Sustaina… blah… blah… bility
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Everyone loves a good story, right? Lately, however, I would say this is not exactly true when it comes to brands. Recall the recent Volkswagen scandal, and going back further, the cases of ice cream company Dilleto and juice maker Suco do Bem. Although the storytelling might be well done and capable for working for a while, two essential factors were missing here.
The first of these would be truth. Cars that emit less pollution, an emotional relationship with food, a personal connection or knowledge of producers; such notions are increasingly important in our society, and therefore, are ideal for leveraging via communications. The issue is that people are not ready to accept what they are told without question. We are questioning more and more because shallow answers are not enough, given the challenges we face in building the reality we desire.
Therefore, to continue investing in nice stories that do not reflect the reality of products and services does not seem at all strategic to me. Not to mention the impact such a posture has on a brand’s credibility. Just ask Martin Winterkorn, who resigned as president of Volkswagen after admitting that the company equipped 11 million vehicles with software capable of cheating on emissions tests.
“Enough of sustaina…blah…blah…bility, of using storytelling for greenwashing. Now is the time to communicate what a company really does that is relevant for people and the environment”
The other factor, which seems more significant to me, is that the positive stories that we want to hear demonstrate an ambition that goes beyond purely commercial aspirations. Here I am talking about storydoing, by companies with the purpose of directing transformative actions into their core business, and which, through the legitimacy of their initiatives, engages people both inside and outside the company. Here I am talking about brands like Patagonia, Natura, Geekie, Interfacefloor and Guayaki, which remain profitable by opting to operate in a way that generates benefits for all.
And do you know what the result of this positioning for a corporation is? Less spending on media, and increased growth and positive perception.
Enough of sustaina…blah…blah…bility, of using storytelling for greenwashing. Now is the time to communicate what a company really does that is relevant for people and the environment. Balance is needed between walking the talk and talking the walk. If there is truth, then it is important to maintain a virtuous cycle of action and communication.
