Why Ethics & Compliance needs a marketing mindset

Rules Don’t Drive Behavior. Beliefs Do.  

Every Compliance leader knows awareness of the “rules” simply isn’t enough. You can publish a policy, assign training and send reminders, but adults need more than directives. They need to believe in the why behind the rules. 

Beliefs don’t grow through mandates. They form through a mix of personal values and shared meaning. While personal values may be beyond your reach, meaning can be shaped using the same tools marketers rely on every day: storytelling, emotion and repetition. 

The most effective Ethics & Compliance programs embrace persuasion. This isn’t manipulation, but intentional influence that helps people see themselves in the message and feel ownership in the outcome. Persuasion and influence are the essence of marketing. 

When you borrow from marketing’s playbook, you start speaking to the heart as well as the head and begin building a culture where the right choice feels natural. 

I firmly believe most people want to do the right thing. They want to feel proud of their choices and confident in their company’s values. The role of Ethics & Compliance is to help them connect their good intentions to everyday actions, to give them something to believe in. 

Why rules aren’t enough

In many organizations, Compliance still functions like a checklist: a set of boxes to tick so the company stays out of trouble. But most missteps don’t happen because people don’t care or don’t understand the rule. They happen because the rule feels distant or disconnected from real life. The gap isn’t in information; it’s in inspiration. 

We saw this firsthand while helping a global Fortune 500 company refresh its code of conduct. We helped them replace the traditional policy manual with a more human approach. The centerpiece was a character who guided employees through real-world scenarios set in a lab, which mirrored where most of them worked. The code of conduct became training that delivered relatable stories about values in action. Engagement scores soared, not because we added or even clarified rules, but because we made the message believable and personal. 

Another client built a code of conduct so clear and consistent that nearly everyone in the organization can recite its essence — do the right thing. We didn’t write it, but it stands as a powerful example of belief in action. Those four words work, not because they dictate behavior, but because they express a shared conviction. Like a strong brand tagline, the phrase is simple, repeatable and deeply tied to purpose. It reminds people who they are and what the organization stands for. When employees believe in that message, they don’t need constant reminders. They carry it with them into every decision. 

The same principle applies in marketing: Belief drives behavior. For more than 15 years, our team wrote the annual campaign for Girl Scout Cookies. Research shows people buy cookies because they’re delicious but also because they want to support girls — to help them learn, lead and succeed. Our messaging helped people connect those dots. It reminded them that every purchase was a delicious act of encouragement. The campaign tapped into more than appetite. It built belief. When people believed their purchase made a difference, sales followed naturally.  

The lesson is the same, whether you’re selling cookies or building a culture of integrity. Behavior follows belief. But belief doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built with intention — and marketing offers the tools to do it. 

Lessons from marketing

1. Start with your audience

The number one rule of marketing is to understand your audience. Marketers study motivations, pressures, aspirations and much more. Compliance teams can do the same.

Tailor messages to different roles and realities. What resonates in a corporate office might not connect in a manufacturing plant. When people see their world reflected in your message, they’re more likely to believe it. 

For a client emerging from bankruptcy, we needed to reach every employee, not just those in offices or behind screens. Many worked in parking garages and never used computers at work. We created a virtual reality experience that immersed them in the company’s renewed purpose and culture. By meeting employees where they were and giving them a tangible, emotional connection to the message, we helped rebuild unity and belief across the organization.

2. Lead with story

Facts inform but stories transform. Instead of opening with policy language, tell a short, true story of someone who made a tough ethical call and what happened next. In some cases, you may want to tell the story of how a policy has evolved to fit current circumstances. Not every situation is covered by a policy, and stories give people a framework for making decisions. 

For a manufacturing company launching a new set of values, we created a series called Values in Action that featured real employees living those principles every day. Each story had a distinct look and feel that made the values recognizable and relatable. Over time, employees began to see the values, not as corporate language, but as part of who they were and how they worked. \

3. Build a recognizable brand

In marketing, consistency creates trust. A steady voice, tone and graphic look across channels helps employees recognize and remember your message. Over time, your program becomes a trusted brand for integrity rather than a set of isolated reminders.

Respect is at the heart of every great Compliance brand, and language makes all the difference. Scour your communications to ensure you’re assuming good intent. You’re not trying to catch people doing wrong but helping them live up to what they already believe is right. 

For one client absorbing several other companies, we developed a new voice and tone guide to unify how the organization spoke, even internally. The guide struck a warm, slightly humorous tone that invited conversation and helped people let down their guard. That consistent, human voice gave employees permission to be authentic and connected —  essential ingredients for both culture and compliance.

4. Treat it like a campaign

Great marketers test, measure and refine. Track engagement with your communications and trainings. Ask employees what resonates. Adjust and repeat. Each message should build on the last to create a continuous conversation, not a one-time announcement.

For every client we serve, we begin by asking how success will be defined. For one organization, a slight decline in attrition was a meaningful win because it reversed a trend and signaled growing trust and engagement. For another, success meant employees across the company could clearly articulate the mission — proof that the message had truly taken hold.  

The lesson is simple: measure what matters most to you, then use those insights to strengthen your next communication. 

5. Focus on meaning, not mandates

Rules tell people what to do. Meaning tells them why it matters. When employees understand the purpose behind a policy — protecting trust, safety or reputation — they’re more likely to make good choices instinctively. 

In marketing, belief grows when messages connect to what people value most. For a company that sold air filters, we didn’t focus on product specs — we told a story about clean air. For another, we framed a Total Rewards portal as the employer’s promise of support through life’s adventures. When people understand the deeper purpose behind a message and what it means for them, they’re more likely to believe. 

A mindset shift

Bringing a marketing mindset to Ethics & Compliance isn’t about spin. It’s about helping employees understand and embrace the purpose behind your company’s policies. That understanding grows through clarity, consistency and care.  

Think like a marketer. Consider what employees need to hear, not just what you need to say. Share stories that bring values to life and create a voice people recognize and trust. When meaning is clear and belief is strong, the right choices naturally follow.