Sustainable Development: What Impacts on Marketing?
8 May 2008
Read by 1718 persons
The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to former Vice-President Al Gore, the French "Grenelle de l'environnement" (environmental summit), and the Bali International Conference once again highlight the issues of global warming, the environment, and sustainable development in general. Indeed, not a day goes by without newspapers, TV, and radio around the world, including in developing countries, mentioning these topics. Environmental awareness is therefore gradually spreading to all stakeholders: public authorities, consumers, employees, businesses, civil society, and NGOs.
What is the impact of this seemingly lasting trend on marketing departments and marketers?
First of all, and like any new sector that is being structured, we have seen and are seeing the emergence of a new vocabulary from which specialists and consultants of all kinds conceptualize, analyze, and model. These new words that you need to know are eco-design, corporate social responsibility, green communication, socially responsible investment, sustainable purchasing, Agenda 21, Bilan Carbone™, Fair Trade…
We have also seen a number of companies take advantage of the regulatory void and lack of clear indicators to communicate on the environmental theme without actually changing anything in their processes, doing what is called - another new word - "greenwashing." Others, however, have taken concrete steps, and some results combining environmental progress, communication success, and commercial progress are impressive and convincing.
In terms of internal organization, marketing is also seeing the development alongside it of Sustainable Development departments, which are sometimes attached to it but more and more often report to strategy or directly to general management. These structures still have low budgets today but are seeing their role expand. They are notably carrying out communication initiatives (sustainability reports, foundations, NGO partnerships, public-private partnerships) in parallel with or in association with marketers.
Sustainable development should therefore strongly modify the way marketing is done in the coming years, both in terms of organization and communication. Increased awareness is leading to increasingly stringent environmental legislation, as well as increasing receptivity and knowledge among consumers regarding sustainable practices. "Greenwashers" therefore face dangerous backlashes in the short to medium term, while innovators should benefit from a significant competitive advantage. The cost aspect of sustainable development, often mentioned by companies, is a debate that will gradually disappear, partly because it is often realized that eco-design approaches are actually less costly than conventional approaches, that optimizing energy consumption and reducing travel are important factors in reducing the budget. Another significant factor is that consumers are willing to pay for "responsible" products and services. Numerous studies exist, and expert debates are taking place on the size of this population, the sectors concerned, and the acceptable increase, but overall, we can affirm that more and more consumers are accepting a surcharge for environmental reasons, provided, of course, that they are certain of what they are buying.
The trend towards "sustainable" communication, "green" marketing, and the "responsible" company is therefore, in my opinion, inexorable. Marketing must therefore adapt, and its main challenge seems to be to define the relevant models, techniques, and communication methods (labels, standards, attitudes) to convince the consumer of the reality of the company's approach. It is also a matter of internally convincing oneself and convincing top management that sustainable development is profitable (humanly, environmentally, but above all and especially financially).
Posted on April 15, 2008
marketingagora.fr
What is the impact of this seemingly lasting trend on marketing departments and marketers?
First of all, and like any new sector that is being structured, we have seen and are seeing the emergence of a new vocabulary from which specialists and consultants of all kinds conceptualize, analyze, and model. These new words that you need to know are eco-design, corporate social responsibility, green communication, socially responsible investment, sustainable purchasing, Agenda 21, Bilan Carbone™, Fair Trade…
We have also seen a number of companies take advantage of the regulatory void and lack of clear indicators to communicate on the environmental theme without actually changing anything in their processes, doing what is called - another new word - "greenwashing." Others, however, have taken concrete steps, and some results combining environmental progress, communication success, and commercial progress are impressive and convincing.
In terms of internal organization, marketing is also seeing the development alongside it of Sustainable Development departments, which are sometimes attached to it but more and more often report to strategy or directly to general management. These structures still have low budgets today but are seeing their role expand. They are notably carrying out communication initiatives (sustainability reports, foundations, NGO partnerships, public-private partnerships) in parallel with or in association with marketers.
Sustainable development should therefore strongly modify the way marketing is done in the coming years, both in terms of organization and communication. Increased awareness is leading to increasingly stringent environmental legislation, as well as increasing receptivity and knowledge among consumers regarding sustainable practices. "Greenwashers" therefore face dangerous backlashes in the short to medium term, while innovators should benefit from a significant competitive advantage. The cost aspect of sustainable development, often mentioned by companies, is a debate that will gradually disappear, partly because it is often realized that eco-design approaches are actually less costly than conventional approaches, that optimizing energy consumption and reducing travel are important factors in reducing the budget. Another significant factor is that consumers are willing to pay for "responsible" products and services. Numerous studies exist, and expert debates are taking place on the size of this population, the sectors concerned, and the acceptable increase, but overall, we can affirm that more and more consumers are accepting a surcharge for environmental reasons, provided, of course, that they are certain of what they are buying.
The trend towards "sustainable" communication, "green" marketing, and the "responsible" company is therefore, in my opinion, inexorable. Marketing must therefore adapt, and its main challenge seems to be to define the relevant models, techniques, and communication methods (labels, standards, attitudes) to convince the consumer of the reality of the company's approach. It is also a matter of internally convincing oneself and convincing top management that sustainable development is profitable (humanly, environmentally, but above all and especially financially).
Posted on April 15, 2008
marketingagora.fr
