Would you like brands to help you be more environmentally
friendly and ethical in your daily life?
Source: Unilever 2017 – Brand Purpose
Fad or Future | Nielsen 2015 – Global
Sustainability Report
people to do that.
There is a plethora of evidence
that strongly suggests
sustainability is an important
point of difference when it comes
to consumer buying preferences.
A Unilever report showed that out
of a sample of 20,000 people
from five countries, one third of
consumers prefer sustainable
brands while a Nielsen report
states that a massive 73% of
millennials are willing to pay more
for sustainable products. Added
to which, people are actively
looking to brands to help them be
more sustainable and are now
switching to a different product or
service if a company violates their
personal values. Not only are
people voting with their pound,
they are also choosing to work for
ethical companies, even if this
may mean taking a pay cut. This is
powerful stuff.
Use evidence like this to
communicate the ‘why’ at the point
of pitch or tender. Demonstrate
how your innovation of the brief
and integration of creative
88%
12%
USA and UK
combined
percentages
Yes, I would like
them to help
No, I don’t want
them to help
sustainability will lead to a
powerful difference by coming up
with purpose-driven KPIs and,
where possible, targets against
which you are prepared to be held
accountable.
Just like you do with all the other
deliverables, you must ensure you
implement your plans and
measure and monitor your
progress against your set KPIs.
Don’t worry about being ‘right’,
there is no such thing as perfect
sustainability. Instead, get creative
about how you discuss progress
with your team and the client,
don’t leave it until the end of the
slide deck or agenda
straight-jacketed by the word
‘sustainability.’ For example, if you
are talking about suppliers and
have locally sourced SMEs, include
the positive People, Profit, Planet
impacts as you do so. Here, for
example, you would cite the
reduction in carbon emissions, the
benefits of cleaner air and the
bolstered economy you have left
behind after the event. If you have
engaged these suppliers in
Above: Sam Wilson,
Syntiro Associates
27
sustainability Innovation
and the
sustainable sourcing of products
and materials, this is a brilliant
knowledge legacy, so include that
too.
You may initially need an expert
to help you to look through this
new lens, to help you get your
facts right, to upskill your creative
teams, build sustainability into
your existing processes and
practices and develop the
mechanisms you need to deliver
plans and capture data. But once
you have done this, your team will
be able to not only innovate, but to
identify when to call in the experts
for certain projects such as a
carbon footprint analysis. You will
also be able to identify
improvements and work with the
client setting new initiatives and
targets. I have seen pioneering
client/agency partnerships
developed through this simple
strategy.
As part of the wrap-up, ensure
you include your achievements
and the short-term and long-term
legacies. Hold a creative debrief
about how the event benefited the
brand and how the client has been
a change-maker. Enter an award,
write a thought leadership piece,
keep on talking about the unique
and ground-breaking part
creatives have to play. The
scientists and the sustainability
experts have their parts and they
are needed, but you are the
mobilisers and amplifiers of
change. You are the creatives.
That’s what you do.
“This is not about
bolting-on, this is
about embedding
meaning into all your
communication
touchpoints and all
your event-related
activities."
www.conference-news.co.uk