Marketing & Communications

How brands are successfully communicating their sustainability efforts — and how their stakeholders are asserting their own needs and preferences

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Marketing & CommunicationsMarketing & Communications
'PUMP': The Film Setting Out to 'Change Your Attitude About Fuel Forever'
'PUMP': The Film Setting Out to 'Change Your Attitude About Fuel Forever'
Published on September 11, 2014
About a 3 minute read

A provocative new documentary called PUMP, produced by Submarine Deluxe, in association with Fuel Freedom Foundation and iDeal Film Partners, is opening in limited release next week.Directed by Joshua Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell, and narrated... View More

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Marketing & CommunicationsMarketing & Communications
UCSB, Presidio Graduate School Top Rankings for Sustainability and Social Impact
UCSB, Presidio Graduate School Top Rankings for Sustainability and Social Impact
Published on September 10, 2014
About a 2 minute read

First published by Net Impact in 2006, 'Business as UNusual' is the only publication for students, by students that ranks and highlights graduate schools at the forefront of social and environmental innovation. ... View More

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Marketing & CommunicationsMarketing & Communications
Private and Public Sectors Are Fueling Use of Ecolabels, But Are Consumers Catching On?
Private and Public Sectors Are Fueling Use of Ecolabels, But Are Consumers Catching On?
Published on September 3, 2014
About a 6 minute read

How can you persuade people to make responsible purchasing decisions? It isn’t an easy question. Vast global industries have been built up around understanding and influencing the tangled web of decisions and motivations that take place when buying... View More

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Marketing & CommunicationsMarketing & Communications
Food Forward: The Food Revolution Is Being Televised
Food Forward: The Food Revolution Is Being Televised
Published on September 3, 2014
About a 3 minute read

A new documentary TV series, “Food Forward,” highlights the range of issues created and affected by our increasingly unsustainable food ecosystem, as well as the “food rebels” helping to transform it. The 13-episode series premieres on PBS on... View More

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Marketing & CommunicationsMarketing & Communications
Grocery Industry Initiative Promoting Food Ingredient Transparency
Grocery Industry Initiative Promoting Food Ingredient Transparency
Published on August 29, 2014
About a 2 minute read

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) has announced it is launching a modernization initiative that will improve the process and increase transparency for making Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) determinations of ingredients added to food.GM... View More

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Marketing & CommunicationsMarketing & Communications
Where Consumption Meets Sustainability: How 'Generation World' Makes Purchase Decisions
Where Consumption Meets Sustainability: How 'Generation World' Makes Purchase Decisions
Published on August 27, 2014
About a 5 minute read

Last month my colleague, Trish Wheaton, made a case for why the Sustainability conversation needs to shift from the typical “eco-babble” — high-minded and preachy — into something more relatable and consumer-driven. She describes “a new glo... View More

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Marketing & CommunicationsMarketing & Communications
RPGs Tapping Energy, Smarts of Gamers to Generate Understanding of Global Problems
RPGs Tapping Energy, Smarts of Gamers to Generate Understanding of Global Problems
Published on August 27, 2014
About a 3 minute read

Gaming, particularly role-playing games (RPGs), is increasingly serious business — US retail revenue from the video game industry was estimated at $887 million as of February 2014, and the global video game industry now exceeds $76 billion with pro... View More

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Marketing & CommunicationsMarketing & Communications
Kenneth Cole Teams Up with Take Part for 'Look Good, For Good' Campaign
Kenneth Cole Teams Up with Take Part for 'Look Good, For Good' Campaign
Published on August 8, 2014
About a 4 minute read

Fashion designer Kenneth Cole, a champion of social change throughout his 30-year career, is introducing a new campaign for Fall 2014 called “Look Good, For Good.” Building upon the company’s heritage of promoting “style with a purpose,” as... View More

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Marketing & CommunicationsMarketing & Communications
Yum! Launches 'Pass the Red Cup' Challenge with Christina Aguilera to Aid World Hunger Relief
Yum! Launches 'Pass the Red Cup' Challenge with Christina Aguilera to Aid World Hunger Relief
Published on August 7, 2014
About a 4 minute read

Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, has announced the launch of its annual World Hunger Relief effort, the “Pass The Red Cup” challenge, featuring multi-Grammy Award winner Christina Aguilera. The challenge is designe... View More

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Marketing & CommunicationsMarketing & Communications
World's Top PR Firms Won’t Work With Climate Deniers
World's Top PR Firms Won’t Work With Climate Deniers
Published on August 5, 2014
About a 3 minute read

