This is not to say that the company would sacrifice profitability for the sake of its values, but rather that the company will strive for profitability in ways that are consistent with these values.

Do brands have ethics?
That is, can you say that each brand attracts customers with a certain ethical stance, and rejects or repels those with another stance?
(this is probably related to the “trademark as social capital” question)

I would say most of them do as the companies behind the brand will often have ethical elements as part of their core mission statements. I think companies can’t help but project their standpoints in the way they choose to market themselves and ally (or not) themselves with their users and the community at large. Now whether they actually say what they want to about their ethics is an entirely different question…

brands that are integrated with, and have been developed from, their own core values can and do have ethics. Which value they choose to promote to cast the widest demographic net is up to their overall goals and strategies. Brands that are only based in marketing schemes have a less ethical foundation, for they often promise values and fulfillment that they can’t deliver on.