Jude Blankfield, Chief of Staff and Head of Marketing at the Australian fintech firm Slyp, has observed in words quoted by Dynamic Business: “Consumer consciousness around the future of the planet is rising.”
She added that, according to a recent report from her company, “nearly nine-in-ten consumers now take into consideration the social and environmental efforts of a brand when making purchasing decisions.”
This puts the onus on your company striving to minimise its carbon footprint — if, of course, it is not already doing so — as well as promoting its green efforts. What part can your advertising activities play in the latter?
Keep transparency at the forefront
In other words, be open and honest about what your business is doing in its green drive. If your company has set specific eco-friendly goals, you should communicate what they are and how far your business has progressed towards satisfying them.
Blankfield notes: “Some companies already doing this well include Nike, Officeworks, and Ampol, whose continuous disclosure of sustainability progress — be that reducing water use, making sustainable products more available, or reducing emissions — drives credibility.”
Rein in your use of print marketing materials
Blankfield points out “retailers are rolling out various initiatives to minimise environmental impact, including the removal of paper receipts.”
Of course, a receipt can itself act as a marketing tool, with the company’s logo and branding colours on display. However, switching to digital receipts is not the only example of how companies can omit printed materials from their promotional strategy.
You could also — as far as practically possible — withdraw from using paper-based leaflets, brochures, and flyers, and opt to hire digital billboards from a company like Clear Channel, which specialises in offering out-of-home (OOH) advertising space for brands to temporarily use.
Become certified to an environmental standard
Any green certification you do pick up can be highlighted on your publicity materials, helping you to further increase your company’s appeal to eco-conscious customers.
Bruce Mcfarlane, interim CEO at Energy Action, has told Dynamic Business: “We recently became a 100% carbon neutral company, meeting the requirements of the Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard for our business operations in Australia.”
He added: “Certifications are a great way of marketing achievements, and we recommend using government-backed certifications, such as the Climate Active programme, which backs up an organisation’s credibility.”
For UK businesses, nibusinessinfo.co.uk recommends becoming “certified to an environmental standard such as ISO 14001”, adding: “You may be able to use the logo and brands of standards to help promote your achievements.”
Run advertising campaigns jointly with green organisations
There might be certain environmental issues which other organisations could assist you in tackling. Furthermore, if this is indeed the case, you might be able to run advertising campaigns in collaboration with these bodies.
For example, if you sell electronics, you could encourage shoppers to drop off used devices at a physical shop you run. Any person who does hand over old hardware in this way could be given a gift card, while another organisation could recycle the hardware itself.
