Making Sustainable Living Commonplace – Embedding Social Impact into Brands

Christine Cea Marketing Communications

Unilever

MAKING SUSTAINABLE LIVING COMMONPLACE EMBEDDING PURPOSE INTO BRANDS

• Text: Our challenge: Business and brands to be

the change that enables 9 billion to live

sustainably ,

• Image: planet from space at night?

• Manufacturing + Suppliers + Consumers

•

• 3 Images: Manufacturing & Transport 5%; Raw

materials 26%; Consumers & Disposal 69%

• Existing image of world from space and ‘Make

Sustainable Living Commonplace’ text

CREATIVITY OR

EFFECTIVENESS?

BRANDS NEED TO STAND FOR SOMETHING MORE

THAN JUST FEATURES AND BENEFITS.

EVERY GREAT BRAND HAS SOMETHING IN ITS DNA

THAT CAN BE CHANNELLED IN A POSITIVE WAY.

INTELLECTUAL ARGUMENT

+ EMOTIONAL ENGAGEMENT

A BRAND’S POINT OF VIEW AND PURPOSE NEEDS TO BE AUTHENTIC,

RELEVANT, CONSISTENT, HONEST AND TRANSPARENT.

MARKETERS OFTEN TIRE OF PROGRAMS

BEFORE THE CONSUMER GETS IT. IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO CHANGE BEHAVIOR.

DOVE: SKETCHES

ENGAGE ON AN EMOTIONAL LEVEL.

MOVE BEYOND MARKETING ATTRIBUTES TO MARKETING WITH ACTION.

MULTIFACETED AND MULTI-SECTOR

TRANSFORMATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS ARE NEEDED TO MAKE DRAMATIC PROGRESS

ON THE BIG ISSUES.

LIFEBUOY: HAND WASHING

LIFEBUOY: HELP A CHILD REACH 5

MARKETING

SUSTAINABLE LIVING

+

SEGMENT MESSAGING

TO REACH CONSUMERS AND CLOSE THE GAP BETWEEN

ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS.

HAVE A CLEAR MESSAGE AND CLEAR ASK.

NEED TO USE LANGUAGE THAT

HELPS PEOPLE TRANSFORM BEHAVIORS –

SO THAT DOING SO FEELS

MANAGEABLE AND NOT DAUNTING.

SMALL ACTIONS

BIG DIFFERENCE

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PRICES WILL RISE IN THE LONG-TERM AND THUS SUSTAINABLE BRANDS

WILL NEED TO TIE BENEFITS OR SERVICES INTO THEIR PRODUCT.

PRICING INFLUENCES PEOPLE.

DEVELOP PRODUCTS THAT MAKE THE SUSTAINABLE CHOICE EASY,

ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE.

COMMUNICATION

CO-CREATION

+

BRAND EVANGELISTS CAN HELP SHIFT PARADIGMS, WORD OF MOUTH IS POWERFUL.

CRITICAL FOR COMPANIES TO INVOLVE

THEIR EMPLOYEES AS THEY ARE

THE CENTER OF A CULTURE

AND INTEGRAL TO A BRAND PURPOSE BEING AUTHENTIC.

BRANDS

MARKETING

BETTER PLANET

+

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www.sustainable-living.unilever.com