Sustainability has evolved from being just another buzzword to a fundamental aspect across various industries. As the growing concern for climate change gains traction and consumers become more conscious of the environment, brands are reevaluating their ESG practices to emphasise environmental responsibility. In marketing events and campaigns, this shift presents both challenges and opportunities for the brands.
Brands can no longer easily get away with only reducing waste and carbon footprints. Consumers expect them to demonstrate a commitment to a greener future that aligns with the values of a conscientious customer base.
Agencies are considered a pivotal part of any marketing event or campaign. They play a crucial role in the sustainability factor of these events while shaping the overall structure. According to research conducted by MeetGreen, a typical 1,000-person, three-day event generates approximately 530 metric tons of carbon dioxide. This has posed a serious crisis for our environment. Agencies that organise such large events usually leave a considerable ecological footprint. It starts with as little as single-use plastics and transpires to heavy-energy lighting and sound systems. When all of this comes together, it becomes a monstrosity to the environment.
Incorporating Sustainability in Marketing Campaigns and Events
As a sustainable marketer, you have vast control over the ecological footprint of your brand like no one else. From venue selection to sourcing the raw materials, everything is supervised by you. Hence, it is your responsibility to ensure and uphold the sustainability factor.
The most important thing to consider when designing a sustainable marketing campaign or event is to think of the end goal of the campaign. At the same time, understanding the target audience is a crucial part. The person in charge of marketing communications must understand what that journey looks like and how they can support others in delivering that message as well. Another vital factor is the strategy. The marketing strategist needs to keep asking if the brand has a coherent strategy or not. Marketers must ensure that the strategy truly drives the campaign. This will help the brand remain authentic to its core values and purpose. The primary purpose of the brand should inform any sustainability communication it engages in.
Why Sustainability Matters for Brands
A consumer survey conducted across 22 countries by PwC in 2021 found that more than half of the consumer market has become eco-conscious during the COVID-19 pandemic. As humans, we have become increasingly aware of the devastating effects calamities have on our daily lives. We have become cautious about the changes we need to integrate into our lives, but most of us do not know how to do so.
Brands can come forward to help consumers through their innovative and sustainable products and services. Educating consumers on sustainability will make it easier for them to adopt their desired lifestyle.
So, the question remains: how can brands help their consumers? Well, the most easily adopted sustainable behaviours are those that are embedded in mainstream culture. The whole cultural aspect creates a platform for the brands to collectively influence their consumer base into shifting to sustainable consumer behaviour. Even if we consider the use of plastic bags, a few years ago, it had become an essential part of our daily grocery runs. Fast-forward to today, bringing your own bags into a supermarket has become the new norm around the world. This is conscientious consumer behaviour. It has been possible with the positive change initiatives by brands.
How can Sustainability be Measured in Events and Campaigns?
Measurement of any event or campaign starts with measuring your current state as a baseline. As an individual charged with the responsibility of measuring the sustainability of any event, you can use an event sustainability tracker like TRACE by Isla. Event sustainability trackers help you gauge your current standing after inputting all the relevant information. Once you determine your current standing, it becomes much easier to track progress in your sustainability performance.
Measuring progress means starting to track your event activities. What most planners overlook is gathering sufficient data on their sustainability impact. As an efficient planner, you must capture data on carbon footprint, food waste, material waste, and other relevant metrics. Attendee flights and those arriving by cars or buses, as well as the energy use impact on society, must be taken into account as well. Unfortunately, we do not have an all-in-one tracker for measurement purposes yet. However, a lot can be tracked using the many event sustainability measurement tools available today.
Organizations should measure sustainability in a consistent and standardised manner. A basic sustainability track report can easily get the job done. Track reports are concise and easy to understand the sustainability level of any organisation. Sustainability track reports can be created quickly with the support of sustainable event planners like Event:decision.
Only two diagrams will be required to create an efficient sustainability track report. The first diagram will display the total impact of your event in terms of tons of carbon dioxide generated. You can clearly identify your event’s carbon footprint from the first diagram. The second diagram will illustrate where your event falls in the CO₂e (Carbon Dioxide Equivalent) metric. You can use different color codes, such as green to indicate lower impact and red to indicate higher impact, in the second diagram. If your marketing events include in-person elements, it will likely impact the accommodation metric. Similarly, if it is a global event with long-haul flights, it is bound to fall under the high-impact category
As a sustainable marketer, you will understand the major impacts of your event using these sustainability measurement tools. Once you identify the sources, it will be easier for you to mitigate the negative impacts of your event.
Sustainable Marketing Campaigns led by Industry Leaders
When Nissan first introduced its electric vehicle, the Nissan Leaf, it conceived the idea of creating an OVC that advocates for sustainability. The idea basically was to follow a polar bear around as it travels across the US, trying to track down the owner of the new Nissan Leaf. It was shown in the end scene of the OVC that the polar bear was hugging the car’s owner in an act of protection for his kind. This visually powerful campaign increased awareness of electric vehicles and encouraged sustainability among consumers.
In a collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Lacoste introduced limited-edition polo shirts featuring images of endangered species instead of its iconic crocodile logo. This campaign not only raised awareness about wildlife conservation but also supported the cause by donating the proceeds from shirt sales to the IUCN. The entire campaign resulted in a significant surge in donations and increased public engagement in conserving wildlife.
Embracing sustainable practices in marketing events and campaigns offers a path that not only reduces environmental impact but also resonates deeply with eco-conscious consumers. The future of marketing is unequivocally green, and if the proper strategies are implemented, marketing professionals in charge of events and campaigns can lead the way to a sustainable and responsible world.
Author: Irtiza Zaman
