Branded Merch Network’s Post

Check out the article by Theresa Hegal. We discussed the reality of Sustainability and the future of Promo!

🌱 What's in your marketing bag this week? From making everyday things seem green to normalising green practices, we're exploring initiatives that are reshaping the marketing landscape. 🛍️ Take Aldi's commitment to using 100% recycled plastic in their own brand beverages, they're setting a new standard for sustainability in retail in the UK.  ♻️ 🌿AdGreen are leading the charge on the Ad net zero action plan, offering the ad industry ways to measure and change how ad campaigns are produced. They of course have a whizzy carbon calculator. 🌎 Certifications like B Corp and Energy Star aren't just badges; they're symbols of a commitment to green marketing. 💡 And let's not forget about adding sustainability messages to our internal comms and socials ensuring the latest science and solutions are shared to combat misinformation and inertia. Join the conversation as we make sustainability the new standard in marketing! 🟢 #GreenMarketing #Sustainability #MarketingForChange #WhiteCamino

Great analysis by Oliver Balch, PhD of the #greenwash landscape. Recent research has shown that over 50% of green claims were vague, misleading or unsubstantiated. The EU's new Green Claims Directive aims to drive dodgy claims out of the market by demanding scientific validation. But some commentators fear this will stifle corporate innovation and a potential 'race to the top' through sustainability leadership, in effect creating #greenhushing. The truth is that most corporates need to do a 'root and branch' review of why and how they make green claims. Too many claims are wrong (the greenwashing problem) but even more are random, uninspiring and impenetrable doing nothing to engage people in the consumption choices they make. As the global economy bumps and bounces chaotically into the #NetZero transition attention is turning from 'back of house' change (dirty to clean power) to 'front of house' change (the food, fashion, devices, holidays etc that billions of people buy). Even if a claim is robust, dropping a single label on to a single product is not going to 'bend the arc' how people make 1000s of choices throughout a year. Corporates need to re-imagine systemically people's relationship with the products and services they buy. The future is not about dusting a few more products with a few more labels it about our macro relationship with consumption, status and convenience. it's about building platforms that help us choose everything we purchase in a better way. So #greenwash is a big deal. it needs to eradicated. But let's not confuse that cleaning up the marketplace is the endpoint. it's just the beginning. https://lnkd.in/eRhiw9ka

Solid summary of where marketing stands on greenwashing and legislation right now and some great ideas from Solitaire Townsend on how that will once again swing back to customers. Mike Barry nails it for me, however, with my favourite quote of the year so far... "Transition is a decadal endeavour, not just for Christmas!" #sustainability #sustainablemarketing #greenwashing #marketing #advertisingagencies

Are you interested in marketing your commitment to sustainability to eco-conscious consumers? - Our partner, Clean Agency is a GRI-certified firm and 3rd party CSR verifier and has experience driving sustainability reporting for companies that are committed to transparency and accountability. - Their cause-based campaigns and sustainability messaging are effective tools to align your brand with conscious consumers. #TheFoodConnector #FoodserviceMarketing #Marketing #FoodIndustry #FoodTrends #DigitalMarketing #MarketingInsights #TradeShows #GenerateLeads #DataAnalytics

🌱 Navigating Sustainability in Marketing: Avoiding Greenwashing and Green Hushing 🌱 Insights from PRS IN VIVO's 4th Group KISS on the Power of Sustainability in Branding In the world of sustainable business, how we market our eco-friendly efforts is just as crucial as the actions themselves. Let's discuss the pitfalls of greenwashing and green hushing to promote authenticity in sustainability marketing! 🔍 Key Topics to Explore: 🌱 Holistic Reporting: How can brands ensure their sustainability messaging reflects their entire environmental impact, not just selective positives like recycling? 🌱 Balancing Information and Regulation: With stricter regulations on green claims, how do we inform without risking backlash? 🌱 Greencocking vs. Green Hushing: Are brands genuinely transparent about their environmental practices, or are they hiding behind selective narratives? 🌱 Sustainability Beyond Strategy: Should sustainability be a core business value rather than a marketing tactic? 📢 Marketers, join us in exploring how to promote genuine environmental actions through transparent and effective marketing. Let's continue the conversation with Ben Branson from Pollen Projects, Mark Shayler from Ape, and host Matt Michaud from PRS IN VIVO below! 👇 🎥 Watch the Full Recording: https://lnkd.in/eWj5HKkh Don't miss out—share this post and tag a friend to spread awareness about the future of packaging innovation! #Sustainability #PackagingInnovation #FMCG

