Tree-Hugging Gone Viral - Sustainability Communications
So here it is the first guest contribution to Sparkin' Interest, hopefully the first of many! Katherine Sparshatt provides an interesting and very relevant account on the future of sustainable brand communications, trends in Millennial consumer behaviour and what it takes for brands to truly be authentic and transparent in our contemporary environment. It also touches upon Smart Content, something which I wrote about earlier this week, and how it can be used for socially responsible causes, so some nice overlap there. Take a look and let us know your thoughts. Enjoy...
Whilst businesses have been quick to use social media to promote their brands and use them for social engagement, many have been slow to realise the full implications of social media and why it is has pushed sustainability and transparency to the the top of business agendas.
The fact is anything can go viral within a matter of minutes. Any cracks in a business’ social, ethical or environmental impact can be amplified on the world stage before they have any chance of rectifying the damage. But just as social media holds the answers to brand engagement it can also form the key to brand risk management, through ensuring brand transparency and promoting authenticity within a brands’ sustainable communications.
Salter Baxter a strategy, sustainability and communications consultancy, recently held a Sustainable Business Conference, (you can follow the conversation using #authenticity) in which Matthew Yeomans announced, “Sustainability is about 2-3 years behind brand communications when it comes to using social.” Not only does this show that businesses are yet to realise the full potential of social media but it also shows how they have been slow to realise the added value of their sustainability credentials for creating authentic brand narratives.
The Net Positive Impact (the updated term for CSR) of a brand, in many ways holds the key to success. Making the positive impact of a brand consumer-facing translates into added value to the product and acts as a further differentiator from their competitors. The economic climate combined with the mindset of the new consumer means that, increasingly, these are the brand narratives that resonate.
Which brings me onto my next topic, who is the new consumer? Well in terms of sustainability communications the new consumer is your average millennial; recession-riddled, eco-educated young people with an eye for thriftiness. Flagrantly mixing high street with haute couture, they can be found buying staples in the sales and dropping large sums on one-off statement pieces that boast versatility. These shrewd and down-to-earth shoppers also happen to be tech’d up to their ears; the first to hear of any brand misdemeanors and the first to share a brand with a great story - look at the success of Toms and the increasing trend for the one-for-one business model.
Social media is not the only way of engaging the new consumer with a brand’s net positive impact. Sustainability communications is becoming increasingly interactive, incorporating the use of smart content. Such as the “Follow Your Garment” section of the Jaida Hay website, the increasing use of NFC tags that are attached to products and can then be scanned with your phone to reveal the value chain behind the product, or even brands such as De Beers who have an entire website dedicated to their sustainable mining efforts - so that their consumers can rest assured that their diamonds are sourced responsibly.
What businesses are learning is that it’s better late than never. The Net Positive Impact of a brand makes for a compelling and authentic brand narrative, and finding ways of communicating this to the consumer through as many different channels including social media is key.
“Elements of a successful story - relevant, credible, progression, understandable context and more for #authenticity” - Salter Baxter.
Whilst businesses have been quick to use social media to promote their brands and use them for social engagement, many have been slow to realise the full implications of social media and why it is has pushed sustainability and transparency to the the top of business agendas.
The fact is anything can go viral within a matter of minutes. Any cracks in a business’ social, ethical or environmental impact can be amplified on the world stage before they have any chance of rectifying the damage. But just as social media holds the answers to brand engagement it can also form the key to brand risk management, through ensuring brand transparency and promoting authenticity within a brands’ sustainable communications.
Salter Baxter a strategy, sustainability and communications consultancy, recently held a Sustainable Business Conference, (you can follow the conversation using #authenticity) in which Matthew Yeomans announced, “Sustainability is about 2-3 years behind brand communications when it comes to using social.” Not only does this show that businesses are yet to realise the full potential of social media but it also shows how they have been slow to realise the added value of their sustainability credentials for creating authentic brand narratives.
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| Salter Baxter on Twitter |
The Net Positive Impact (the updated term for CSR) of a brand, in many ways holds the key to success. Making the positive impact of a brand consumer-facing translates into added value to the product and acts as a further differentiator from their competitors. The economic climate combined with the mindset of the new consumer means that, increasingly, these are the brand narratives that resonate.
Which brings me onto my next topic, who is the new consumer? Well in terms of sustainability communications the new consumer is your average millennial; recession-riddled, eco-educated young people with an eye for thriftiness. Flagrantly mixing high street with haute couture, they can be found buying staples in the sales and dropping large sums on one-off statement pieces that boast versatility. These shrewd and down-to-earth shoppers also happen to be tech’d up to their ears; the first to hear of any brand misdemeanors and the first to share a brand with a great story - look at the success of Toms and the increasing trend for the one-for-one business model.
Social media is not the only way of engaging the new consumer with a brand’s net positive impact. Sustainability communications is becoming increasingly interactive, incorporating the use of smart content. Such as the “Follow Your Garment” section of the Jaida Hay website, the increasing use of NFC tags that are attached to products and can then be scanned with your phone to reveal the value chain behind the product, or even brands such as De Beers who have an entire website dedicated to their sustainable mining efforts - so that their consumers can rest assured that their diamonds are sourced responsibly.
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| Elephant Branded sharing their Net Positive Impact via their Social Network. |
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| De Beers Sustainability |
What businesses are learning is that it’s better late than never. The Net Positive Impact of a brand makes for a compelling and authentic brand narrative, and finding ways of communicating this to the consumer through as many different channels including social media is key.
“Elements of a successful story - relevant, credible, progression, understandable context and more for #authenticity” - Salter Baxter.
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