Brands are missing out by ignoring their own sustainability credentials…

A wide range of big, global brands are investing considerable amounts in fighting climate change, securing fair supply chain practices, or creating a more inclusive society, but these achievements do not always reach the consumers’ eyes. I would say that too many brands are ignoring their own sustainability credentials, and the ability to create relevant consumer content through the activation of the core values of the business.

Doing the job I do, working in the CSR team at Dentsu Aegis Network, I am puzzled as to why we don’t see more brands activating their sustainability strategy into consumer marketing. Especially since so many companies have the necessary credentials, and much more, to start activating it.

Sustainability strategies are, in most cases, closely linked to the core values of the brand, with brand teams sitting on a gold mine of activation ideas that are relevant to especially the young segments of their customers, who really care about sustainability.

The good and the bad
A company that I admire for its intelligent integration of sustainability and consumer marketing is Patagonia. Since their iconic “Don’t buy this jacket” advert on Black Friday in 2011, the brand has consistently delivered messages around sustainable consumption, encouraging consumers to stop any thoughtless consumption.

The brand’s consumer facing communications to solve the issue of unsustainable consumption is authentic, since it is linked directly to the company’s sustainability strategy to move towards an economy, where efficient use of raw materials, and minimal impact on the environment are key areas. And by the looks of it, consumers buy in to the brand positioning; Patagonia’s profits tripled between 2008 and 2014.

At the other end of the scale, the recent advert for Pepsi that suffered a major backlash and damage to their reputation, stands out as a massive missed opportunity for integration of sustainability and consumer marketing.

In an article published by YouGov the drinks manufacturer states that the objective of the campaign was ‘to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding’.

If only it would have looked at its own sustainability strategy to identify ways to achieve those objectives…

Reading through their slick sustainability introduction, it offers great opportunities for brand activations: Pepsico are investing $100 million by 2025, to support women and girls around the world, and also have the ambition to provide access to 3 billion servings of nutritious foods and beverages for underserved consumers.

I am quite sure these significant investments have already created amazing results and case studies, which could be turned into aspirational consumer content, impacting exactly those brand perception metrics of unity, peace and understanding.

So, what gets in the way from activating sustainability credentials?
I have two possible explanations as to why big brands are prevented from activating their impactful sustainability credentials. This isn’t exhaustive, but purely examples of what I observe in my daily work:

Consumers don’t care, right?
It might be true that 5–10 years ago, the critical mass of sustainability conscious consumers was not there — that the segment of consumers buying into a sustainability-focussed brand image wasn’t attractive enough to focus on as marketeers. I believe this view persists among a number of brands, and that sustainability credentials are ignored as marketing drivers as a result.

The business case is much clearer today, though, as consumers are highly conscious about what to expect from companies, which product to trust and buy. These intended purchase behaviour statements is backed up by a recent 2017 Unilever study, revealing that a third of consumers now actively choose brands who have a clear social or environmental purpose.

Hence, there is a strong business case for activating sustainability in consumer marketing, and this is only expected to increase in the future as more and more brands realise the potential.

Corporate branding vs. consumer branding
For many businesses, I see sustainability positioned exclusively within the corporate part of the business, and never cascading through the organisation to the marketing team. In these cases, all content, communication and PR stories are handled by the global communications team. As such, the corporate image among institutional stakeholders, clients and suppliers may improve, but consumers are generally completely unaware of the great achievements made.

CSR reports are often opened up by the global CEO of the company stating how sustainability is at the core of the business. And that might be true to the corporate image among investors and other business stakeholders, but not very true for the consumer branding.

Whether it is corporate branding or consumer branding, it is branding for people. After all, businesses are people, and the leap forward shouldn’t be a massive step for organisations.

Making your brand relevant
I strongly believe that brands should start using their existing assets better, especially if they have a hugely successful sustainability team that is solely linked to corporate communication. There is a substantial growth opportunity for those who get it right — and sustainable growth towards a more meaningful brand perception that can create brand relevance among consumers.

And for media and advertising agencies, we should be more inquisitive when creating the right strategy for our clients. Relevant content is definitely achieved through understanding just about everything about target consumers, but the activation ideas can be founded in the brand’s sustainability ambitions too. Consumers care about sustainability, and the business case has already been proved by a number of companies — done in the right way, brands that include sustainability into their consumer branding grow faster by delivering relevant content.