Shelterfromthestorm
Responding
Increasingly,consumersare offersrealopportunitiesfor percentwantthirdparty
demandingthatthebrands enhancingbrandequity. verificationofgreenclaims.
tothe
theyinteractwithare Thebrandsthatmasterit Confusionandlackoftrustare
environmentallyandsocially willbebetterplacedtorideout amongthemainreasonswhy
sustainability
responsible. therecessionandpoisedto consumersdonotbuy
agendacreates
Globally,79percentwould capturesizeablemarketshare sustainableproducts.
prefertobuyproductsfrom whenitends. Atthesametime,the
competitive
environmentallyresponsible marketcontextischanging
companies(source:Havas Whatissustainable becausedigitalistransforming
advantagefor
GlobalMediaSurvey,May08). communication? businessdynamics.
Andthisburgeoningmovement It’saboutdematerialisation; Thepowerofsearchis
brands.
ofconscientiousconsumersisn’t increasingtheemotionalvalue incredible;consumerscanfind
onlytobefoundinwealthy ofbrandswhiledecreasingthe anything,anytime,anywhere
westerneconomies;consumers physicalresourcesthatareused andtheyareactivelyseeking
inemergingmarketssuchas increatingtheircommunications. informationaboutthebrands
China,IndiaandBrazilareeven Enhancingtheemotional withwhichtheyinteract.
moreengagedthantheirpeers valueofyourbrandengenders Thereissimplynolonger
inEuropeandtheUS. loyaltyandtrust,whichareboth anywheretohide.
Respondingtothe highlyvaluableassetstoday. Butcompaniesaremissing
sustainabilityagendacreates Sustainablecommunications opportunitiestotapthe
competitiveadvantagefor arenotaboutturningbrands interactivepotentialoftheweb,
brandsthatactively greenovernight,orusing providetransparencyand
communicatewithconsumers naturalortypically‘green’ engagewithawiderconsumer
ontheissuesthatmatter iconographyinyour base.Thatsaid,itisestimated
tothem. communications. thatoverthenext12to18
Movingfrompassive,one Infact,thisapproachcan months,60percentof
dimensionalcommunicationsto leadtoaccusationsof companieswillmovetodigital
activeengagementaddsreal ‘greenwash’,especiallyifyou’re marketingactivitiesinorderto
valuebecauseitenablesthe intheautomobileor communicatemoresustainably
brandtodeliveraservice petrochemicalsector. (EnvironmentalLeader,October
beyondtheproductstheysell; Instead,it’saboutcreating 2008).Anditwillsavethem
helpingconsumerstoreduce compellingcommunications, money,too,becausedigital
theirenvironmentalimpacts. underpinnedbyfact,withaclear offersrealtimemeasurabledata
Butthiscanonlybea calltoactionforconsumers. ontheeffectivenessof
crediblestrategyifthebrand Thereisatangible campaigns,therebyimproving
candemonstrateareal opportunityforbrandswhich efficiencyandmarketingROI.
commitmenttoresponsible createeffectivesustainable Sowhatdoesittaketocreate
businessandsustainability. communicationstostandoutin sustainablecommunications?
Environmentaland acrowdedmarket.But,upuntil Therearefourprinciples,which
socialmessagesaresimply now,thecommunications convenientlyfitintofourCs:
notenough. industryhasnothelpedtobuild credibility,clarity,consistency
Inaglobalmarketthat’s trustbetweenbusinessand andconversation.Puttingthem
beinghithardbyaneconomic consumers,especiallywhenit togetherinacreativesolution
downturn,it’snosurprisethat comestocommunicating willhelptoregainthetrustof
thefocusformostmarketingis sustainability. consumers.
value.Insuchacrowdedmarket, Consumersarescepticaland
whereeverybrandispushing confused–recentresearchfrom Credibility:
thevaluemessage,competitive Forrestershowsthatasmanyas Thismeansnomorefluff.
advantagewillcomefrom 77percentofthemdon’t Communicationshavetobe
differentiation. believetheenvironmental underpinnedbyrobust,
And,inthiscontext, claimsmadebybrands. verifiabletechnicaldata.
sustainablecommunication GfK-Roperreportsthat64 Thismaynotsoundexciting,
10 January/February2009 www.dmi-news.com
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