Marketing and Comms

How brands are evolving in the area of sustainability marketing and communications — and how their stakeholders are asserting their own needs and preferences.

Topic Channel Sponsored By

Carrefour, J&J Among Top Honorees at 3rd Annual D&AD Impact Awards

Leading figures from the worlds of business, advertising, design and philanthropy gathered in New York City this week to honor the best in creative work creating a real social impact at the third annual D&AD Impact Awards. D&AD Impact celebrates creative campaigns that contribute towards a better and more sustainable future. In total, 76 D&AD Impact Pencils were awarded to campaigns, projects and products addressing some of the most pressing issues in the world today.

While McDonald's Burgers Get More Real, Chipotle Reminds Us It's Been 'Real' All Along

McDonald’s USA has announced that its seven classic burgers are now free from artificial preservatives, artificial flavors and added colors from artificial sources. The ingredient changes affect all 14,000 U.S. restaurants, marking this the next major milestone in McDonald’s food journey and another way the fast food giant aims to help customers feel good about its food.

The Swoosh Heard 'Round the World

Taking a knee made Nike stand up. As brand activism becomes commonplace — even expected — it’s an optimal moment to unpack the factors that spur companies to stand up for something that matters.

More Americans Staying Informed; Increasing Scrutiny of Business, Government

More and more Americans are seeking information about corporate social and environmental responsibility, particularly from news coverage, according to the ninth annual Sense & Sustainability® Study, released Wednesday by G&S Business Communications. The opinion poll was conducted online by YouGov for G&S in August 2018 among 2,659 U.S. adults.

On 30th Anniversary of 'Just Do It,' Nike Puts Kaepernick Where Its Mouth Is

Nike’s 30th anniversary edition of its iconic “Just Do It” campaign, released this week, features embattled football star Colin Kaepernick, in a move practically designed to stir up controversy — but which ultimately aligns perfectly with Nike’s ethos of living courageously.

Your Key to Positive Impact: The 4 Generations Principle

Why are light switches in design hotels impossible to find? Why are our oceans drowning in plastic? How to find more satisfaction in your work? How to make your business a force of good? And how do we connect these seemingly unconnected questions? Let's see how a “4 generations principle” can contribute.

UK Public Supports Urgent Action, Litigation on Climate Change

According to a new survey from UK-based environmental law charity ClientEarth, the British public wants urgent action on climate change and strongly supports holding fossil fuel companies and the UK government accountable for the negative effects of climate change. After a record heatwave in the UK and northern Europe, the majority of Brits surveyed think fossil fuel companies, whose products contribute directly to climate change, should be made to pay damages for their role in contributing to global warming (71 percent), and that the UK government must do more to help prepare for and adapt to climate change (62 percent).

GlobeScan, Sustainable Apparel Coalition Partner on Consumer Engagement Initiative

Sustainability research consultancy GlobeScan and the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) have partnered on a study to develop communication guidelines and materials for engaging consumers on the Higg Index — a holistic suite of tools for measuring sustainability performance across the textile industry value chain.

Your Stakeholders Are Listening, So What Are You Saying?

Understanding who your business affects and how they affect your business is key to long-term success. If you only focus on customers, you are falling way short. To truly take your business from local to national and on to global levels, you have to consider all the ways your company interacts with the world around it and, most importantly, what stories you are telling.

GRI, UNGC Release 'Practical Guide' for Companies to Report Their Impact on the SDGs

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) have released “A Practical Guide” to enable companies to better measure and report on their impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The new publication, Integrating the SDGs Into Corporate Reporting: A Practical Guide, helps companies of all sizes to prioritize SDG targets to act and report on, set related business objectives, and measure and report on progress.

Ad Industry's Top Creatives Have United to Fight Climate Change

In the true spirit of coopetition, 17 of New York’s top marketing, advertising and communications agencies have partnered with leading climate scientists and non-profits to harness consumer insights and creativity to motivate urgent and collective action to address climate change, starting with Gen Z — an estimated 17 million soon-to-be-voters citing a deep passion for climate change and other societal issues.

Swarovski, UCLA Shine Light on Water Protection, Education in New Documentary

A new film, WATERSCHOOL, takes viewers on a journey with several young female students who live along six of the world’s major rivers — the Amazon, Mississippi, Danube, Nile, Ganges and Yangtze — to shine a light on the importance of safeguarding the continued supply of fresh water and the work of the Swarovski Waterschool education and community investment progra

Corporates Are Making Activism Great Again

Corporations are people, my friend — and not just for tax purposes anymore. In the age of ubiquitous social media pressure, businesses are rebranding as social justice warriors — and that’s a shrewd marketing move on their part, new research reveals.

Dove, Nike, Hershey’s Among Millennials’, Gen Z’s Most Trusted Brands

The erosion of trust among consumers – and especially young consumers bucketed as Millennials or Gen Z – is top-of-mind for brands fighting for brand loyalty in a world with the highest youth population in history.

JUST Capital’s New Tool Helps Citizens See, Compare US Companies’ Environmental Impact

A new interactive data visualization tool allows the general to see how the largest U.S. companies stack up when comparing their environmental impact. The Environmental Explorer, which is freely available, lets users explore rankings of the 1,000 largest public U.S.

Consumers Ready to Reward Brands That Take Stands

When Dick’s Sporting Goods bans the sale of assault rifles, or McDonald’s makes a commitment to get 100 percent of its packaging from renewable, recycled or certified sources by 2025, how does their position in the marketplace change?

Max Burgers’ New Green Burger Emojis Bite into Debate, Highlight Climate Smart Food Options

Not long ago, where the cheese is put on the hamburger emoji triggered an online debate that resulted in Google updating its version to position it atop the patty, rather than underneath. Swedish fast food chain Max Burgers, which recently launched the world’s first climate-positive burgers, wants to start a different conversation, about the patties themselves.

One Size Does Not Fit All: Brands Creating Bespoke ‘Purpose’ Strategies

At SB’18 Vancouver, over 2,000 representatives from our global community of sustainability practitioners, brand strategists, product and service innovators, thought leaders and other change-makers converged to share their latest insights on a multitude of themes pertinent to all of those committed to improving business around the world. Here, we dig into how brands are finding unique ways to embed social and environmental purpose into all touchpoints. Brands taking a stand! By Lorraine Schuchart