The Importance of Sustainability in Brand Activation
FMCG brands are facing increasing pressure to tackle climate change. With influential activists such as Greta Thunberg, as well as daily news stories raising awareness to the masses, consumer environmental awareness is at an all-time high. This means brands need to find a more sustainable way to operate. While savvy consumers aren’t expecting perfection immediately, they clearly demand change.
Sceptics have previously viewed marketing as wasteful, focused on profit and ROI rather than being environmentally conscious. Travel emissions, digital carbon footprint, excessive packaging and waste generated from events all add up to a negative impact on the environment. But the tides are turning.
Large companies already have Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategies in place, so it’s now down to brands and brand managers to execute their marketing in a more sustainable way.
Why does sustainable branding matter?
4 out 5 people describe themselves as likely to choose a brand with a positive approach to environmental sustainability.
Consumers want to feel a connection with the brands they shop with based on their values and ideals. Sustainability is at the forefront for many consumers today, so your brand must be transparent in showing that you are as equally concerned in order to connect with them.
Consumers aren’t just seeking quality products, great prices and excellent customer service, but brands that genuinely care about their impact on the environment and actively try to lessen it.
The rise of the circular economy
The circular economy aims to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste as much as possible in order to achieve sustainable environmental and economic growth. This relies on maintaining the value of products, materials and resources within the economy for as many years as possible.
The circular economy’s main objectives are to reduce waste and promote the re-using, repairing and recycling of existing materials and products so that what used to be classed as waste can now be reused as raw materials many times.
Traceability is a big part of the circular economy. It is vital to have full information regarding the lifecycle and usage of materials and products. We’ve already seen the demise of fast fashion with consumers instead choosing to invest in long-lasting key pieces or second-hand items and it’s inevitable that this trend will spread across their spending habits.
Sustainable packaging and promotion for FMCG brands
The fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry is making giant strides toward being more sustainable with packaging and promotional materials. In a global, concerted effort, manufacturers and retailers alike are actively pursuing ways to create eco-friendly products and increasingly sustainable supply chains. In doing so, the FMCG industry is helping to steer a circular economy.
Brands must show dedication to making sustainable choices for packing and promotion to avoid being left out in the cold. Consider sustainable alternatives and create stand-out in-store and on and off trade activations that have longevity. Use materials that can be reused or have already had a previous life. Align your promotions to broader CSR strategies and communicate your wider sustainability goals in your external marketing to consumers.
How can brands effectively market themselves in a sustainable way?
Alongside brands being more sustainable, consumers want more immersive experiences when it comes to marketing. Brands that will win at the point of purchase are those that can marry both immersive in-person activations with sustainable foundations.
One company that successfully did this was Dyson. They created a space where consumers could trial their products in an environmentally friendly way. You can read exactly how they did that in our downloadable ebook, here.
By creating an emphasis on in-person experiences, brands can create immersive shopping experiences to drive engagement, increase consumer awareness, and feed curiosity among shoppers.
At Quantum, we keep at the forefront of the retail industry so we can support and advise our clients to create the most effective in-store activations.
In our ebook, Now, Next and Future of Retail, we delve deeper into sustainability, the latest retail macro trends and how you can evolve your brand to not only keep but expand and reach new consumers. You can read the whole book, including examples of great brands doing well, right here.
