Aligning your marketing objectives with your ESG agenda

ESG. Environmental. Social. Governance. The buzzwords of the last few years. Everybody is getting on the bandwagon. Companies cannot be seen as not having an ESG strategy. Investors are looking for it. Consumers are demanding it.

But in this ever-changing world, where global challenges and regulatory pressures are increasing, where social and demographic markers are shifting, consumers are demanding more. The global pandemic has only strengthened how meaningful ESG concerns are to consumers. And don’t go thinking for one minute that it is only the Millenials who are interested.

According to YouGov, the global consumers intend to buy more sustainable products once the pandemic has ended. And the Global Web Index states that in July 2020, 72% of consumers across 20 countries said companies behaving sustainably was more important to them because of Covid-19 as it has taught us a lot about our impact on the world we live in and the changes we need to make. Besides the environment, they’re also looking at companies which support social causes, treat staff fairly and show diversity in senior leadership.

This trend is here to stay.

So, how does this align with your marketing objectives?

Paying attention to ESG concerns does not compromise returns. Indeed, centering your marketing efforts around the company’s ESG strategies and telling that story effectively will increase brand loyalty and value. Put simply, the presence of ESG in marketing can help grow a brand.

There are a few rules though given consumers are always on and companies and brands are under constant scrutiny:

• Be authentic and sincere: consumers will see through false attempts
• Don’t be a one hit wonder, follow through. And do it again
• Honour your commitments, you’ll be found out if not
• Focus on why: why you exist over what you sell

We have helped brands do just that. Here are a couple of examples:

• Coca Cola ran a simple promotion where consumers who bought the product could offer a meal to someone in need thanks to FareShare. To this day Coca Cola are still working with community initiatives and help people from all walks of life do more
• Velvet ran 2 promotions with us: the ‘Be Tree Happy’ promotion led the brand to plant a tree for every prize won and the other one encouraged donations to the WWF. Essity (Velvet’s parent’s company) continue its efforts to protect the environment
• Walkers did their part with a Text to Win campaign  where consumers could claim a reusable beeswax sandwich wrap, hence supporting Pepsico's sustainability stance

A brand’s reputation is increasingly measured against how well a company performs in relation to ESG criteria. You have the opportunity to show commitment to causes and ideas that align credibly with your brand purpose. Let us help you run compelling promotions that strengthen your marketing objectives whilst being aligned to your ESG values.