WPP, Weber Shandwick, Waggener Edstrom (WE) Worldwide and several others in the top 25 global PR firms have told the Guardian they will not represent clients who deny man-made climate change, or take campaigns seeking to block regulations limiting ca... View More

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Marketing & CommunicationsMarketing & Communications
Participant Media's 'TakePart World' Highlights Sustainability Progress in Developing World
Participant Media's 'TakePart World' Highlights Sustainability Progress in Developing World
Published on August 1, 2014
About a 3 minute read

Participant Media, with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, this week launched a new multi-platform series, TakePart World, which investigates the myths and misconceptions people across the globe have about the developing world. T... View More

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Marketing & Communications
Napa Green Wines: Not Shouting It From the Rooftops
Napa Green Wines: Not Shouting It From the Rooftops
Published on July 24, 2014
About a 4 minute read

Of the 50 certified wineries, surprisingly, only three have opted to display the Napa Green logo on their labels — despite the time and cost involved in obtaining those certifications — so, I dug a little deeper. ... View More

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Marketing & CommunicationsMarketing & Communications
Can Chipotle Learn About Food Integrity from McDonald's?
Can Chipotle Learn About Food Integrity from McDonald's?
Published on July 23, 2014
About a 4 minute read

McDonald’s Canada’s experience is evidence that social media is pushing transparency mainstream, and that for them the risks have been worth the rewards of increased customer trust. ... View More

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Marketing & CommunicationsMarketing & Communications
Effective Sustainability Initiatives Garner Accolades from Cannes, IPA
Effective Sustainability Initiatives Garner Accolades from Cannes, IPA
Published on July 17, 2014
About a 4 minute read

The word sustainability, first used around 1727, is derived from the Latin sustinere (tenere, to hold; sus, up). By that definition, sustainability just got a boost at the recent Cannes Film Festival as superstar musician/activist Bono was awarded th... View More

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Marketing & CommunicationsMarketing & Communications
From Economic Brand Value to Holonomic Brand Value
From Economic Brand Value to Holonomic Brand Value
Published on July 16, 2014
About a 7 minute read

You may be wondering about the word holonomics. Although the word was first used in 1896 to describe a branch of mathematics, we coined a new definition for the word, which can be thought of as the combination of the words economics and wholeness.My ... View More

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Marketing & CommunicationsMarketing & Communications
No More Eco-Babble: How to Construct a Meaningful Social-Good Narrative
No More Eco-Babble: How to Construct a Meaningful Social-Good Narrative
Published on July 14, 2014
About a 3 minute read

For the second year in a row, I was in Cannes last month doing a Palais session on marketing sustainability. This year, I was joined by my colleague Chip Walker, director of global planning for Young & Rubicam. Our strategic planning workshop was... View More

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Marketing & CommunicationsMarketing & Communications
Greenpeace Ramps Up LEGO Campaign with Emotional Video
Greenpeace Ramps Up LEGO Campaign with Emotional Video
Published on July 9, 2014
About a 3 minute read

Greenpeace continued its campaign against LEGO on Tuesday with the release of a dramatic video, called “Everything Is NOT Awesome,” aimed at further illustrating the reasons the toy company should sever its ties with Shell, which Greenpeace conte... View More

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Marketing & Communications
How to Communicate Effectively with Young Consumers (Or, Lessons from 'Funny or Die')
How to Communicate Effectively with Young Consumers (Or, Lessons from 'Funny or Die')
Published on July 8, 2014
About a 3 minute read

When an irreverent spoof video can increase web traffic to the Affordable Care Act website by 40% in less than a day, understanding why can help your brand better communicate with young consumers. ... View More

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Marketing & CommunicationsMarketing & Communications
Walmart Introducing 'Women-Owned' Labels This Fall
Walmart Introducing 'Women-Owned' Labels This Fall
Published on July 3, 2014
About a 2 minute read

A new “women-owned” label on goods will appear in Walmarts nationwide this fall, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.In recent years, many brands have responded to growing customer trends to purchase products they deem ecologically and socially e... View More

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Marketing & Communications
Greenpeace to LEGO: 'Shell Is Bad Company'
Greenpeace to LEGO: 'Shell Is Bad Company'
Published on July 2, 2014
About a 3 minute read

Greenpeace has launched a campaign urging LEGO to #BlockShell and end its partnership with the oil company, which the NGO contends has been using LEGO’s brand to clean up its image as an Arctic oil driller. ... View More

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