives for your brand.

Legal concepts for consideration

You don’t need to be a lawyer to create digital marketing content. It is a good idea, though, to be aware of relevant legislation in your region and the regions your customers live in. These vary from country to country, so research is a must.The content in this lesson can give you a starting point for your own research, and has not been written to replace that.

The content in this lesson can give you a starting point for your own research, and has not been written to replace that.

The content in this lesson can give you a starting point for your own research, and has not been written to replace that.

GDPR

GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation.  If your business is registered in the EU or has customers in the EU, it is important to be familiar with it. It helps to protect peoples’ privacy.

Data protection and privacy laws

These laws can include regulations around how you collect, store, and use data. So, if you create content for email marketing, for example, you’ll need to be conscious of getting the required permissions for distributing it.

Discrimination laws

These laws can cover the requirement to make content accessible to a wide audience, including those who are visually impaired, hearing impaired, or who may struggle with some motor functions.

Brand and trademark protection

Mentioning other brands or trademarks in your content can come with legal requirements. If in doubt, ask the brand for permission or don’t use them.

Intellectual property rights

Content, images, sounds, and more can be intellectual property, with certain rights attached. Always check for the latest guidelines, updates, and laws regarding usage rights. If you're uncertain about permissions, it’s safer to avoid using the content until you’ve sought proper authorisation.

Online advertising laws

These can vary significantly and can cover topics like representing offers correctly or not causing offence.

Sector-specific laws

Different sectors may have additional regulations when it comes to digital marketing content. Food, alcohol, beauty products, environmentally friendly products, medicines, tobacco, and gambling and betting are examples of sectors that may need more consideration when it comes to creating content.

Check your knowledge

It's time for you to check and reflect on what you've learned so far.

Question 1 of 1

What can you do to make sure your content meets legal requirements in the regions where your business and your customers are?

Do plenty of research

Investigate sector-specific requirements

Keep customer consent and privacy in mind

Get a consumer law degree

Submit

Submit

Yes.You don’t need a legal degree to make sure your content meets regional legal requirements. However, it is important to do plenty of research, investigate sector-specific requirements, and keep customer consent and privacy in mind.

You don’t need a legal degree to make sure your content meets regional legal requirements. However, it is important to do plenty of research, investigate sector-specific requirements, and keep customer consent and privacy in mind.

Lesson complete

Great job!You now know more about the ethical and legal responsibilities of creating digital marketing content.Head to the next lesson to discover more about creating a content calendar.

You now know more about the ethical and legal responsibilities of creating digital marketing content.Head to the next lesson to discover more about creating a content calendar.

Head to the next lesson to discover more about creating a content calendar.

Head to the next lesson to discover more about creating a content calendar.