We do not talk enough about the role marketers play in advertising products that are sent out to the world in a way that does not benefit our planet. I was recently reminded through this platform, that we, advertisers, have a role to play in acknowledging brands who care, or make a concerted effort in achieving marketing practises which promote the sustainability of industry. I want to zero in on the practical. For industries which cannot avoid packaging and especially those with the scope to protect, prolong or reduce product waste, my narrative will be especially frustrating. While I am not positioning as an eco-warrior, as a marketer, I do ask myself many questions about the lack of traction in regard to sustainability. Are companies who choose to avoid the excessive use of single use plastics, blister packs or disposables, favoured by consumers? We all have a vague assumption, environmental impact model or market study to support the narrative that this isn't always the case. So, perhaps, it is time to raise a bigger question. Alexis Eyre and, Flourish says it best when they say: ''We accelerate sustainability. Because there is no future of business without a future for the planet''. Are our industries simply complacent, or are they stuck in the status quo? An educated guess takes me to the food industry - because I have extensive knowledge in that industry, and because, as a passion project, I started a small food pop-up business a couple of years ago. I had a choice to make early on, and while the numbers didn't add up at all - I chose to serve food using eco-packaging options. In my country, it is considerably more expensive to make that choice for a food business. This type of packaging is hard to procure and is often in scarce supply. I have to buy in bulk, I also have to charge my customers more which makes my food offering less price competitive, and I have to raise capital to invest in eco-packaging. Lastly, I have to remain lucid and model environmental production and shipping impact in this scenario too! But guess what? This mad/costly/complicated idea (for my country), which I got stuck on anyways .... well, it paid off. Most customers simply LOVE the fact that I give them a sustainable choice. (I'll also mention that this also elevates the commercial value and presentation appeal of the food - compostable is quaint, desirable and marketable). If businesses would make the choice to overcome THE COST to the business, and the COST to the consumer, I would hazard a guess that many would succeed in achieving high desirability among their consumers. Also, failing to recognize that inevitably, when nothing changes, everyone is forced to adapt and to adopt some form of compromise is failing to anticipate much bigger financial risks ahead. I am curious, are there small sustainable changes you can make in your business today? Are there reasons why this can't work for your business?

The majority of sustainability marketing does not work. It neither drives sustainable behavior nor achieves commercial success. Three false assumptions are the main reasons for its ineffectiveness: 1. Assuming that your company is interesting. Many marketers believe that their company is unique in the marketplace and that everyone is interested in their unique offering. Spoiler alert: they’re not. In fact, three out of four Finns say they find information about the origin and sustainability of food and textiles interesting and important. Despite this, sustainability has little to no impact on the purchasing decisions of more than a third of them. As an old Oatly ad stated: “We know you’re probably not thinking about oat milk right now. If we weren’t getting paid for it, we wouldn’t be either.” 2. Assuming that people are interested. Naive optimism about human nature is often supported by research. However, qualitative market research can be misleading because people tend to give a falsely polished picture of their attitudes and behavior in surveys and interviews. The average person lies four times a day and tells an average of three lies within the first ten minutes of meeting someone new. This number is exponentially higher in surveys. 3. Assuming that serious matters require only serious communication. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and inequality are serious problems, but that doesn’t mean they need to be addressed with a serious tone. Humor and emotional appeal can make it easier to convey any kind of message. According to a Kantar study, ads that evoke a strong emotional reaction are four times more effective than those that leave viewers indifferent and significantly boost long-term brand equity. Nielsen's research shows that emotionally appealing ads are twice as effective as those using rational arguments. A purely emotional ad is often more effective than one that appeals to both emotion and reason. I will speak at Golden Drum International Festival of Creativity about how the most sustainable thing a marketer can do is to build long-lasting brands (more info on the comments). These succesful brands are based on real assumptions about human nature and are communicated in a way that makes people feel something. #advertising #branding #sustainability #goldendrum #emotion

No doubt this will go along way to reducing the vast number of misleading #sustainability claims. However, if we want to empower people to shop more sustainably, we need to ensure the rules don't mitigate the right behavior or make it harder (and more expensive!) for smaller disruptive brands to share their #green attributes. It's a delicate balance for people, planet & profit. #greenhushing #sustainabilitymarketing #ESG https://lnkd.in/eyxK2X4e

Is your beauty brand guilty of "greenwashing"? As more brands jump on the sustainability bandwagon, many are coming under fire for exaggerating or misleading eco-friendly claims. Slapping some green packaging and vague promises won't cut it. Today's savvy, environmentally-conscious consumers can quickly sniff out inauthentic attempts. Getting caught greenwashing can seriously damage your brand's reputation and image. Consumers may feel deceived and lose trust. The key is to be genuine, specific and transparent with your sustainability efforts and claims. Don't make promises you can't keep. How is your brand navigating the complex waters of green marketing? Let me know in the comments! Source: https://lnkd.in/gsa7smgP ___ I'm Lawrence Lo and I help #DTC & #ecommerce brands grow! Visit my website to learn more. Like + Follow + 🔔 for daily marketing news.