How brands are successfully communicating their sustainability efforts — and how their stakeholders are asserting their own needs and preferences
I had a fascinating conversation this morning with Guy Dauncey, a futurist and big brain in the sustainability field. Guy is writing his latest book, a novel that projects us into the Vancouver of 2040. His vision isn’t apocalyptic — it describes how we as a civilization finally came around to embrace ‘new,’ and turn it into post-fossil-fuel prosperity. Inspiring stuff, especially when the vision is supported by the science Dauncey painstakingly assembles.
Sport England, previously known as the English Sports Council, has launched an ad campaign called “This Girl Can,” which uses real women to promote exercise among females.The campaign’s first 90-second film, aiming to inspire women of all shapes and sizes to get off the couch, has generated more than 2.9 million views on YouTube in its first week and trended at number two on Twitter. FCB Inferno, the London agency behind the film, described it as "a celebration of active women designed to make the attainable aspirational."
As I stared at a seemingly endless array of packaged chicken parts in a high-end grocery store recently, a mother of two strode up to the refrigerated section and decisively grabbed a package that promised “All-Natural Free-Range” chicken. “Yes!” she exclaimed to her kids. “Here they are!”
Stonyfield Farm has taken the transparency of its supply chain to a new level by creating a source map for each of its ingredients.The New Hampshire-based organic dairy brand worked with SourceMap to create a map detailing the location, farm conditions and history for each of its ingredients, ranging from the dairy farms that supply its milk to the peaches, pears and raspberries that flavor its products.
On a balmy Sydney night in November 2003, a squad of 31 English rugby players fulfilled their dreams. They won England's first rugby World Cup, led by a brilliant coach, ex IT-leasing company founder, Clive Woodward. Their journey under his leadership can teach us a lot about where we've gone wrong marketing sustainability.
At the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week, AT&T unveiled Eco-Rating 2.0, an updated rating system that provides consumers an easy way to understand environmental — and now social — impacts associated with their devices. With expanded and more aggressive goals, the ratings also now apply to tablets.
Taiwanese salon hair care brand Hair O’Right is the first successful participant in a pilot project to harmonize the product carbon footprinting and labelling schemes run by the Carbon Trust and Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration (EPA).
We’re hearing more and more products, processes, events and even entire companies described as ‘carbon neutral,’ and many more striving to become so — but what exactly does that mean?
UPS today launched Your Wishes Delivered, a campaign designed to invite the public to share their wishes during the holidays. This year, the company will donate $1 for each wish submitted using #WishesDelivered to one of three charities — The Boys and Girls Clubs of America, The Salvation Army or Toys for Tots Literacy Program, up to a total donation of $100,000."While many people see a package as just a cardboard box, UPS knows that the contents often amount to someone's special wish granted, just waiting to be delivered," said Alan Gershenhorn, UPS’ chief commercial officer. "We are responsible for delivering packaged wishes to millions of customers during the holidays."
Google, Microsoft, Walt Disney and BMW have the best CSR reputations globally, according to new research from the Reputation Institute (RI).Although this year Google beat out Microsoft for the top spot, the same companies remain in the top four as last year. The top companies based on their CSR reputation come from the IT, automotive, consumer goods and media/entertainment industries. The new entrant in the top 10 this year is LEGO, while Nestle is no longer in the top 10 list.
At SB ‘14 London last month, one thing that really stood out for me was the focus on how storytelling can be used to help brands engage their customers with the theme of sustainability. For example, on the first morning of the first day, Daianna Karaian and Stuart Duncan from Futerra ran a workshop that focused on how to tell a sustainable brand story that customers will listen to.
At the Official Draw for the 2015 OrangeTM Africa Cup of Nations today, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) joined football (soccer) stars, celebrities, international health organizations and corporations to announce the launch of Africa United, a global health communications campaign aimed at preventing the spread of Ebola in West Africa. The campaign, which is supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation and driven creatively by actor Idris Elba, is designed to recognize the vital role of frontline healthcare workers, as well as to provide critical education and resources for the people of West Africa.
A group of angry-looking men surround a woman seated alone in the desert, and proceed to "stone" her … with flower petals, in a striking (no pun intended) new campaign by United Colors of Benetton in support of UN Women (the United Nations agency that promotes gender equality and empowerment of women), launched to commemorate the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25).
The global environmental industry grew 3.6 percent in 2013, generating revenues of $1.047 trillion, while the U.S. environmental industry grew only 0.7 percent in 2013 compared to 4.5 percent in 2012, according to new research from Environmental Business International.In 2013, the U.S. environmental industry’s total of $344.84 billion in annual revenues represented 2.81 percent of the gross domestic product, while the environmental industry employment reached 1.75 million.
Vermont-based Green Mountain Power (GMP) has become the first utility in the world to become a Certified B Corp, according to a recent announcement.GMP says it is helping to lead a transformation that is delivering cutting edge energy products and services to help Vermonters save money by using less energy. This year GMP even lowered rates for customers.B Corps are companies that believe business can be a force for good and are certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.
Hatch, a SheKnows Media program that empowers kids to use media and technology to express themselves in productive ways, announced Monday that it has teamed with Unilever Project Sunlight on The Hunger Project, an initiative that strives to help families build awareness and take action to address child hunger in America.
There is a limit to how much companies can expect consumers to pay for higher sustainability standards—a limit in terms of the price that they will be willing to pay and also in terms of the market share that can be commanded, according to a new report by U.K.-based Sustainable Food Supply Chains Commission.
Forward-thinking restaurant operators are more frequently using marketing strategies that incorporate health, safety and environmental concerns, which can resonate with consumers seeking out more responsible restaurants and food choices, according to a new report by market research publisher Packaged Facts.
Effie Worldwide and the World Economic Forum (WEF) have announced the inaugural call for entries for The Positive Change Effie Award, which recognizes and celebrates the most effective marketing programs that have measurably shifted consumer behavior toward more sustainable choices, and/or grown demand for more sustainable products and services by incorporating sustainability as a part of their marketing communications.The call for entries opened in September, and the deadline period runs from December 4, 2014 to January 12, 2015.
This is the second in a series on Lobbying for Good.